Thy Neighbor's Wife (book)

Nonfiction book by Gay Talese

978-0-06-166543-1

Thy Neighbor's Wife is a non-fiction book by Gay Talese, published in 1981 and updated in 2009.^[1]^[2]

The book is an exploration of sexuality in America from after World War II through the 1970s, with notable discussion of the free love subculture. It provides a snapshot of liberated pre-AIDS sexual morality.

In preparation for writing the book, Talese resided for several months at clothing-optional resort Sandstone Retreat.^[3]

In 1979, prior to the book's publication, United Artists purchased the film rights to Thy Neighbor's Wife for $2.5 million, which at the time was the largest amount ever paid for film rights to any book.^[4] At the time, UA contemplated making as many as three films based on the book,^[4] and in 1980, William Friedkin agreed to write and direct the first film, which he contemplated would receive an X rating.^[5] However, as of 2023, no film has been made.^[6]

References

^ Talese, Gay (January 1, 1980). Thy Neighbor's Wife. Garden City: Doubleday Books. pp. 568. ISBN 978-0385006323. OCLC 6041425.
^ Talese, Gay (April 14, 2009). Thy Neighbor's Wife. Harper Perennial. p. 608. ISBN 978-0061665431. OCLC 232978247.
^ Frayser, Suzanne G; Whitby, Thomas J (June 15, 1995). Studies in Human Sexuality: A Selected Guide. Libraries Unlimited. pp. 663–664. ISBN 978-1563081316. OCLC 246859790.
^ ^a ^b Schwartz, Tony (1979-10-09). "U.A. Pays $2.5 Million For Book by Gay Talese". The New York Times. p. C9. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
^ Bach, Steven (1985). Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the Making of Heaven's Gate. New York: New American Library. p. 379. ISBN 0451400364.
^ See Walls, Jeannette (1991-11-18). "Talese Gooses His Neighbor's Wife". New York. p. 12. Retrieved 2019-01-22., discussing the fact that the film had not been made as of 1991.