New — first English edition

Discover your most delightful body part

The Magnificent Clitoris

By Marleen Janssen · E-book · pdf + epub · Instant download

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So much more than a silly little button

'Marleen, you and I need to have a serious talk about the clitoris,' my friend Aletta said as she walked in. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. An anatomical drawing of the clitoris, printed off the internet. She unfolded it on the kitchen table and tapped the paper with her finger.

'Look,' she said, pointing at the small tip at the top, 'this is what I thought the clitoris was. This little button.'

Then she traced a circle around the rest of the drawing. 'And this I didn't know. That there's so much more to it. That it's a whole organ. With little legs and everything.'

'I am 63 years old. And I never knew this. That makes me angry. And sad.'

Aletta is 63, says exactly what she thinks, and has the kind of curiosity most people are too polite for. We talk about everything. And that day, we talked about the clitoris.

What your mother, your biology teacher, and your doctor never told you (because they didn't know)

Did you know the clitoris is not just that little tip at the top of the vulva, but has a total length of three and a half to four inches (nine to eleven centimeters)? That it has sensitive extensions running through the labia and along the opening of the vagina? That it has erectile tissue, just like a penis? And that it holds around ten thousand nerve endings — far more than the glans of a man?

Aletta didn't know. I didn't know either, for years. I have been writing about female sexuality for more than thirty years, and still I only heard this wondrous story around 2010, from sexologist Ellen Laan. Sitting in the metro on my way home afterwards, I thought: hold on. I'm sitting ón it right now.

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The clitoris briefly didn't exist. Now it does again.

I wrote it out for Aletta on a napkin, as a timeline:

1559

An Italian physician describes the clitoris as hís discovery — as if women hadn't been walking around with one for centuries.

1948

Gray's Anatomy, the medical bible, deletes the clitoris from the book. Gone.

1998

Australian urologist Helen O'Connell produces the very first complete map of the clitoris.

Aletta stared at the napkin. 'Wait a minute,' she said. 'Gray's Anatomy. Isn't that the book all doctors learn from?'

'Yes.'

'And they took the clitoris out. In 1948.'

'Yes.'

She was quiet for a moment. Then: 'So my mother had a family doctor and a gynecologist who didn't know the clitoris existed.'

Literally. Not a single illustration. Generations of doctors studied a human body in which half the population was missing an organ. Generations of women walked around with questions those doctors couldn't even answer.

That changes now.

What you'll read in The Magnificent Clitoris

My book is the manual you never got. I wrote it for women of all ages — for 15, for 31, for 46, for 79. In six chapters I share everything I have collected in thirty years.

♥The real clitoris

Meet the complete organ. Including legs, erectile tissue, and ten thousand nerve endings. She is bigger, smarter, and more sensitive than you think.

♥The history

A story of erasing, denying, and ignoring. After this chapter you'll understand why your mother never told you anything.

♥The manual

Step by step. How do you touch the clitoris, how do you delight her? Practical tips you can actually use.

♥Menopause

What changes after forty? It becomes different, not less. And how to work with that.

♥The partner

Especially if he's a man — how to bring him up to speed, with patience and humor.

♥The toys

What do they do for you and your clitoris? Which ones work, and which ones you can leave on the shelf.

♥ My favorite chapter

The chapter I am most proud of

Among those six chapters is the one I am most proud of. It is also the biggest chapter in the book. It is about self-love.

Self-love is still stuck in the corner of 'dirty' or 'sad'. Many people consider sex with yourself 'not real sex'. This always makes me laugh and cry at the same time. Because good sex starts with yourself. Self-love is the foundation of pleasure.

I take you through it step by step. How to begin if you've never really dared to look or feel. How to get to know the clitoris with your fingers — calmly, without a goal, without hurry. Why relaxing does more than tensing up. What the clitoris truly loves, and what you'd better leave out.

This chapter does exactly what I want this book to do: give you back something that was always yours.

For you — three reasons to read this book

♥

The full story

Anatomy, history, and practice in one book. Warm, honest, evidence-based.

♥

A Dutch bestseller

The original Dutch edition found thousands of readers within months.

♥

Never too late

Whether you're 40 or 79 — your body has been waiting for this introduction.

For all women. For you.

Whether you're 40 or 79. Whether you're just starting to explore or have been curious all your life. Whether you've had sex with the same partner forever or are starting over. Whether you know how to reach an orgasm or have forgotten that you can.

Meet Marleen

Marleen Janssen. I have been writing about relationships, intimacy, and female sexuality for more than thirty years. My books reached tens of thousands of Dutch readers, and my previous book Is er nog seks na de overgang? (Is There Still Sex After Menopause?) — in which Aletta also appears — was read by thousands of women.

The Magnificent Clitoris is the book I always wanted to write, ever since Ellen Laan told me in a metro fifteen years ago how things really work between a woman's legs. This is its first English edition.

As featured in the Dutch press

What readers wrote about Marleen's books

"Since reading your book on orgasms, I've been having orgasms I didn't know existed."

— Ellen, 56

"How good that you finally unpack this taboo subject properly. At last, someone who discusses sexuality sincerely and no-nonsense."

— Iris, 49

"You write so matter-of-factly and playfully (with the occasional hilarious wink). My libido is growing, wonderful."

— Tanja, 69

"I love your honesty. The fairy tale about sex and love we were all raised on mostly leads to disappointment."

— Marijke, 47

Frequently asked questions

How do I buy the book?

Right here, from Marleen's own little bookshop. You pay securely by PayPal, iDEAL, Bancontact, or bank transfer, and both files (pdf and epub) land in your inbox right away.

What device can I read it on?

On your phone, e-reader, tablet, or laptop. You get both the pdf and the epub, so it reads well everywhere.

Is there a print edition?

The print edition is currently available in Dutch. If enough English readers ask for it, a printed English edition will follow.

Isn't this inappropriate?

No. This is a book about an organ. Just like a book about your heart or your brain. It is written with the same matter-of-factness and the same respect. It is candid where it needs to be, and never crude.

What if my partner doesn't want to read this?

He doesn't have to. This book is for you. When you understand better how your own body works, something changes in your bed all by itself. No required reading for your partner. If he gets curious later — and that happens — it will be right there on the nightstand.

Who is this book for?

For all women who want to know more about their own body and pleasure. Whether you're 40 or 79, beginner or advanced.

And Aletta?

Aletta called me on a Thursday evening. She had read the chapter on self-love.

'I cried. Because I am 63 and never truly took the time to get to know myself. Never felt without a goal. Never thought: this is mine, and it's allowed to be here.'

Maybe you are a bit of an Aletta too. Maybe your clitoris is the most neglected part of your body. Maybe you didn't even know she had legs.

It's time you two met. Unfold the drawing on your own kitchen table.

I want this book

€9.99 · E-book (pdf + epub) · Instant download after payment

Bye for now,
Marleen Janssen

P.S. Ten thousand nerve endings, and nobody ever gave you the manual. Until now.