Thy Neighbor's Wife (book)

{{Short description|Nonfiction book by Gay Talese}}

{{for|the 1923 novel by Liam O'Flaherty|Thy Neighbour's Wife}}

{{Infobox book

| name = Thy Neighbor's Wife

| title_orig =

| translator =

| image = File:Thy Neighbor's Wife.jpg

| caption = Cover of the first edition

| author = Gay Talese

| illustrator =

| cover_artist =

| country = United States

| language = English

| genre = {{hlist|Non-fiction|New Journalism}}

| series =

| publisher = Doubleday

| release_date = 1981

| media_type = Print (hardcover and paperback)

| pages = 568

| isbn = 978-0-06-166543-1

| preceded_by =

| followed_by =

}}

Thy Neighbor's Wife is a non-fiction book by Gay Talese, published in 1981 and updated in 2009.{{cite book |title=Thy Neighbor's Wife |author=Talese, Gay |date=January 1, 1980 |publisher=Garden City: Doubleday Books |pages=[https://archive.org/details/y000gayt/page/568 568] |isbn=978-0385006323 |oclc=6041425 |url=https://archive.org/details/y000gayt/page/568 }}{{cite book |title=Thy Neighbor's Wife |author=Talese, Gay |date=April 14, 2009 |publisher=Harper Perennial |pages=608 |isbn=978-0061665431 |oclc=232978247}}

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 Sandstone Retreat, a clothing-optional, open sexuality resort for swingers, in California.{{cite book |title=Studies in Human Sexuality: A Selected Guide |author1=Frayser, Suzanne G |author2=Whitby, Thomas J |date=June 15, 1995 |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |pages=663–664 |isbn=978-1563081316 |oclc=246859790}}

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.{{cite news |last1=Schwartz |first1=Tony |title=U.A. Pays $2.5 Million For Book by Gay Talese |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/09/archives/ua-pays-25-million-for-book-by-gay-talese-has-already-earned-4.html |accessdate=2019-01-22 |work=The New York Times |date=1979-10-09 |page=C9}} At the time, UA contemplated making as many as three films based on the book, and in 1980, William Friedkin agreed to write and direct the first film, which he contemplated would receive an X rating.{{cite book |last1=Bach |first1=Steven |title=Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the Making of Heaven's Gate |date=1985 |publisher=New American Library |location=New York |isbn=0451400364 |page=[https://archive.org/details/finalcutdreamsdi00bach/page/379 379] |url=https://archive.org/details/finalcutdreamsdi00bach/page/379 }}See {{cite news |last1=Walls |first1=Jeannette |title=Talese Gooses His Neighbor's Wife |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zugCAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22thy+neighbor%27s+wife%22+%22united+artists%22&pg=PA12 |accessdate=2019-01-22 |work=New York |date=1991-11-18 |page=12}}, discussing the fact that the film had not been made as of 1991.