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The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms
01 year ago
by Todd
in Reference Books
Front cover for The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms
By Jordan Tate
Published in 2007 by St Martin’s Press
I came across this book at a sidewalk sale of one of my favorite local booksellers. Having read it, it is easy to see why it didn’t sell well at full price. The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms begins on a bad note with E. J. Collins’ introduction. Collins claims that the euphemism began “from society’s inability to accept sexuality as a normal part of existence.” He further claims that the euphemism exists in modern times as a “shield and weapon” against the fragility of masculinity and bemoans that masculinity cannot define itself “independent of feminity.”
Collins misses the mark badly. He fails to acknowledge that the euphemism is a linguistic conceit. Though they can be used to obscure, they can also be used to illuminate a subject. Also, the euphemism is often employed to add humor to a subject. Unless you’re doing it wrong, sex should be fun (among other things). If all discussions about sexuality were somber and clinical, would it not be reasonable to assume that sexuality is likewise somber and clinical?
Unfortunately, the book never recovers from Collins’ introduction. Every entry in The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms is presented in a disjointed, but consistent, fashion. Entries are presented in alphabetical order and typically have with three definitions – two absrurdist literalisms followed by an explanation of the euphemism’s real meaning. For example, the entry for “makin’ bacon” consists of:
- To prepare the salted and smoked meat from the back and sides of a pig.
- To cook or prepare salted and smoked meat from the back and sides of a pig by heating.
- Coitus (slang)
This dictionary style information is then followed by etymological information, a usage example, and a brief commentary about a euphemism’s origin. Some of the entries are photo-illustrated. But don’t get too excited, these illustrations are pictorial depictions of the literal absurdities being described. For example, the illustration for “hiding the salami” shows a girl on her knees sneakily putting a salami under a carpet.
Taken as a whole, the entries leave the reader puzzled as to the book’s intent. Is it intended to be a work of humor? A serious exploration of the change of language? A joke perpetrated on the reader? If Tate knows the answer, he never bothers to inform the reader. Had Tate had chosen any one of these ideas and fleshed them out, the book would not only have been more cohesive, it would have been entertaining. Instead we are left with a meandering mess that neither informs nor entertains. These major problems aside, Tate does deserve credit for including euphemism that are both humorous and vulgar.
Toybag Guide to Dungeon Emergencies and Supplies
01 year ago
Front cover for Toybag Guide to Dungeon Emergencies and Supplies
By Jay Wiseman
Published in 2004 by Greenery Press
One thing about BDSM books that often frustrates me is that they often present a pamphlet-length topic in book-length form. The result is books that are bloated with asides, awful fiction, wordy prose, and the like that are not only annoying to read, they are also unnecessarily expensive.
In some ways, it is easy to understand why publishers would contribute to this situation given based on their not wholly unreasonable belief that book buyers are more likely to shell out the extra money for an entire book than purchase what might appear to be a flimsy pamphlet. I also think that the book length format appeals to the egos of BDSM authors given that, not only does a book seem a more impressive accomplishment than a pamphlet, but also a book writer is more likely to receive perks such as invitations to speak at BDSM events. I know for a fact that “so-and-so wrote a book” carries considerable cachet in someone’s stature within the larger BDSM community. Unfortunately, whether said book is any good is given scant attention.
In my view this is all very backwards. I would much rather spend $10 on a smaller pamphlet that contains only meaningful pragmatic information than shell out $16 for four times the verbiage and one-eighth of the utility. Also, why on earth would I be excited to hear an author speak when his book is meandering and self-important?
All of which is why I enjoy Greenery Press’ Toybag Guide books so much. Not only are do they distill a topic to the parts that are important to learn, they do away with much of the awfulness that all too often plagues BDSM-related books.
Despite the fact that I was annoyed and distracted by his excessive safety admonitions in SM 101, it is hard to imagine any author who is more suited to write a BDSM safety guide than Jay Wiseman. Here, Wiseman presents most everything a person needs to consider before, during, and after play in a concise easy to read manner. Not only is this is an enjoyable read before an accident, it remains a handy reference to have on hand after a situation arises that requires attention (though not every emergency situation lends itself to “wait let me read this book for five minutes before I act).
In fact this is so enjoyable, I have only one complaint which is that one of the folios, pages 27-58, where inserted into my copy upside down. But this printing error is a minor annoyance that can easily be overlooked.
The Big Book of Porn
02 years ago
by Todd
in Reference Books
The Big Book of Porn front cover
By Seth Grahame-Smith
Published in 2005 by Quirk Productions, Inc.
When I first started thumbing through the pages of the Big Book of Porn, I didn’t want to like it. For one thing, despite its title, it didn’t take long to notice that it contains almost nothing that is actually porn. Another thing I noticed was how slickly printed this book is. One wonders who had more input in the final product: the author or the art director. Every page is printed in full vibrant colors on heavy slick paper using designs that seem inspired by Adobe Flash, a fact which didn’t bode well for the actual words.
