Is it possible to develop a kind of sexual intelligence, one that can deepen our pleasure and give us a greater awareness of ourselves?

Kim Cattrall ignited a new sexual revolution with her first book, Satisfaction — an intimate guide to satisfying sexual desire. Now she's back, with a provocative new work that examines the sources and inspirations of sex.

Cattrall and a small group of writers and filmmakers traveled to the historic sites that have give expression to human sexuality — including the streets of ancient Pompeii, with their explicitly erotic public art; the Secret Museum in Naples; the beaches of Cyprus, birthplace of the love goddess Aphrodite; and the rolling hills of Dorset, England, site of the largest phallus on earth. They also interviewed experts, sexual adventurers, and ordinary people.

The result is an informed and entertaining look at the mysterious logic of sexual desire. Sexual Intelligence features candid conversation, comic animation, master works of art, and contemporary photography — all woven into a narrative that celebrates nature, imagination, and the sensuality of life.

"In an attempt to give readers a greater understanding of the sources and inspirations of sex, Cattrall, aka the seductive Samantha Jones on Sex and the City, has wound up producing a weird mix of art book and sex manual, addressing the roots of desire, messaging, arousal, fantasy and 'release.' The text isn't written in the first person (in fact, there are references to 'we'), and Cattrall's well-known sexiness isn't glaringly on display, with the exception of grainy images of her smirking as she holds an oyster, or dressed up as a dominatrix, floating in what appear to be Photoshopped clouds. Other pictures feel like stock photography (indeed, the credits at book's end confirm this): a photo of a zucchini next to a paragraph on nicknames for the penis; a sepia-toned shot of two feet crossed, with a daisy tucked between two toes, alongside a section on 'lust and laughter.' The same interview subjects (identified by first name and a head shot only) are quoted throughout; readers learn, for example, that Natasha doesn't like the way her vagina looks, nor is she attracted to 'the metrosexual, hair-product type guy.' Master works of art — a carving of a vulva found in a cave in France; Antonio Canova's marble sculpture of lovers embracing — are used to beautiful effect, but don't help the book rise from fluff to something of substance." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

The Sex and the City star explores the mysteries of sexual desire in this provocatively illustrated companion book to the 90-minute HBO documentary special.

Kim Cattrall, award-winning actress and producer, is known to millions of devoted fans around the world for her trailblazing role as Samantha Jones in the smash television series Sex and the City. Born in Liverpool, England, and raised in Canada, she moved to New York at the age of sixteen to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She has worked extensively in theater, film, and television since then. Sexual Intelligence is her second book and marks her first foray into producing documentary features.