The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex

Winks and Semans, managers of a San Francisco adult ``toy'' store, Good Vibrations, describe in this well-written, just-right-for-browsing compendium many of the sexual pleasures and practices some people--straight or gay--may want to know more about. But this is not an ordinary ``how to have better sex'' manual. Instead, it focuses on the importance of fantasy and on many props--``sex toys''--frequently glossed over in other similar books. For the simply curious or the sexually adventurous, the authors describe these toys. They also offer a cornucopia of advice and information gathered from interviews about sexual practices. An in-depth chapter on preventing AIDS is included, along with an extensive shopping guide, a list of erotic videos and a bibliography. Some readers may be repelled reading about S/M practices, power games and body piercing--or by the strong emphasis on the pleasure and ``popular mechanics'' of sex, rather than romance. But even those not inclined to follow authorial suggestions may find this work an excellent opportunity to look behind the closed doors of other people's bedrooms. (July)