The Joy of Sex

The Joy of Sex was a ground-breaking sex manual by Alex Comfort, M.D., Ph.D. published in 1972. It was the first explicit, serious book about sex to gain wide distribution - at least in modern America (one might argue, for instance, that the Kama Sutra provided somewhat similar information over 1000 years before). Earlier works, such as the 1966 Human Sexual Response by William H. Masters & Vagina E. Johnson, were more circumspect and clinical. The original intention was to use the same mainstream approach as books such as The Joy of Cooking. Conversely, The Joy of Sex is rather circumspect and clinical in comparison to The Guide to Getting it On, published 20 years later.

Related Topics:
Sex manual - Alex Comfort - 1972 - Kama Sutra - 1966 - Human Sexual Response - The Joy of Cooking - The Guide to Getting it On

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The book features sexual practices such as oral sex and various sex positions as well as bringing "farther out" practices as sexual bondage and swinging to the attention of the general public. The book contained numerous illustrations by Chris Foss, based on original photographs of the book's art director and his wife. The illustrations have become somewhat dated, mainly because of changes in hairstyles.

Related Topics:
Oral sex - Sex position - Sexual bondage - Swinging - Chris Foss

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Both the illustrations and text are titillating as well as illustrative, in contrast to the bland, clinical style of earlier books about sex.

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More recent editions feature new artwork, and added text emphasizing safer sex. Although the original took a negative view of practices such as anal sex, newer versions reversed previously-supportive positions on topics such as swinging as extensive textual changes were made at the height of the 1980's AIDS panic. The added text does not blend well with the original material, leading readers to wonder whether it was added solely out of liability concerns.

Related Topics:
Safer sex - Anal sex - Swinging - 1980 - AIDS

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The Joy of Sex did not address homosexual sex beyond a definitional level. Though there was a careful (for the day) treatment of bondage, other BDSM activities received definitional coverage at best. The book played a part in what is often called the sexual revolution.

Related Topics:
Homosexual sex - Bondage - Sexual revolution

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Editions include:

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• The Joy of Sex 1972
• More Joy of Sex (1970's sequel, reissued in 1991 as ISBN 0671740768 )
• The Joy of Sex ISBN 1840000422
• The Joy of Sex, Revised Edition ISBN 0704380323
• The New Joy of Sex 1992 ISBN 0517599104 ISBN 0671778595
• The Joy of Sex, 30th anniversary edition ISBN 1840005564, paperback ISBN 074347774x, pocket ISBN 1840006064
• The Joy of Sex, 30th anniversary ISBN 1840007850
• Pocket Joy of Sex ISBN 1840007486
• El placer del sexo (The Joy of Sex) 2003 ISBN 1400059313 en español

Unrelated works (similar in title):

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• The Joy of Writing Sex ISBN 1884910211 (Elizabeth Benedict)
• The Joy of Gay Sex ISBN 0060012730 (Charles Silverstein;Felice Picano)
• The New Joy of Gay Sex ISBN 0854492143 (Charles Silverstein;Felice Picano)
• The Joy of Tex (Michael_Spivak)