Kama Sutra

In the early 1970's, my best friend's brother came home from college for the summer with one of the early Berkley editions of the Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana. We "borrowed" it, to learn its hot, steamy secrets. Well, (a) no illustrations, and (b) six of the seven books of the Kama Sutra are devoted to relationships, not sex. What to look for in a wife, how to introduce a concubine into your household, the use of go-betweens in extramarital affairs, weird recipes to make your lingam grow larger. To a fifteen year old, northern India of 300 BCE was a more alien place than Middle Earth. Even the sexual advice was...unexpected. Hard biting, slapping, and scratching -- did people *do* that? Eight varieties of kisses -- cool. Cryptic descriptions of the "modes of congress" -- her thighs do what? And all described in the language and style of your most boring teacher in school (Vatsyayana *is* a scholar, plus the 1883 Burton/Arbuthnot translation is just clunky.) Still, somewhere along the way, "Kama Sutra" became a generic term for a manual of sexual technique. Tracey Cox, unlike many authors using the brand name, has clearly read the original, and decided that while much of book two is still valuable, today's reader probably doesn't care much about anthropology 2300 years old, except for a giggle. Where only about 5% of the original Kama Sutra describes "modes of congress", she describes them in useful, comprehensive detail, along with photos of two attractive couples demonstrating. Several of postures definitely profit from the "step one, step two..." approach. The sensual attractions and caveats of each position are described -- want to go really deep? Try the Highest Yawning position (Vijrimbhitaka for purists), but not if you've just eaten a big meal. Ms. Cox flags positions more suitable for the adventurous, strong, and supple. She elaborates with plenty of cheerful commentary on the advice given by Vatsyayana on seduction, kissing, handwork, oral sex, and sex toys (even back then!), and expands on it. As an extra, she includes some basic tantric energy techniques, even though the original Kama Sutra dismisses tantricism as religious kookiness. This book is good-humored, chock-full of sexy ideas, and has great pictures -- I wish I'd gotten hold of this version forty years ago!