'One is not born, but rather becomes, woman'.

First published in Paris in 1949, "The Second Sex" by Simone de Beavoir was a gr
oundbreaking, risque book that became a runaway success.

Selling 20,000 copies in its first week, the book earned its author both notorie
ty and admiration.
Since then, "The Second Sex" has been translated into forty languages and has be
come a landmark in the history of feminism. Required reading for anyone who beli
eves in the equality of the sexes, the central messages of "The Second Sex" are
as important today as they were for the housewives of the forties.
Newly translated and unabridged in English for the first time, Simone de Beauvoi
r s masterwork is a powerful analysis of the Western notion of woman, and a groundbr
eaking exploration of inequality and otherness.

This long-awaited new edition reinstates significant portions of the original Fr

ench text that were cut in the first English translation. Vital and groundbreaki
ng, Beauvoir s pioneering and impressive text remains as pertinent today as it was
sixty years ago, and will continue to provoke and inspire generations of men an
d women to come.