Tristan Taormino is a leading authority on sexuality. She has written instructional books and articles, directed educational videos, lectured, taught workshops, and appeared on many TV and radio shows. I have read her book The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women, and I love her concise style. She is a great educational writer and explains things very clearly.

The Big Book of Sex Toys is a little different from Tristan Taormino's other books. Full of glossy, full-color photographs, it's more like a picture encyclopedia covering everything you need to know about sex life accessories.

Taormino begins with a discussion of male and female sexual anatomy, both of which are illustrated by tasteful drawings. She also includes information on anorectal anatomy, which is very helpful for anyone new to anal play or thinking about trying it. She then moves on to discuss how sex toys can enhance both your solo and partner play. This includes a section on the importance of Kegel exercises and the types of toys suitable for building and maintaining strong PC muscles, as well as a "Top Ten Reasons to Add Sex Toys to Your Sex Life" list.

With the basics covered, Taormino proceeds to sex toy shopping tips, such as things to consider when choosing a sex toy and hints on finding a good adult products retailer. There is even a handy sidebar suggesting more eco-friendly ways to select and enjoy sex toys. She then describes the different sex toy materials, discussing their advantages and drawbacks, before going through all the different types of vibrators. There are seven chapters covering the popular vibrator styles: bullets, eggs, clitoral, hands-free, insertable, dual-stimulators, luxury, and high-tech are all included. Whew, so many choices! But this book isn't all about women's toys. Masturbation sleeves, penis pumps, and cock rings are in here too, as are dildos, wands, and anal toys, all conveniently organized within their own respective chapters. Taormino then devotes an entire chapter to sensory play toys like feathers, massage oil, body paint, etc. before moving on into more adventurous categories like bondage (with the emphasis being on safety), a touch of kink, and fun gear like sex furniture, swings, and high-end machines like the Sybian.

The chapter on lube is towards the end of the book and includes a breakdown of the different kinds of lubricants, recommendations of top-quality lubes, and what type is appropriate to use for the task at hand. The final chapters offer advice on toy cleaning, care and maintenance guidelines, and tips for toy storage. The Resource Guide lists books, videos, stores, websites, and sex toys brands for those seeking more information.

I love the inviting layout of this book and the glossy, high-quality pictures. The text is concise, informative, and interesting. I do think that the lube chapter being placed towards the end of the book is rather odd. I expected it to be closer to the beginning, maybe after the basic information chapters. And I hate that there's no index. That's one of my pet-peeves, actually. But other than that, I think the book is very well designed.

This book features many of the currently popular sex toys. Since new products are always coming out, I wonder if the products featured will be updated in future editions. It's almost like a Who's Who of sex toys.

There are some naked breasts and bums pictured, mostly in the photographs showing couples, but there are no bare genitals or otherwise explicit images. I was really surprised to see only heterosexual couples pictured in this book, though.

I love this book, and I am thrilled to add it to my collection. It appealed to me for several reasons: the author, the subject matter, and the cool cover. It exceeded my expectations with informative content, gorgeous glossy photos, and more playthings now added to my wish list.

Unfortunately, it lacks an index. This annoys me, but I freely admit that I may have an irrational need for indexes. I also wonder why the book didn't include more diverse couples rather than only showing heterosexual pairings. I get the impression that The Big Book of Sex Toys is meant to facilitate bringing sex toys more into the mainstream. This book certainly presents such topics in a non-intimidating way.