Consensual Sadomasochism

Written by two long time members of the SM community, Consensual Sadomasochism offers a great "intro" to consensual power exchange play. The authors display a considerable breadth of knowledge and a wonderfully tolerant and open attitude toward all forms of BDSM play. The book is easy to read and follow and covers SM "basics," including fundamental concepts like safe words, limits, negotiation, and consent. The book contains good, if somewhat limited, descriptions of basic SM play (bondage, spanking, clamps, etc). There is also a good section on finding partners and how to find the SM community, along with a bibliography.The authors did a wonderful job putting this book together.

"Communication is key at every stage" the authors sensibly suggest, so I think I'll sound Marjorie out rather than simply giving her the book out-of-the-blue. It's a marvelous guide, either for those experienced in the joys of S & M like myself or beginners like I hope my wife will be. Practical tips are given matters such as toys and techniques, and guidance is even given for building and equipping your own dungeon. We might even explore that possibility when Jonathan's departure for college in October frees up a bedroom. All in all a fantastic guide.

Henkin and Holiday offer a very useful book about BDSM for mainly beginners in the scene but also for anyone who just like staying on top of opinions about BDSM. The book is well organized with a glossary right after a good discussion of special terms used in BDSM. Likewise sample negotiation forms are found at the end of the chapter where the procedure is explained. The largest section of the book concerns safety but not necessarily the kind you might find in "On the Safe Edge" or "Learning the Ropes". Here the focus is on learning about yourself first, learning about your partner second, and then how to explore BDSM. Throughout the idea that BDSM is primarily a pleasureable partnership is embraced and indeed in my personal experiences the best SM or Ds relationships are partnerships. Neither Henkin nor Holiday say that their way is the only way but they give solid reasons for their opinions and make suggestions based on years in the scene and as scholars and educators. This is definately a book I have proud to have in my library and one I recommend to people new to BDSM.

This book is written by two experienced SM practioners, one who is a psychotherapist, and the other a sexologist. The first chapter of the book tells how they both got interested in SM.There are a number of "introductory SM books" on the market now and what I like about the well-written ones is they way they handle basic SM topics. This book is no exception to this rule. It not only covers common SM topics, such as "playing safely" (with detailed descriptions of playing with various SM "toys), but also contains sections on who you should or shouldn't play with, and also contains a book, magazine and online resource section.I loved the glossary of SM terms contained in the book and their chapter on "Defining and Demystifying the Language." They also call make a point to define the difference between consensual play and abuse.I also liked their section called "On Doing Psychotherapy in the Dungeon." They point out SM can be therapeutic, but not to do actual "therapy" in play. Good point! A well-written book with lots of good information.