Mistress Talia: a sadistic domme

Screw the Roses; Send Me the Thorns was written by Philip Miller and Molly Devon in 1988, and while a bit dated, it remains a good introduction to the scene for newbies with a few caveats.

But first the good news. The book covers the basics a newbie needs to know: safety issues, basic bondage techniques, how to use a whip both sensually and sadistically, sensation play, negotiation, how to find partners. It's a quite good overview of the scene.

There's a lot of discussion of the psychology of D/s specifically, the headspace of being submissive, endorphin rushes and the phenomenon of "flying".

In addition to BDSM-specific techniques, the authors discuss sexual activities like fisting and anal sex cluefully.

The writing is generally tongue-in-cheek with a good bit of humor and wittiness. In general, this makes reading the book a lot of fun.

Historically, the book is interesting as well. This was written when alt.sex.bondage was at it's peak, when the English Palace was an infamous BBS. People were "coming out" into the scene in record numbers in real life beyond the leatherman scene, talking about BDSM openly and honestly online. It was an exciting time and the book captures the flavor of that time.

Finally, there's a lot of pictures in the book. Some are educational, like showing how to tie various types of knots, or how to build a sling or make a whip. Some are amusing, cartoons or other humor. But many of them are just hot!

All in all, I'd recommend this book highly, with a few caveats.

The first potential issue for readers is that it is written from a male dominant/female submissive perspective, so may be somewhat off-putting for some readers. Personally, I didn't find it heavy-handed in that sense, but I realize some take female domination very seriously and may be bothered by this book.

While the authors make mention of the fact that it is inappropriate to knock other people's kinks, they do so themselves. For example, they disapprove of 24/7 dom/sub relationships and of corporal punishment used for punishment for real-life infractions. Their disapproval seems based largely in feminism, in not wanting to treat a female sub as less than an equal partner. While I agree these are things to be approached cautiously and with a great deal of negotiation, I don't think it's necessarily true that everything the authors find unpleasant is psychologically damaging nor an affront to feminism,

I'm also of the opinion that sometimes the humor crosses a line into being a bit mean-spirited. An example that sticks out in my mind is a set of cartoons of various types of doms and subs that the authors disapprove of for having various issues and personal problems. The sarcasm is a bit biting at times.

And while much of the imagery is hot, it is also dated. It is amazing how old-fashioned something not only two decades old can look. Similarly, the book contains a listing of various BDSM organizations, BBSs, and porn outlets. This stuff is also dated, but if you've got Google, it hardly matters. I imagine it was very useful at the time the book was produced, which was before Google.

In spite of the caveats mentioned, I think it's definitely worth a read, and not entirely for the historic interest; how to use a flogger and the best types of candle for wax play are not things that have changed in the intervening years.

I recommend Screw the Roses; Send Me the Thorns as a good introduction to both the physical and psychological components of BDSM that is provided with humor and sexiness.