A few principles seem to have guided Easton and Hardy in the penning of this volume. First, they're very much in favor of involving oneself in a local BDSM community, attending "munches" (jargon for informal, fully-clothed meet-and-greet sessions open to anyone who wants to attend), taking classes and attending demos. All great advice if you are in a place that has a community to join. Second, they assume pretty firmly that theirs readers are single or non-monogamous. If you're in a committed, monogamous relationship, a lot of their advice is going to have to be adapted heavily to your situation. They don't talk about technique because they are focused on motivation.

urn:lcp:newbottomingbook0000east:epub:c214cea6-9d1a-4fec-b6be-34e02ed1610e Foldoutcount 0 Identifier newbottomingbook0000east Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t9q36gk8c Invoice 1652 Isbn 1890159352 That issue is reinforced by constant recaps of writer's personal accounts of public play sessions, which are, frankly, of very little interest and importance and are brought up too often.

Easton and Hardy don't dismiss the minutiae of technique as unimportant. Far from it; they are very clear about the responsibilities that come with rendering someone helpless. Tops have a burden of care to make sure nobody suffers permanent harm, and because of this responsibility the authors insist that a top shouldn't attempt any technique that he or she can't be sure of using in a safe, controlled manner. And there were some passages in the book that did exactly that. There's a list in Chapter 2 of emotions that a person might wish to experience in-scene, and along with such expected items as "helplessness," "lust," "humiliation," and "being nurtured," I was pleasantly astonished to discover "martyrdom," "pathos," "resentment," "sadness." Rarely, if ever, had I seen such emotions treated as potentially normal and desirable parts of the BDSM experience, and yet they figured often in my fantasies as part of an essentially cathartic psychodrama. Obviously, seeing as how Easton and Hardy saw fit to include them in the list, there are other people who have the same needs I do to venture into the realm of quiet, dark emotions. I skipped some parts, mostly irrelevant Interludes and many parts of the ending which for some reason delved into spiritualism and dragged our old boy Jung into it.

This was a fairly comprehensive beginners' guide. It was well written, lively, and approachable. All good things. If it has a strength, it is that the authors, Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy, are very concerned with making sure that there is something useful for any new or would-be top who reads this book. The trade-off is that this is an extremely generalist book that is not going to be fully applicable to individual circumstances.

The New Topping Book still is worth reading. I'm new enough to have found it enlightening, even after parsing Easton and Hardy through the perspective of a rural, monogamous, heterosexual reader. For millennia, seekers have used physical and emotional extremes to achieve transcendence and exaltation. Today, many BDSM and leather practitioners are discovering the potential of SM practice to reach personal, interpersonal and spiritual goals. In Radical Ecstasy, bestselling BDSM/sexuality authors Easton and Hardy document their own journeys into the transcendent realm of kink. With their trademark frankness and humor, they share their own stories and philosophies. They also share techniques that have worked for them - techniques which combine tantric breathing, visualization and movement with a combined half-century of BDSM experience - to create states of transcendence during solo and partnered sexual and BDSM practice. As outrageously revolutionary as any sex book published in the last decade, Radical Ecstasy sets the stage for the new millennium in BDSM and sacred-sex practices - a "must" for any kink, tantra, pagan or sacred-sex practitioner. "Amazingly mindful exploration of that which cannot be easily put into words... the ecstatic experience from sex to sadomasochism, from trance to intuition to archetypes and spiritual awakening. Totally real and personal. Not a 'how to' but a nurturing 'can do' book." - Fakir Musafar, father of the modern primitive movement. "Progressive, deliciously honest, and HOT HOT HOT! Dossie and Janet ask difficult questions about the nature of sex, intimacy and ecstasy, then they actually manage to answer the questions, plus turn us on when they do. These two erotically gifted women have a way with words - and sex. They raise the bar on erotic writing and sex education to new heights. I'm in awe." - Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D., prostitute/porn star turned sex guru/sexologist "Fascinating, heartfelt, honest, real stories of the heart/spirit/energy connection experienced in the passionate rituals of intimate consensual power play. These two courageous women write brilliantly of how erotic energies connect us with the big love we all seek from the source." - Cleo Dubois, educator, ritualist, video producer/star

This book sounded like one huge justification to act out your inner sadist, bully, villain, whatever harmful behaviour, without getting busted. Yes, submissive people consent to those actions. But does that change anything, really?If you want technique, there are dozens of excellent guides to knots, whips, ropes, sex toys, and everything else you can think of. Plus videos all over the Internet.