The three-volume 'History of Sexuality' (The Will to Knowledge, The Use of Pleasures, The Care of the Self) extends the research of the books 'The Archaeology of Knowledge' and 'Discipline and Punish'. In the second volume, Foucault continues his historical investigation into the roots of Western sexuality. However, as he explains in the Introduction, he needed to modify his original plan in order to turn to ancient (Greek and Roman) sources and examine from what fields of experience and with what forms sexual behavior was problematized.

Thus, 'The Use of Pleasures' explores why and how a moral concern for sexual conduct emerged in Antiquity, which seems generally more important than the moral adherence to other, also substantial areas of individual and collective life, such as dietary habits and the observance of civic duties.

The research develops across all fields related to sexuality and is shaped as a general anthropology of pleasure, whether it concerns the ways in which morality defines the various parameters of that pleasure or seemingly adjacent and preparatory aspects of pleasure, such as Dietetics and all the precautions taken to avoid the risks and threats associated with sexual conduct.

Furthermore, Foucault demonstrates the economy of sexuality and its inscription in a social and legal field, and studies the constitutional status of marriage, as well as the organization of the household. Finally, the book concludes with a treatise on Love and a reflection on true love.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]