New sources, new historical archives. The Scientific Library of Claridad Press: collection of popular sex manuals, Argentina, 1924/1941

Abstract

Since the middle of the 20th century, the notion of document and archive has been reformulated. We analyse from a historical perspective how the Scientific Library (1924-1941) of Claridad Press, located in Buenos Aires, was built up, reconstructing its bibliographic repertoires, authors, texts, characteristics, material, and those main problems related to sexuality. The book collection consisted of numerous authors and titles, not necessarily ideologically homogeneous. These books conveyed gender, class, scientific, age, and dichotomous views that exclusively recognised a normative heterosexuality. These inexpensive books were mainly sex manuals written in plain language, often reprinted, that established which sexual behaviour was considered ‘normal’ or ‘pathological’.