Leathersex: A Guide for the Curious Outsider and the Serious Player

This is a "foundation book." A "must read." Joseph, one of the select few who have shaped the Leather culture in this country, wrote this timeless book in part so that those not (yet) involved in the Leather culture could develop a better understanding of what it is and how it works. But it is also intended for those of us who have some years of experience, here. For this book batches and sorts in ways that help us better to uderstand others with slightly different kinks. His chapter organizations are inspired and his writing style is easy to follow. As I've said: a "must read."

This was a rich delight to read. Many leatherfolk and leather-curious will appreciate the content, accurately described by the chapter titles: "Getting Started in Leathersex", "Playing with Power and Sex", "Playing with Pain", "Playing with Pleasure", "Playing with Life and Death", "Leather Relationships", "Anatomy, Physiology, and First Aid" and "Leathersex and Spirituality".The author's writing style is both engaging and informative. "Leather Relationships" has an intimate quality to it, including an interesting interview with the founders of Masters & slaves Together ("MAsT"), and another with the author's late boy. The latter interview and writings around it answer, as best I've seen, the question "What is a 'boy'?" "Playing with Pain" included information on some techniques for pain processing and storage that I'd not run across in book form before. "Leathersex and Spirituality" is a short but welcome chapter.The book flows well. The author does not shirk from addressing edgy topics when relevant. The index is exhaustive.I particularly recommend "Leathersex" to a gay male leather audience.

It can be difficult to balance between talking down to those who will feel they have a lot of experience in BDSM and tallking over those who are just learning about BDSM. This book does a good job of looking at a wide range of activities and interests, some of them for the first time, so that newbies can feel grounded while advanced kinky folk can mull over the concepts. Even though the book grew out of Bean's own journey toward becoming a master, I think the book can speak to anyone regardless of vanilla sexual orientation. However the book often reads more like it is geared toward the bottom or submissive partner in a relationship.

Joseph Bean does an outstanding job of explaining, demystifying and clarifying many aspects of BDSM. It is from a gay male perspective and would probably not be of tremendous interest to hets or lesbians, but gay & bi/pansexual bio- & transmen should thoroughly enjoy Bean's work, no matter what their level of involvement in BDSM. He covers a wide variety of topics ranging from leather to bondage, BDSM relationships to finding partners, play parties to tools, etc. Plus Bean focuses on the importanct of the safe, sane & consensual principles. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!