Male Bondage: Art Deserves a Witness (Hardcover)

~ Van Darkholme (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is a collection of photographs depicting artfully arranged bonds - named Shibari, the Japanese style of bondage - that shows captive enthusiasts in their favourite positions: defenceless, at someone else's mercy and left alone in their joyful pain. Bondage sessions are rarely photographed so aesthetically and glamorously. Not just devotees of the strung up will be buying this book off the shelves, but fans of brilliant photography have a wonderful book to add to their collections.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Bruno Gmunder Verlag Gmbh (June 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3861879905
• ISBN-13: 978-3861879909
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #929,530 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic of its Kind, September 24, 2006

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Artistry in rope and the male figure.

There is almost an industry of itself in pictures of bound females. (Just do a search on the Internet if you don't believe it!) Here is the same sort of pictures, but the subject is the male. The photographer is a professional. And it is published by Bruno Gmunder, the german publisher that pioneered high quality gay publishing. What more can you ask for?

Perhaps the most outstanding difference between these photographs and those you find on the Internet is the quality of the rope work. The binding is so symmetrical as to be an art form of its own. The rope is wrapped around ideally shaped, strong, young men. The book is truly a work of art, and a work of art that is not generally appreciated in our society but which will be a cornerstone of affectionados.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From a Master of Creative Arts, July 9, 2006

By	Daniel Culveyhouse (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As any industry matures, we begin to see a certain craftsmanship that just didn't exist before. In the adult industry, such is true, though adult media is rarely considered artful or even Avant-garde.

But Darkholme's treatment of bondage as an aesthetic really does define the bondage scene and will become part of our zeitgeist. This tall Asian dabbler in art not only prepares each scene meticulously, but he also improvises with his own ropework and lighting, and finally he photographs his subject with self-taught grace.

The result is a palette of moods and predicaments, all with the common theme of individuality and expression. The book is a collector's item, and though I rarely invest in coffee table books, I do highly recommend this one to both BDSM hunters and your average Jane or Joe.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hardcore Graphic pics!, March 19, 2007

By	Seth777 (Colorado springs, co) - See all my reviews

Just an absolutley stunning book, photos are high quality, men are also..

A nice variety of different men and every one is easy on the eyes.

Sexy, stylish and worth every penny.