Customer Reviews

Carnal Knowledge: Baxter's Concise Encyclopedia of Modern Sex

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Harper Perennial has embarked on publishing books that are rewriting the definition of reference work. They're readable, funny, naughty and break new ground in exploring little-known stories.

First on my radar was "Genius and Heroin: The Illustrated Catalogue of Creativity, Obsession, and Reckless Abandon Through the Ages" by Michael Largo, which cataloged abusive behavior and bizarre deaths among the famous and infamous.

They've followed that with "Carnal Knowledge: Baxter's Concise Encyclopedia of Modern Sex." I'll take my hat off (but no more) to the author: John Baxter's got the goods. "Carnal Knowledge" is packed with fascinating, funny and tragic tales about humanity's oldest preoccupation. Even a jaded old dug such as myself learned a few tricks, such as the shorthand description of sci-fi pulp magazine covers ("BEM, bum, beauty"); that Denmark exported 95 percent of its pornography in the 1970s -- although the title of one of its most popular Danish films, "Danish Dentist on the Job," sounds like a Monty Python joke; and that when a barroom drunk challenged Milton Berle to display his manhood, his friend advised: "Go on, Miltie, just take out enough to win."

Pulling out topics at random, there's entries on dendrophilia (the sexual preoccupation with trees), Irving Klaw (Bettie Page's photographer and fetish producer); a discussion of models (with references to Kiki of Montparnasse, Marilyn Monroe, and Helmut Newton); and "Ugly George" who prowled the streets of New York in the `70s and `80s with a video camera in a precursor of "Girls Gone Wild."

There's also a strong European slant to the entries, so we're given entries on Olympia Press, British model Mary Millington, French fetishist Pierre Molinier, and "Oh! Calcutta!" creator and caning entheusiast Kenneth Tynan.

Prudes (and givers of birthday gifts) should be warned that "Carnal Knowledge" is explicit. There's male and female nudity, photos of (possibly) simulated sex acts, S&M pictures and discussions of all kinds of sex acts. Baxter's "just the facts" style is free of moralizing or smutty giggling. I wouldn't leave it on the reference shelf with my children around, but it will still find a home in my library.

Upon picking this book up, and glancing through it, I thought it would be a good purchase. Lots of sexually charged images, and nearly 400 pages worth of SEX. Who wouldn't like this?

Well....

When I actually read it, it became more and more apparent that the pictures were a big selling point of the book. The information seems to be sporadic on certain topics throughout the book, and full of errors. The pictures aren't spared, either. A large picture of a young Paul Thomas is billed as "John Holmes in his prime." You don't have to be a porn geek to differentiate between the two. Also, since when is "going down" relegated to cunnilingus only? In some instances, it presents long standing rumors and conjecture as fact, when listing couples in "lavender marriages," even if a few were true. He also refers to Tijuana Bibles as "Tijuanan Bibles."

As for the book itself, the publisher seems to have skimped on the quality of the paper, opting for easily worn paper that resembles newsprint more than anything else. More evidence to the pictures selling the book are the photography credits in the back, contrasted by a meager little bit crediting actual text, if you can even call them sources.

The book looks pretty at first glance, but if you know even the SLIGHTEST bit about sex, you'll avoid this shoddy work that seems to have been sourced from Wikipedia and internet message boards.

Subtitled a "concise encyclopedia of modern sex", this is a matter of fact collection of short, lightly written entries (not a scholarly reference) on people, films, activities, and language associated with human sexual desire, pleasure, and entertainment in the 20th century. It isn't salacious. It's not written to incite arousal. (What if it was?) It's got pictures, though, so if naked female breasts are an outrage in your emotional world avoid this book.

Despite the subtitle, this is not encyclopedic. There are people, films, books, and slang terms not mentioned. Some of Baxter's definitions don't accord exactly with my understanding, and readers may find their own disagreements. One easily caught inconsistency occurs when Baxter writes, in the entry on Irving Klaw, that Senator Cary Estes Kefauver and Bettie Page are from the same state; but the entry on "Kefauver Committee", five pages back, tells us Kefauver was from Minnesota, and the entry on Bettie Page tells us she was born in Tennessee.

Ever hear an expression that's as confusing as can be, or one that seems okay, but actually is naughty? This is the book for off-the-wall research and information that has 400 pages of explanations, with plenty of photos and illustrations. Plus, it's great for starting conversations and hearing about old movies that had a sexual theme, maybe even a few frontrunners of modern adult movies. I always knew what cross dressing meant or what a hooker was, but I also learned about bodice rippers, heart-ons, leg openers, and loops, and also who Valentino, Gershon Legman, and Henry Miller were. An enjoyable book - I liked it for the easy reading and a chance to catch up what's happening carnally.