The New Joy of Sex [Hardcover]

Alex Comfort (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

First published in 1972, The Joy of Sex quickly became a milestone in the literature of sex and love, selling millions of copies. Witty, wise, uninhibited, its daring combination of words and illustrations opened the floodgates to the frank and exuberant discussion of sex that was the first hallmark of the sexual revolution. Now, at a time when understanding of sexual issues ranges from confusion to fear, Alex Comfort gives us a completely revised edition of this classic, proving beyond a doubt that sex is still joyful.

Review

"An intelligent sex manual that is serious without being solemn." Desmond Morris "Witty, fanciful, and mercifully free of moralizing." Time --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 253 pages
• Publisher: Crown; Rev Sub edition (September 10, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517585839
• ISBN-13: 978-0517585832
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,755,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An updated edition of a classic sex guide, September 16, 2003

By	Alex Diaz-Granados "fardreaming writer" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The New Joy of Sex (The Joy of Sex Series) (Paperback)

As a forty-something year old guy, I'm just as interested in sex as much as the next guy (or woman), so naturally I do sometimes wander to the Relationships section at the local book emporium and check out the guides on lovemaking. Yes, there are many such books out there (Anne Hooper seems to have made a good career for herself with her own series of "how-to" guides!), but the late Alex Comfort's The New Joy of Sex is by far the best.

Updating his 1972 bestseller for the 1990s as a result of the AIDS crisis, Comfort supplements his always helpful advice from the 1970s edition with new sections in which he discusses safe sex, the importance of sharing and respecting a partner's needs or fantasies. Even better, Comfort uses language that is both informative and pleasing to the ear. He also avoids being overly clinical; knowing how most people talk about sex, he doesn't shy away from using colloquial [phrases] when referring to genitalia. Best of all, Comfort advises his audience that sex is something very human and essential to any meaningful relationship, so it should indeed be a source of joy.

Beautifully illustrated throughout with photos by Clare Park and drawings by John Raynes, The New Joy of Sex should be read at least once by any couple seeking to enhance their relationship.

222 of 277 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Outdated and Offensive, February 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Joy of Sex (The Joy of Sex Series) (Paperback)

As a sexuality educator, I am always looking to refer clients, particularly teens, to good books about enhancing sexual relationships. Having read so many positive reviews about this book, I was distressed to see how incredibly offensive, heterosexist, misogynistic, and just generally dated it was.

For example, to refer to the rear entry position as "La Negresse," is beyond disgraceful. In addition, to make such statements as "To need some degree of violence in sex... is statistically pretty normal," to say that "Medicine is concerned about [bisexuals] because... they spread the HIV virus into the general sexual community," and to refer to lesbians as "simply women who have given up on men after a lifetime spent kissing frogs who failed to turn into princes," gives a very limited, inaccurate, and disrespectful view of sexuality as a whole.

The book also makes sweeping generalizations about people from various cultures, as well as sex workers ("prostitutes"), "transsexualists," who he incorrectly says are "mostly male," and as mentioned above, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. He warns, "Don't take on a person with a major sex problem, such as... homosexuality." Heaven forbid a teen - or a person of any age who may be questioning her or his sexual orientation -- gets her or his hands on this book.

With so many negative messages bombarding our society about sexuality, can we not try to be less flippant and more positive and accepting -- or at the very least, tolerant?

When updating a book, one must focus not only on amending factual information -- which is not even done correctly in all cases here (i.e., AIDS is not a virus, it is the last stage of HIV disease; nothing is mentioned about transmission through breast milk, etc.) -- but also on our ever-changing, hopefully progressing, societies. This book is far from progress; it belongs in the middle ages.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing New Here, August 1, 2002

By	Melanie Schurr (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Joy of Sex (The Joy of Sex Series) (Paperback)

On the plus side, this book has nicely artistic erotic sketches and a few tasteful photos, but on the whole, unless you know nothing about sex and are starting off from scratch, you won't find much new in this book. The book was considered hot stuff when it first came out, but let's not forget it was also still taboo to have a good heart to heart about S-E-X. This is a nice book to page through in a book store, but don't waste your money buying it.