The Best American Erotica 2003 (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There's always something for everyone in a Best American Erotica anthology, and this 10th anniversary edition of the long-running series serves up the usual "it takes all kinds" melange. Edited once again by connoisseur Bright (Susie Bright's Sexwise), this collection features a soft-focus excerpt from Susanna Kaysen's memoir The Camera My Mother Gave Me as well as stories from relative unknowns exploring s&m, transgender issues and voyeurism. Greta Christina's "A Live One" is a seductive tale of a peep-show sex worker and her satisfying interaction with a customer behind glass. "Ponyboy" by James Williams showcases the world of submissive men ("ponies") and their "riders." Paula Bomer truly surprises with her combination of emotional honesty and raw sex in "Fucking His Wife, Four Months Pregnant with Their Third Child." In addition to 23 tales culled from various publications (including Penthouse, Paramour and Zyzzyva) over the last year, this collection also boasts two bonus features. Bright includes the results of an author questionnaire offering sociological data about 137 of the BAE contributors from the last decade: ages, occupations, colleges attended, hobbies enjoyed and crimes committed are candidly revealed along with contributors' thoughts about censorship, anonymity and the stigma attached to erotic writing. Bright has also surveyed readers to compile a list of the favorite 100 BAE stories of the past 10 years, five of which are reprinted here. This enormous range of subjects and styles is what makes the anthology shine, although some of the stories sacrifice good prose for steamy effects.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

BustBottom line: funky, sexy, reading. -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Anniversary edition (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074322261X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743222617
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #786,077 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars bedtime stories!, May 6, 2003

By	Bonnie Jean (Santa Cruz, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

I thought this round of the Best Of erotica series was great! Not only were the mix of stories entertaining--there's a voyeur's glee to be had, peeking into what other folks find stimulating as well as the stuff I like--but this anniversary edition also includes Susie's delightfully breezy notes about just what sorts of people the best of...erotica writers are. As if that weren't enough, after you've savored the stories tale by tale (or tail), there's a bonus section in the back featuring some of the reader's favorites over the years. I was especially happy to see an excerpt from my all-time favorite erotica book, Nicholson Baker's "Fermata." It's a shame Mr Baker is no longer gracing us sauce-ready readers with his special literary, wordplayful brand of "rot," as he calls it. Given the loss to literature, being able to visit a old favorite was especially nice.

Perhaps the best part of the book, and of the whole series, is the feeling I get--that, you know what? It takes all kinds, we all like to have fun, and we're all sexual creatures under our clothes. Rowr!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Must have an Open Mind!!!!, March 6, 2003

By A Customer

I love some of these stories. There is something for everyone with any sexual orientation. You need to have an open mind--there are stories of dominace, gay and lesbian sex, and kink of all kinds. You may or may not find this hot, but provides intersting reading, anyway.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best of the best, August 20, 2003

By	sarah (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

this is a GREAT anthology. bright has done it once again, and this year it's even better than in the past because this edition includes interviews with some BAE authors of past years, as well as some of the best of the best erotica as voted by readers. there are gay, lesbian, straight, and BDSM stories, and probably a few others that i can't think of a name for at the moment. a GREAT collection, i highly recommend it for the erotica enthusiast and the erotica 'virgin.'