I really enjoy this book, and I often find myself going back for both information's sake, and pleasure's sake. Jay Wiseman includes not only easy to understand how to information but a lot of safety information as well. This book however is not really about a Dominance and submission lifestyle. While Mr. Wiseman does include a chapter on D/s, the book is mostly about the physical BDSM aspect.

Mr. Wiseman goes into detail on a wide variety of subjects from clamps, to floggers, and crops to finding local communities. He also includes ways that you can use common household items for S&M play such as ice, hair brushes, and candle wax. Included are different ways many implements can be used, different types and styles of each, and their positive and negative points.

Most importantly he includes safety aspects to help you lower your chance of injury. Mr. Wiseman includes safety tips such as safe words, safe calls, and having a first aid kit nearby. He also includes experiences that he has had, stories he's heard, and the whys and hows of them. He uses these as ways of explaining how the different instruments work, the dangers and also the pleasures of them.

Also, Mr. Wiseman includes practical advice such as being aware of sound when you live in an apartment, and being aware of the chance of marks and bruising if you need to keep your BDSM activities to yourself.

Jay Wiseman does include one chapter which focuses on a Dominance and submission lifestyle. I often re-read this chapter as he includes sections for both the Dominant and the submissive. I must admit that I was disappointed at how little information there was about Dominance and submission, however that is not always involved with BDSM.

While this book is rather black-and-white, and at times can get a bit clinical, I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in BDSM from the beginner to the experienced player.

This was the first book I ever read about BDSM. I must say that his no-nonsense, sometimes humorous, and focused-on-safety way of writing helped me feel more comfortable about being interested in BDSM.