In many ways, this was THE book that launched my literary career. Originally self-published by me in 1992 as a large, plastic-bound edition, this comprehensive, realistic, 391-page introduction to BDSM was republished in 1996 by Greenery Press and has since sold tens of thousands of copies. It is one of the most widely recommended guidebooks on this topic ever written.
The book begins with a chapter on preliminary issues, including the definition of SM, descriptions of healthy and unhealthy interests in SM, discussion of why so many people are either for or against SM, and my own official "coming out" section.
The book then goes on into fundamentally important issues such as consent safewords, negotiation (including both short-form and long-form checklists), setting the scene, and aftercare.
Actual techniques described at some length include rope bondage and other forms of restraint, giving and receiving of erotic pain, flagellation, clamps, spanking, lubricants, genital play, anal play, erotic humiliation, knife play, dominant/submissive interactions, slave training, collars, and much more
There are sections on how to run SM events and organizations, general safety considerations, doing SM during pregnancy, SM and safer sex, and dealing with common SM-related emergencies.
There is a special "starter" chapter titled "A Novice Woman's Quick Reference Guide to Erotically Dominating a Submissive Man" that lays out a step-by-step blueprint for a basic SM session.
There is a chapter on how to construct an SM "starter set" and a chapter devoted to related practices such as enema play, fetishism, fisting, polyamory, and tantra. The book concludes with a chapter on finding help with problems, a substantial bibliography and reference section, and a fairly large glossary.
