Sex: Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Masterpieces of Erotic Fantasy Photography [Paperback]

Tony Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 9, 2002

Through over 200 color and black-and-white stimulating and perhaps shocking photographs, Sex: Take a Walk on the Wild Side explores the subject of what was once considered “dirty” or “taboo” sex through themes like dressing for pleasure, domination and discipline, bondage games, and extreme pleasures. Fetishism, bondage, and sadomasochism are prime examples of previously taboo areas of sexuality that are now being reevaluated by mainstream society. Sex looks at what is happening on those boundary lines through the eyes of fifty talented photographers who bring a wide range of experiences and viewpoints to their chosen subject matter and expose their work through every kind of visual medium. Photographers include Helmut Newton, Irving Klaw, John Alexander Scott Coutts, John Sutcliffe, Suze Randall, Alwyn Coates, Bob Zak, Erik Hansen, and many others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press (February 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560253630
• ISBN-13: 978-1560253631
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Wild Side Walk Seems Like A Stroll Through a Red Light District., June 7, 2008

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James R. Holland "Author of Boston's Notable ... (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sex: Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Masterpieces of Erotic Fantasy Photography (Paperback)

This walk on the wild side feels strangely like a walk through a wax museum. It's as if the reader is strolling past a series of dioramas or tableau vivants or even touring the Red Light Districts of Amsterdam or Hamburg to do a little fetish-fashion window-shopping. The characters and their costumes have an unreal feeling about them and they look as though they are made out of wax. Toward the end of the walk the location seems to morph into an aquarium because so many of the beautiful latex-clad women remind one of tropical fish with their colorful, shiny, skin-tight body suits complete with masks and breathing hoses that resemble the wet suits used by scuba divers.
This collection of the work of 36 erotica photographers consists mostly of full-length or three-quarter length portraits. Many are taken in studio settings, some are set in dungeon sets, and many are in miscellaneous locations including outside both in the country and in the center of towns such as on the platform of a train station with a large crowd of commuters observing the semi-nude photography models from the other side of the train tracks (pun intended). The photographs are assembled into four major categories: "Dressing For Pleasure, Domination and Discipline, Bondage Games and Extreme Measurers."
One of my many favorites is by Trevor Watson and shows a dominatrix having fun playing with a violet wand. It's not that it's a great picture, (it isn't, it's deliciously bawdy and amusingly lewd) but it does show some very unusual fetish play that is seldom seen by the outside world. The red lipstick latex-clad mistress appears about to break into laughter at her sub's obvious over-acting for the camera. It's probably one of the naughtiest pictures in the book but it is also mischievous, mildly indecent and humorously sinful. Most vanilla people would consider it a depiction of pure torture without knowing that most of the seeming victims consider it one of the most exquisitely pleasant and shocking (no pun intended) sexual experiences a person can encounter. It's a very amusing depiction of lovers role-playing while in their Femdom and sub roles.
Obviously this isn't a book for non-adults. It's also not for people who are only interested in seeing the wonderful fetish fashion photographs included. While there probably aren't any hardcore porn pictures included in this collection, they would certainly qualify as soft to borderline hard porn in the minds of many timid souls and some conservative communities. The photographs are all very well done. Many of them are museum quality and will probably eventually find their way into the permanent collections of traditional institutions. Some could be included in current museum shows because like most fetish photographs they don't show a lot of skin or if they do, it's skin covered by latex rubber. Most of the fetish styles look like both the hooded skin diving wet suits or the top-of-the-head-to-skate racing suits worn by Olympic speed skaters. Some of them are simply made of more transparent latex. This reader couldn't help but wonder just how hot it must be when dressed in that skin tight, form-fitting rubber. I found myself checking the pictures for beads of sweat where the transparent latex met and stuck to the wearer's skin.
This is a very well done photographic book on the relatively unknown world of fetish. But like most fetish play it's definitely for adults only. As sheltered and conservative as this reviewer was brought up, I was surprised at how much I liked the book. Some of the images have an "Out of this World" quality to them. There are lots of similarities between these samples of fetish dress and the popular visions of aliens from another galaxy. Our most popular science fiction and fantasy movie images are echoed in this collection of photographs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't go wrong here, May 9, 2008

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Z. Rodrigues "Ze Ro" (montreal, quebec Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sex: Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Masterpieces of Erotic Fantasy Photography (Paperback)

For the bargain price and sheer quality of the pics you will not find a better book. Its a nice size and covers a lot of ground. If you like artistry versus shocking dirty imagery you will enjoy this. I did

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tony Mitchell is a master gatherer, March 23, 2005

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Jack Cumpston "Dutch" (Morris Plains, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sex: Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Masterpieces of Erotic Fantasy Photography (Paperback)

Tony Mitchell has once again triumphed in creatively gathering the most talented erotic photogropers working today. A definite converastion source at any dinner party that needs breaking the ice. A conversation, moreover, that could lead to genuiunely interesting exchages. This book is a definite turn-on, as are his other collections, such as "Fetish." Not for the prudish coffee table.