by
depuss
Hello everyone! It’s springtime, the time of renewal and new beginnings, so I thought that I would talk a bit about books that are good “starter” material for people new to the scene. There is a lot of information available these days for people interested in alternative lifestyles but not all of it is appropriate for those who are, to coin an Internet phrase, “rank newbies”. The three books that I will be talking about are ones that are well known and popular all around the country. They were the beginnings of our kinky library and are thought to be very good as guides to starting out. So here we go! Rating:
Screw
The Roses, Send Me the Thorns - This book, by the late Philip Miller and Molly Devon is, by some, thought to be the “bible” of beginning S&M. I have had the pleasure of meeting Molly several times and talking to her about her experiences and of what it was like to write this book. She’s a very interesting woman with years of experience that come through in Screw The Roses. They introduce you to S&M and offer basic explanations of its practice, talk about finding partners and forming relationships as well as sexual attitudes found within S&M. There are practical “How To’s” that will help you find out what turns you on or off and examples of dungeon furniture and toys as well. They also delve into the more philosophical parts of the scene such as why some like pain or humiliation. This book is one of those that has a lot of information about a lot of topics but does it in such a way that it is NOT boring but exciting. This is a definite add to your library if you don’t all ready have it. Rating:
SM 101 - A Realistic Introduction Jay Wiseman has been an SM practitioner and teacher for more than 25 years and as one reviewer stated “ SM 101: A Realistic Introduction has taught the fundamentals of safe, exciting SM to tens of thousands of people of all genders and orientations…..”. Like Screw The Roses, SM 101 is realistic, warm and personal as it takes you through the many layers of S&M. Just looking at the table of contents will give you an idea of what you will find:
SM 101 is one of the best SM books around whether you are new or have been in the scene for a long time. It is a definite buy! Rating:
Originally written with gay leathermen in mind, this book by Guy Baldwin has become a useful guide and just plain good read for anyone involved in S&M. He has put together a book of essays, commentaries and advice that gives insight into what it is that we do. He writes about issues such as relationships and switching, and smoothing out rough spots in relationships and many, many more. He comments about community issues and political ones as well. In all, it is a book that touches on a lot of the issues that affect all who participate in S&M. So, there are three books out of many that I think that you would not only enjoy but learn from, whether you are brand new and wondering what, where and why or if you’ve been around the block a time or two. Shop at Amazon.com! they have all three of these and more in their vast data base of books!
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