The Guide To Getting It On: A New And Mostly Wonderful Book About Sex For Adults For All Ages. [Paperback]

Paul Joannides (Author), Daerick Gross (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

Written with intelligence, sensitivity, and humor, The Guide to Getting It On! is one of the few books to cover the full range of human sexual experience. Informative and playful, it replaces taboo with technique and reminds readers that communication is a key element in a healthy and pleasurable sex life. This third edition includes an expanded glossary and new chapters such as "Sex When You're Really Old, " "When Sex Gets Boring, " and "How to Be Cool When You're Not."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Yowza! If irreverent sex-advice columnist Dan Savage were to compile a nuts-and-bolts guide to modern-day sex, this would be it. The subtitle--"A New and Mostly Wonderful Book About Sex"--makes it clear that fun is the name of the game here. Think of it as a looser, more detail-oriented Joy of Sex, one as comprehensive and explicit as it is sensitive.

Suitable for gay or straight lovers, The Guide to Getting it On! "was written to help expand the consciousness of its readers," says the introduction; and indeed, it includes instructions for doing acts the average person has never heard of or imagined. The 25-page glossary includes modern and classic sexual slang terms, making this a book that parents may want to keep on hand for reference. Topics covered include anatomy, massage, sex toys, how to explain sex to kids, how to keep a long-term sexual relationship exciting, STDs, abortion, premature ejaculation, fantasies, "weenie angst," and more. While not for everyone, The Guide is recommended by Psychotherapy Book News, and one hospital in Oregon ordered 17 copies for its staff. Some people may be disturbed by its contents, but many more could be helped by it. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Goofy Foot Pr; 2nd edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885535007
• ISBN-13: 978-1885535009
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost as much fun as sex itself!, January 5, 2000

By 

"admiralkatt" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guide To Getting It On: A New And Mostly Wonderful Book About Sex For Adults For All Ages. (Paperback)

I can't think of a better, more enjoyable, or more comprehensive general sex book. "The Guide" has tons of information on a number of subjects. Much of that information is basic, but that's what a sex book is for, isn't it? And that certainly doesn't mean it isn't common knowledge; unless you've tried everything, you're going to learn a bunch. For you know-it-alls out there, it has a gargantuan listing of additional references (most of which are quite respectable, if not downright fun and sexy). If you're interested in kinkier, more unusual activities, this book will at least get you started in the right direction; if it doesn't tell you all you need to know, it will tell you who will.

Content aside, this book's winning feature is its style. The Guide approaches sex the way we all should (and usually don't): with intelligence and a healthy sense of humor and play. The language is familiar rather than cold or condescending, and reading the book is like talking to a close friend. It's a fun read, either by yourself or with a loved one, and it's best read all the way through.

And you're probably not going to find cooler pictures anywhere.

One drawback is the book's organization: although it has numerous chapters that appear well, something you'd expect to find in one chapter may turn up in another, and on some points the book gets unneccessarily repetitive. It's a very small price to pay, but it can be an annoyance from time to time.

This book is open, clever, honest, and funny. Whether you're a neophyte or an expert, you'll learn something new, and hopefully, your perspective on sex and sexuality will change a little. And you'll enjoy every page of it.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best sex book I've ever come across, August 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Guide To Getting It On: A New And Mostly Wonderful Book About Sex For Adults For All Ages. (Paperback)

I was looking for a birthday present at a bookstore when I ran across this title and laughed at it and took it to show a friend of mine who was there with me so she could laugh at it too. This must be the trashiest sex guide in the world, I thought.

Then I started flipping through it.

It was intelligent. And informative. And funny. And contained details and suggestions that I had actually never heard of. (The oral sex section in particular contains the most straightforward, clear and thoughtful instructions on this topic that I have ever come across, and I have not led a sheltered life.)

I bought it right away as the birthday gift I was looking for, but then ended up reading most of it before I gave it away. Now I'm back to buy another copy for another friend. The guy who gave this just one star probably was expecting another clinical social sex review with funny anecdotes, and not a guide that gives you detailed sexual advice that you can actually use. This is also not simply a book of positions, or a book of thinly disguised porn with deep-throating instructions. The advice given here is realistic, honest, and very, very useful.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Replacing it!, February 4, 2005

By 

Mistress Manners "http://www.xanga.com/mistre... (Xanga) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guide To Getting It On: A New And Mostly Wonderful Book About Sex For Adults For All Ages. (Paperback)

I'm replacing my old copy with the new version, because this publication is my first choice for beginning sex-ed with my stepdaughter.

This book doesn't demonize consentual sex at all. It's about making consentual sex pleasant and safe for both participants, and it does a great job. It covers topics other books haven't even touched! For example, one picture flatly demonstrates that a partner who helps out with the housework is far more likely to get sex than one who doesn't. How many books touch that third rail???

There are pictures showing the differences between circumsized and uncircumsized penises, as well as genitalia (male and female) of different shapes and sizes. I firmly believe that these will prevent emotionally painful experiences for many young adults beginning to have sex. The information is accessible, and having read the book before I know it will break the ice for the more detailed sex talk with my stepdaughter with both humor and seriousness, while at all times giving vital information.