Dr Alex Comfort (1920-2000), is best known as author of The Joy of Sex, which has sold some 9 million copies worldwide since it first appeared in 1972.

A classical scholar, medic and pioneer in research on ageing, he wrote acclaimed novels such as The Power House and A Giant's Strength, several volumes of poetry (most recently Microcosmos) and books of social commentary including Sex in Society and The Anxiety Makers.