The book begins with a timeline of important events in the history of pornographic movies. While I might have omitted some events Grahame-Smith includes and included others he omits, this is hardly worth quibbling over and sets a good tone for the rest of the book.
The second section is devoted to reviews of classic porno films. It’s here that the omissions and inclusions bug me as Grahame-Smith’s tastes stay consistently mainstream and relatively tame. Each title includes a blurb that lists its director, cast, running time, fetishes covered, and memorable quote. Maybe I’m jaded, but facials and girl/girl just don’t rise to the level of fetish in my book. There’s little on his list that is surprising or even outré which is a shame. Still, this is a handy reference of older titles that are worth watching. Grahame-Smith also uses this section to highlight some more recent pornographic films that he thinks will become classics and a pair of “weird” classics. There is also a guide for caring for your porn included in this section which seems out of place.
Grahame-Smith next turns his attention to listing significant mainstream actors, actresses, and directors. These biographies were thorough but left me wanting more which is always a good sign. Once again in an attempt to stay current, he lists five current actresses who may reach the list someday. That left me wanting less.
The fourth section is devoted to the various genres of porn and places to procure porn. His survey of porn genres is akin to a guided tour of what you will find if you visit your local adult video store. (Or maybe it’s just the local stores I patronize?) At any rate, I have no idea who needs help finding adult movies. Or at least, I can’t imagine how anyone who couldn’t find it already would benefit from the advice in this book.
After a tour of the world as it relates to their laws and consumption of pornography, the book includes a lengthy section on how to make your own porn. Though I can’t imagine ever wanting to make my own homemade adult movie, if I ever do I will make a point to consult this book as the advice seems straightforward and beneficial.
The book concludes with a glossary of terms related to sex and pornographic movies. This is the book’s best moment. Instead of limiting the glossary to standard terms, it includes several which were quite unique. My personal favorite is “Hunting Bin Laden” defined as “Flooding on of your partner’s orifices with liquid, either through an enema or by urinating into them.” It was nice to know there was a common term for that. I personally always called it jet skiing after the text following an advertising store sign “WATER SPORTS ARE HERE!”
I wish that coverage was more inclusive – there’s not any meaningful mention of gay porn and the even the straight porn is limited to the most mainstream of stuff. However, Graham-Smith is such a fantastic writer he easily overcomes that limitation. He manages to write about porn in a manner that is funny without being corny or juvenile. In anyone else’s hands, this book would have turned into a cheesy mess.
Encyclopedia Sexualis Volumes 1 and 2
22 years ago
by Todd
in Reference Books
Encyclopedia Sexualis Volume 1 front cover
by Anonymous
Published in 1970 by Eros Publishing Company
Strictly speaking, Encyclopedia Sexualis is more dictionary than encyclopedia. Volume 1 covers letters A-L and Volume 2 covers letters M-Z. The terms described in each contain a hodge-podge of sexual terms from medicine, psychiatry, antiquity, and various forms of slang such as common, vulgar, military, and so on.
Because of their age, some of the terms mentioned have fallen out of favor or changed meanings. This is the book is at its best: a time capsule from a bygone era. For instance, did you know that an African toothache was any sort of venereal disease? Or that a canoe inspector doesn’t work on the river but instead in a hospital?
While it would have been easy for the book to editorialize or be silly, the compilers resisted these temptations. Definitions are presented in a concise factual manner free of judgment. Unfortunately, many of the definitions are far too concise even for a dictionary. The inclusion of word origins and/or pronunciations for obscure medical terms would make this a better reference. Also mysteriously absent is a key to explain the meaning of abbreviations. (To be fair, I didn’t have to strain too hard to figure out that “Vulg sl” was vulgar slang, but still.) Curiously, despite these omissions, the compiler’s felt it necessary to list a term’s part of speech.
Encyclopedia Sexualis Volume 2 front cover
My copy of Volume 1 has a sticker with a price of $6 which made me wonder if that was the original sales price. Since $6 in 1970 adjusted for inflation amounts to the prohibitive price of $31.18 in 2006 (the latest data available as of this writing1) I have to imagine the sticker was added later by a reseller.
While the book doesn’t shy away from including all sorts of slurs, it also covers terms that sexual subcultures use to describe each other. Equally impressive is the book’s scope as it includes terms that include homosexuals, the transgendered, the kinky, and so on.
With one or two minor exceptions, the editors obviously culled photos from a small group of photo sets and slapped labels to serve as the illustrations. At first, I thought the illustration for “animalism” and “bestiality” had been repeated, but a closer examination revealed the models hands were in slightly different positions. Humorously, the same group of three women is presented as the illustration for “Lesbians” with the dog cropped out of the picture. While the illustrations do little to enhance the book several are quite entertaining in their own right.
Despite the few criticisms, this is a really useful reference book. I’m sure the next time I encounter algolagnia in print, this will be the first reference source I check.
1. See the Bureau of Labor Statistics website at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ if you want to check for yourself.