Uneasy Virtue: the Politics of Prostitution and the American Reform Tradition.

• Author: Palese, C. Blair

Uneasy Virtue: The Politics of Prostitution and the American Reform Tradition.

Barbara Meil Hobson. Basic Books, $20.95. Regardless of whether you think prostitution should be legalized, Hobson's history of America's oldest profession will convince you that the life of a prostitute is not only difficult but very often absurd.

First there's the inherent sexism of the territory. Throughout history, male prostitutes have been ignored by urban courts while female prostitutes have been singled out as criminals, evil seductresses, and carriers of disease. Maledominated law has been anything but consistent.

And it's not as though there's an easy way to move up from the streets into management. At one time, a prostitute could aspire to being a "madame," but today the streets are so violent that male pimps have become a necessity. The professional ways of Sydney Biddle Barrows are not as common as media coverage implies.

If you think that somehow prostitution can be cleaned up by some neat ordinance creating a legalized Red Light district, take a look at Nevada. The place is even sleazier than you might think. In the four desert counties where prostitution is legal, prostitutes are more prisoners than working women. In Lyon County, the Red Light district is a bunch of trailers in the desert five miles away from "any city, town, or mobile home park." One Nevada town makes it illegal for prostitutes to leave their brothels on Sunday, and it also limits where they can shop and when. Imagine not being able to leave your office to go to the local drug store.

And if you're a...