I was looking for more of a how-to book when I chose to read this. This was more like an essay with a lot of interviews of people I've never heard of. Some of it was interesting, but I really didn't learn anything new. ( )

A coherent cornucopia of kinks, this reserve is an observant elucidation on the undiscovered spectrum of human sexuality familiarizing the BDSM lifestyle. It vocalizes unconventionally powered erotic encounters and fetishes exploring the conscious and subconscious dreams of sexualized demeanor. ( )

This book is one of the very few ethnographies existing about people who live in intentional power exchange relationships as a significant facet of their personal lives. It was groundbreaking when it came out, and to my knowledge no work has since come close to sharing D/s relationships through the participants' eyes in quite this manner, It is a stellar work of sociology for the bdsm community, and well worth reading for anyone who wants to gain some insights into why people choose to do D/s and erotic power relationships. ( )