How to Choose a Kama Sutra themed book

posted: 03/31/2008 12:00 am

Dear Sex Counselor,

I’m interested in learning more about the Kama Sutra. You have a lot of books on the topic; how do I know which one is right for me?

Ah, the Kama Sutra. So mysterious, so magical. Visions of dusky bodies twined like creepers around tree trunks and murmuring sweet, accented nothings. Yes, the Kama Sutra and related ancient erotic guides can indeed be a source of exotic sexual magic if you want them to be, but their information can also be modern, fun and applicable to present-day lovers.

Rather than having you traipse through our Kama Sutra book section unaided, we have done some of the exploring for you and can point you down some paths that you may want to follow.

Keep in mind, all of our books--with the exception of The Lesbian Kama Sutra--prominently feature and address heterosexual couples. They also tend to have scant information on safer sex and working with different body types. If you’re willing to work with the texts to fit your unique situation, there is plenty of material here for you.

If you’re looking for something that follows the original text closely, consider Kama Sutra: The Perfect Bedside Companion or The Essential Kama Sutra. If you want something for the ladies, take a peek at Kama Sutra for Her or The Lesbian Kama Sutra. If you just want something light and playful, check out Cosmo’s Aqua Kama Sutra.

Here’s the full rundown of what we carry:

Kama Sutra: The Perfect Bedside Companion
This small, attractively bound volume is the most faithful and traditional interpretation in both text and illustrations. It’s written in Richard Burton’s Victorian English, features the old acrobatic paintings of Indian lovers, and includes sections of the Kama Sutra often omitted in other guides. This would be good for someone interested in the “real” Kama Sutra, and is a beautiful, erotic work, though it is by its nature not particularly accessible.

Anne Hooper’s Kama Sutra: Classic Lovemaking Techniques Reinterpreted for Today’s Lovers
Showing positions from Kama Sutra, Ananga Ranga, Perfumed Garden and the Tao, this book is very comprehensive and full of good historical and cultural tidbits. The names, techniques and quotes are taken directly from their sources and the basic philosophies of each erotic text explained. In addition, Hooper provides helpful commentary on the difficulty of each position and ways to enhance their use. The clear explanations and close following of the source material makes this a good option for readers wanting to try techniques from the Kama Sutra and other texts for the first time.

The Illustrated Perfumed Garden
The focus in this book is actually the titular Perfumed Garden, but it references the Kama Sutra and other texts as well. It quotes author Sheik Nefzawi and excerpts his original text often, which is accompanied by lovely and tasteful photographs. Readers will find this works best as a positions guide. There are plenty of ideas for lots of variation for different situations, time constraints, preferences and body types.

The Essential Kama Sutra
A sort of sexy hybrid, this straightforward and traditional translation of the Kama Sutra text is accompanied by modern artwork and photographs of an attractive heterosexual couple actually engaged in the positions. The unique (and most valuable) aspect of this book is that the couple’s feedback on what did and did not work for them in each position. This commentary is especially helpful since the text itself is fairly dense. You’ll like this book if you want a more traditional translation and also want to have a better idea whether certain positions will actually work and feel good.

Red Hot Sex the Kama Sutra Way
This book is best at following the ideas behind the Kama Sutra, i.e. including lots of foreplay in your lovemaking, how to attract someone, etc. It even goes beyond many of our other Kama Sutra books in including anatomy and physiology and a fair amount of the mental, emotional and physical arousal process. It’s a solid guide for trying new positions and being more sensual and seductive with your partner(s).

KISS Guide to the Kama Sutra
This is a comprehensive, thorough look at the Kama Sutra, including aspects that most other modern interpretations ignore, e.g., multiple wives, adultery and sorcery. This accessible offering of information is good for someone who is really curious about the many aspects of the Kama Sutra and wants more than a positions guide.

We have many Kama Sutra books by Anne Hooper. Since they are similar in many aspects, the following four will get a shorter review.

Kama Sutra for 21st Century Lovers
Accessible and attractive, this is a good option for the bedside table of those who want to pick up morsels of Kama Sutra knowledge here and there and don’t feel like reading much or getting into the history.

Kama Sutra: Sexual Positions for Him and for Her
Like the title says, this reversible format book highlights positions from the Kama Sutra, Ananga Ranga and others that may appeal more and be more pleasurable to women or men.

Pocket Kama Sutra
Basically a smaller version of Anne Hooper’s Kama Sutra Classical Lovemaking Techniques Reinterpreted for Today’s Lovers.

Now back our regularly scheduled reviews.

Kama Sutra for Her
This text is a bit different in that it is very (heterosexual) woman-focused, with plenty of tips and adaptations to make Kama Sutra sex more pleasurable, tender, and relevant to women. It also includes quite modern treatment of general pleasure advice, including foreplay, dress-up and light fetish, and is not as purely position-focused as the others.

Highly recommended for women and their partners who find the other Kama Sutra books too male-focused or just not female-specific enough, though not great for people who just want a positions guide as several of the positions are described in writing rather than clearly shown in the photographs.

The Lesbian Kama Sutra
This book is very good at addressing many facets of the sexuality of women that love women, including history, foreplay, masturbation, seduction, techniques, toys, coming out and safer sex practices. However, it is a Kama Sutra book in name only, though there are a few scattered references to the original text. Good for lesbians wanting a general sexual guide and/or who are just starting to explore their sexuality and sensuality.

Cosmo’s Aqua Kama Sutra
What a slice of Cosmo heaven; alliteration and cutesy-poo nicknames for body parts abound! This guide is extremely modern; some of the positions are from the Kama Sutra but all have different names and variations. It’s great for someone who wants some fun, new ideas for having sex in and around water.

To order or ask a question: 888-621-8880