The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide for All of Us (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: erotic play, adult videos, clitoral play, Cleis Press, San Francisco, Tristan Taormino (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Cure for cancer? End to world hunger? What's left to do after the publication of Felice Newman's definitive guide to lesbian sex? Drawing on a wide range of published sources as well as her own notoriously graphic questionnaire circulated by e-mail--stunning mild-mannered office workers as it reeled across their computer screens--Newman has compiled an exhaustively thorough how-to guide for practices as exotic as play piercings and as pedestrian as oral sex. Along the way, she offers a primer in sexual politics and lesbian manners at the turn of the century. The S/M hanky code is laid out once and for all. There is even a (brief, happily brief) section on celibacy.

Highlights include descriptions of sex writer Tristan Taormino's private consultation with Betty Dodson, the author of Sex for One described as "the mother of masturbation": "I was so excited about this adventure that I nearly peed in my pants," recalled Taormino, "I was going to touch myself for Dr. Betty Dodson!" (In the end, Newman reports, "Tristan earned an A+ in pelvic thrusting, but got a big 'needs improvement' in the breathing department.") Although it sometimes skimps on the details, especially with regard to women's health, The Whole Lesbian Sex Book is so rich, inclusive, and authoritative that it invites challenge. Now inventive lovers can ask each other: "Is it in Whole Lesbian?" --Regina Marler

From Library Journal

Newman's sex guide for lesbians is superb. Why can't more heterosexual sex manuals be this good? Newman, who, as the publisher at Cleis Press since 1980 has edited many other sex books, covers oral, manual, anal, and insertive-vaginal techniques with loving care. She includes a whole chapter on breast play, addresses safety repeatedly and thoroughly, and discusses transgender and bisexual orientations, SM, group sex, masturbation, and sex toys--all while acknowledging that some women prefer monogamy, some polygamy. Her bibliography and resource list are simply outstanding. Newman's work updates and embodies the best of the half -dozen other lesbian sex manuals in print) all acknowledged in her bibliography). Even though this book is aimed at lesbians, it's extremely suitable for heterosexual women (to enhance their own eroticism) and men (to tell them what turns women on). For all public libraries.
Martha Cornog, Philadelphia
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Cleis Press; 1st edition (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573440884
• ISBN-13: 978-1573440882
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #317,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #20 in	Books > Gay & Lesbian > Nonfiction > Sexuality > Lesbians
  #28 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Personal Health > Family Planning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete, Informative and Open-minded Guide for All, December 16, 2001

By A Customer

This is a must have for any lesbian. I know a few guys who could benefit from it too.

This book informs you, opens your mind to new ideas and places you might not have thought of before. I immediately wanted to grab my girlfriend and experiment.

It's not just a few hundred pages of stuff you've already heard before... and it's not just a dictionary either. Newman discusses issues around different sexual experiences and play. She gives tips and wisdom from experience.

She covers it all in a easy to read, informative, and very interesting way with an appeal to women who are just fantasizing about being with another woman, to those who have been with their partner for years.

Great buy!

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! an up-to-date sex book for all lesbians, July 3, 2000

By A Customer

I'm so happy to have found a book that includes so many of us, not just the androgynous vanilla lesbians, (who have books already) but those of us who are butch/femme or into power-play, or curious and questioning about these things. Talk about straight-forward answers and real-life feedback from real women-this author has so much to offer, but she lets a lot of the info come from the women who responded to her survey. It gives me the sense that lesbians and bi women from all over are exploring and enjoying their sexuality more than ever. Very Inspiring.

73 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tome of VERY Useful Information!, February 11, 2003

By	. "scarlet9" (OH United States) - See all my reviews

This book is a tome of useful information. It contains not only the basics and standby's, but also a lot of creative ideas that will turn you from novice to sexpert with just a little practice.

I recommend this book not only for lesbian and bi-women, but also for men who like women, because the best place to get sex advice is from the people who know the parts the best. (Likewise I tell all my straight girl friends that if they really want to find out how to make their men scream with delight - they should read "The Joy of Gay Sex".)

Girls, if you are not that familiar with your parts or your partner's particularities, this book will open a lot of creative doors for you. Guys, if you are looking for tips on how to please those parts you normally only get to learn about *while* you are actually "borrowing" them, this is the book for you!