Alex Comfort
Related: sex manual - 1972
Sex manual Alex Comfort [...]
The Joy of Sex by Dr. Alex Comfort was the first sexually explicit sex manual to be widely published. Its publication in the 1972 opened the way to the widespread publication of sex manuals in the West. As a result, hundreds of sex manuals are now available in print.
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The Joy of Sex did not address homosexual sex beyond a definitional level. Though there was a careful (for the day) treatment of bondage, other BDSM activities received definitional coverage at best. The book played a part in what is often called the sexual revolution. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_manual [Feb 2004]
The Joy of Sex was a ground-breaking sex manual by Alex Comfort, M.D. published in 1972. It was the first explicit, serious book about sex to gain wide distribution. Earlier works, such as the 1966 Human Sexual Response by William H. Masters & Virginia E. Johnson, were more circumspect and clinical. Conversely, The Joy of Sex is rather circumspect and clinical in comparison to The Guide to Getting it On, published 20 years later.
The book features sexual practices such as oral sex and various sex positions as well as bringing "farther out" practices as sexual bondage and swinging to the attention of the general public. The book contained numerous illustrations by Chris Foss, based on original photographs of the book's art director and his wife. The illustrations have become somewhat dated, mainly because of changes in hairstyles.
Both the illustrations and text are titillating as well as illustrative, in contrast to the bland, clinical style of earlier books about sex.
More recent editions feature new artwork, and added text emphasizing safer sex. The added text does not blend well with the original material, leading readers to wonder whether it was added solely out of liability concerns. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joy_of_Sex [Oct 2004]
The Joy of Sex - Alex Comfort [...]
- The Joy of Sex - Alex Comfort [Amazon US] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Amazon.com
The original Joy of Sex, published in 1979, became the lovemaking guide to intimate discovery and experimentation for a generation of adults. This updated, 30th-anniversary edition is a gorgeous, sensual book that will delight lovers, whether they're discovering sex or renewing passion. Purple print on pale pink and soft lilac pages lend a sensual air before you even start reading. Beautiful drawings (and a few color photographs) of young, smiling, coupling couples (heterosexual only) serve to graphically illustrate sexual positions and interactions. The facial expressions convey affection and tenderness as much as passion.
The nonjudgmental, gentle tone, aimed at both novice love makers and those looking to expand their sensual play, is lyrical and not at all sleazy. The updated content includes safe sex cautions and a section about AIDS. True, this new edition isn't updated enough to seem particularly "new" to readers who came of age with the original edition. The content is still exclusively heterosexual. Surprisingly, vibrators merit only one paragraph (while "foursomes and moresomes" get a full page), and lubricants are treated dismissively. But this book will appeal to a whole new generation of readers, and even readers who still own a lop-eared, 30-year-old Joy of Sex will find sensual sparks rekindled with this lovely new edition. --Joan Price
From Publishers Weekly
Physician and acclaimed human sexuality expert Comfort, who died in 2000, covered sexual liberation 30 years ago with his landmark book, The Joy of Sex. In this revised edition, other than titillating illustrations of a post-millennium couple (say goodbye to the bearded satyr of old) and a certain cheeky charm, there's not much new under the bedroom blanket. Although the book offers plenty of graphic suggestions, few will look daring or new to contemporary readers. (There's a lot of harmless,... read more
Book Description
Nothing compares to The Joy of Sex
Since 1972, more than 8 million people have come to this wise, witty, and uninhibited bestselling guide to lovemaking and found all they wanted to know about achieving greater sexual satisfaction. They have discovered how sex can be playful and imaginative, erotic and passionate, pleasurable and exhilarating. Now, with this fully revised 30th anniversary edition, The Joy of Sex promises to captivate an entirely new generation of readers.
Beautifully designed and lavishly illustrated, The Joy of Sex provides a fresh view of sexuality in the 21st century. Filled with provocative illustrations and 16 pages of new full-color photography, the updated text continues to discuss a wide range of subjects in practical detail while still maintaining Dr. Alex Comfort’s no-nonsense yet fun approach to matters of the libido. The Joy of Sex remains the most comprehensive sex manual on the market. From current concerns about health and practicing responsible sex to the risks presented by AIDS and other venereal diseases, Dr. Comfort contends with every aspect of our sexual territory. Above all, this remarkable book emphasizes the importance of a happy and relaxed sexuality in our lives.
Now more than ever, The Joy of Sex is for people who want to make their lovemaking richer and more exciting. Complete with elegant photographs and superb drawings that capture in full, frank detail the intimacy of the act of love, it is undoubtedly a contemporary classic.
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