JD and Dan (aka the Two Knotty Boys) have been doing books, instructional videos, and workshops about rope bondage for a long time. This book is their second publication, which came out in 2009. Photography by Ken Marcus, a notable BDSM/fetish photographer. The photos are rather textbook/instructional than edgy/sexy though, which may come as a disappointment to some. Also there's very little (read: nipples only) nudity. So if you're hoping that, if this book isn't good for instructions, it might be good for a wank... it's pretty soft-core.

This book is, as its title, "Back on the Ropes," suggests, is a rope bondage book. As a how-to guide, its writing is pretty clear & concise, and the introductions to each section are creative and give good ideas for how to use the different types of bondage featured. Sometimes there are cheesy puns (ie, the "foot web" tie description mentions foot fetishists "getting a kick out of it"). Trite, but not annoyingly bad.

The photos, as stated above, are mostly instructional (though some of the models are knockouts). Most of the bondage is done on females, but there's at least one male model to mix things up a bit. A lot of the lingerie and makeup on the models made me think at first glance that this was a reprint of a book from the 1980s, but I think that's just the style of the models. Their choice of fetish wear and lingerie at times is a little cheesy, in my opinion, but I like shiny, sleek looks or ratty punk/goth styles more than sexy satin underthings. This is a bias; you can get an idea from the cover of the book what the fashions are going to look like.

There are basically 7 sections, each more complicated than the one before. A lot of the rope techniques in this book are decorative or too complicated for me, a novice at rope applications. This book seems to be geared towards more advanced rope players, or at least, readers of their previous book, "Showing You the Ropes." If you're looking for a beginner's guide to rope, this could work with a lot of dedication and effort, but I'd recommend something simpler if you're just getting started.

Some of the highlights of the book are unique, and fairly easy instructions to make a variety of things out of rope, such as gags, head harnesses, and what is basically a rope spreader bar. All of the bondage in this book is aesthetically pleasing, and many ties are inspired by Japanese rope styles which can be complicated to do but look pretty incredible when they're done.

Some of the bondage is really just for aesthetic purposes (which could be incorporated into more "functional" bondage), like rope corsets, collars, and hair ties. There is an informative introduction, index and glossary. This book is laid out in a clear way, and builds upon things previously cited in the book. It is a self-contained, intermediate lesson in rope techniques.

This book is a soft-cover, big trade paperback, much like comic books that are compiled into volumes. The pictures are full color and good quality, but the binding is glue, which can come out after some wear! If you intend on using this book a lot for instruction, you may consider taking it to a printing shop and having it ring-bound so it can lie flat without splitting the binding and spitting pages everywhere. Be aware, however, that if you get it spiral or ring bound, the spine will be cut off and the pages perforated to allow for the rings. Given the wide inside margins in the book, I don't see any of the content being interfered with otherwise.

I found this book informative and helpful; however, I am incurably sloppy when it comes to rope bondage. I am good at a few ties and not much else, I've found-- with the help of this book, of course. I think that I will stick to the few things I do know how to do with rope for now, and maybe try to get someone to demonstrate ties I'm interested in. I find that I learn this kind of thing better from another person than a book. However, if you can teach yourself from a book, by all means, this one would make it pretty easy to learn! The instructions are clear with copious illustrations, and the applications for many of the ties are enticing.