Book excerpt: `The basic premise of this provocative book is a startling one - that sex ratios among people on the marriage market have profound consequences for a wide variety of attitudes, values, and behaviors, from sexual mores and behavior to shifts in economic power...the authors share with the reader a wealth of fascinating data and information...a book which is...fascinating, scholarly, provocative and exceedingly well-written.' -- Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol 10 No 2 `Written by social scientists with training and considerable publication in social psychology, this book is a unique contribution to the literature on women, sex roles, and the history of relations between men and women. No similar book is available to