Jay Wiseman's Erotic Bondage Handbook review

During my recent adventures I have realized that there is a steep learning curve involved in BDSM. You can start out with just a little “slap and tickle” session on Monday and by the Friday you are wearing a dog collar, bound, and begging to have your hair pulled HARDER! I ordered “Jay Wiseman's Erotic Bondage Handbook” mainly because the photo on the front cover is hot, I was definitely looking forward to more stimulating, educational visuals but alas it was not to be. From my research this is widely thought of as one of the better resources on bondage but I found it lacking in some ways.

My partner is a bit of a dork and knows a ton of knots (from our boring lives before BDSM), but what we needed to know was how use them in positions that were conducive to intercourse, We did some research on the internet before we got this book and there are a lot of good sites but some of the stuff was but a bit too advanced or overwhelming for newbie’s like us.

Jay Wiseman definitely knows a lot about bondage, and he attempts to get as much of this information across as possible covering a lot of territory. This makes this a true "reference book" for those who want to learn more about bondage play, it is worth reading but it probably will not be enough on its own.

Much of the actual bondage info included could be easily found online, but Jay Wiseman’s insight into the “community” is what makes this book special. There are chapters that cover other types of restraints such as gags, hoods, tape, chains, webbing and handcuffs, but the content focuses mainly on rope bondage. All equipment is clearly described and its uses explained and special attention is paid to the differences between poor and high quality materials.

The main difficulty we had with the book was that the actual descriptions of knots/ties were not really clear. Since my partner already knows a lot about knots and ties it was a bit easier for him to follow the written descriptions, but the overall lack of photos/illustrations in this book was an obstacle for me. There are a few drawings included, but they do not really help for people who are totally inexperienced, or who need visual aids (like me). Since it was initially published in 2000 I am surprised that in later reprints more illustrations weren’t added, there must have been feedback regarding this oversight since it a major flaw in an otherwise good book. The exhaustive amount of information regarding safe play gets a bit tedious, but I suppose if you are writing about potentially harmful topics you need to cover all the bases. He obviously has a commitment to educating people on the pros, cons, and delights of bondage, and it comes across in his writing.