Recommended Reading
Sometimes researching BDSM can be a daunting task. Its hard to be sure where to go to get the information you need, and with the ready availability of internet technology, it can be hard to know that the information you are getting is correct or even if it applies to you. Here is a quick overview of books that are widely recommended within the BDSM community.
Let's first start with the basics. Are you just entering the world of BDSM and wondering which parts of it for you? Are you looking for the right way to approach your lover with the idea of introducing sadomasochism into your life? Or maybe you are looking to come out to your family and tell them the lifestyle you've chosen.
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One of the first books you will run across as a BDSM novice is "Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns" by Philip Miller and Molly Devon. It gives a wonderful overview of basic S&M techniques as well as warnings and suggestions on both Domination and submission.
Another great introduction is "S&M101" by Jay Wiseman. This 245 page book gives an extensive introduction into the world of S&M and all its many facets. The author is a long time veteran of the scene and explains his techniques in an easy to understand way.
From the toy selection to instructions on the most advanced kinds of edge play, "Sensuous Magic" by Patrick Califia-Rice will have something in it for you. It covers topics ranging from bondage safety and toy selection to BDSM psychology to finding the community in your local area.
For those interesting in more complex bondage, Midori has written "The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage" and Jay Wiseman gives us his "Erotic Bondage Handbook" Both of these books give wonderfully detailed instructions on how to bind your lover in a way that is both incredibly beautiful and excruciatingly functional.
If you are looking to improve your topping or bottoming, there is a book for each. "The Topping Book" and "The Bottoming Book" are true BDSM classics and there is even a new version of each out that expands on the first ones.
Jack Rinella gives the BDSM world "The Master's Manual" and "The Compleat Slave". These pieces of literature provide an in depth view into the world of Domination and submission. Though both books are written from the view of a gay male, they are fabulous reads for both novices and experience practitioners.
Guy Baldwin, with the help of a consensual slave, wrote "SlaveCraft". This book gives an emotional look into BDSM from the unique perspective of a slave. The unique mentality that was tapped into to write this book is sure to leave an impact on you.
After all this technical reading, you may be looking for something more on the erotic side. There is no shortage of this in BDSM literature. "The Story of O" by Pauline Réage tells the tale of a young French girl's life under her new Masters after she is thrown into a training house by her lover.
Anne Rice gives a new spin on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty with an inspiring and incredibly erotic trilogy. "The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty", "Beauty's Punishment", and "Beauty's Release" tell the story of how Beauty was awaken and taken as a slave, sent to serve punishment, and eventually realizes her destiny as a slave.