GEISHA: The Secret History of a Vanishing World, by Lesley Downer. London: Headline Books, 2000, 370 pp., 20 British pounds.

A common question asked about geisha is: Do they or don't they? Their attraction seems balanced between artistic prowess and sex appeal, but just how often is the latter properly appreciated, when and by whom? This and many other questions regarding the geisha are satisfied in this remarkable history of the world of flowers and willows.

As regards whether they do it or not, the answer is "sometimes." Though geisha are bought entertainers, they can refuse -- but since they are also often bound by ties of financial obligation, they cannot continue to do so. Without someone to take care of them, they financially languish. In other words, they are just like stay-at-home wives who also need steady employers -- husbands.

The geisha has to attract someone wealthy enough to provide for her. That he is also always someone else's husband is neither here nor there. She is traditionally no more interested in marriage than she is in love. She is married to her profession, but it does not pay enough.