Erotic Edge: 22 Erotic Stories for Couples
In this long-awaited, graphically intense exploration of seduction, romance, and erotic fantasy, no taboos are put on shared pleasure or the imagination of desire. Lonnie Barbach, a highly regarded professional in the field of sexuality and relationships, has collected 22 erotic and arousing stories written by both men and women. In her commentaries, Barbach examines the strong connection between men's sexual response and visual stimuli, contrasted with the importance of foreplay and mental...
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Lonnie Barbach brought women's erotica into the mainstream with her classic collections, Pleasures: Women Write Erotica and Erotic Interludes. Now she has produced The Erotic Edge, her first book of arousing fiction for and by both men and women, designed to bring couples together, liberate and enhance their sexual pleasure, and deepen their mutual understanding of intimacy. This long-awaited new collection is a graphically intense exploration of seduction, romance, and erotic fantasy that puts no taboos on shared pleasure or the imagination of desire. Barbach has created a book that men and women can enjoy separately, read together, and use to illuminate their contrasting sexual natures. Her commentary examines the strong connection between men's sexual response and visual stimuli, contrasted with the importance of foreplay and mental seduction for women. She also offers advice on how to use particular stories as a starting point of sexual encounters. Each story is a sensual journey. "Waiting for Claire" by Bruce Zimmerman takes us to an upstairs room in steamy Tangier. Katherine DeRosa's "Mirror, Mirror" goes deep into the mind of a woman as she prepares to see her lover. "Nighthawks" by Erik Jendresen brings a painting to pulsing life. And "Shy" by Deena Metzger explores a territory where intimacy has no limits. These selections and many others cover the full range of erotic themes, from monogamous tenderness and romance to group sex, infidelity, and fantasy. The resulting anthology is wide-ranging, hot, and helpful - stimulating in every sense of the word.Publishers WeeklyBarbach, editor of two previous compilations of erotica written by women, here assembles a collection of 22 stories authored by both sexes. While this volume certainly does not contain something for everyone (only one entry--pseudonymous Anna Nymus's ``The Wager''--even touches on a gay relationship; domination/submission is dealt with once in the oddly moving ``The Language of Desire,'' written by a couple identified only as Khafre and Patrice), it does offer up a veritable smorgasbord of spicy fantasies. Barbach has divided the tales according to theme--Very Male and Very Female; Common Themes; The Perfect Match --each prefaced by an introduction. She observes the differences between male and female erotic writing: ``stories written by men concentrate on the details of the lovemaking scenes'' while ``women's stories emphasize seduction, desire and the mental foreplay that builds up to the sexual encounter.'' The more successful tales include Kim Chernin's ``The Sacred Harlot,'' an account of ancient erotic forces called up at an academic conference; Marsha Power's graphic depiction of a female-initiated one-night stand in ``11:30 P.M.--Saturday Night''; Clark Sevill Demorest's flip wish-fulfillment fantasy, ``A Matter of Attitude''; and B. J. Simmons's ``Unconditional Positive Regard,'' in which a couple make a first effort at ``swinging.'' The level of prose is uneven in the collection as a whole, however; many of the stories are rather amateurishly written and feature cliched, wooden dialogue. Author tour. (May)
Introduction1Phantom Grey15Mirror, Mirror34Waiting for Claire43Other Men59The Wager72The Sacred Harlot76A Matter of Attitude88Unconditional Positive Regard100Lucky in Love119Floating World129Taos Spring145Preliminaries157Glorious Reunion165The Accident177Nighthawks: From a Painting by Edward Hopper18911:30 P.M. - Saturday Night199Espresso and . . .215Esther227Susan239The Language of Desire247Shy256Hiddenness and Desire263Biographies271
\ Publishers Weekly\ - Publisher's Weekly\ Barbach, editor of two previous compilations of erotica written by women, here assembles a collection of 22 stories authored by both sexes. While this volume certainly does not contain something for everyone (only one entry--pseudonymous Anna Nymus's ``The Wager''--even touches on a gay relationship; domination/submission is dealt with once in the oddly moving ``The Language of Desire,'' written by a couple identified only as Khafre and Patrice), it does offer up a veritable smorgasbord of spicy fantasies. Barbach has divided the tales according to theme--Very Male and Very Female; Common Themes; The Perfect Match --each prefaced by an introduction. She observes the differences between male and female erotic writing: ``stories written by men concentrate on the details of the lovemaking scenes'' while ``women's stories emphasize seduction, desire and the mental foreplay that builds up to the sexual encounter.'' The more successful tales include Kim Chernin's ``The Sacred Harlot,'' an account of ancient erotic forces called up at an academic conference; Marsha Power's graphic depiction of a female-initiated one-night stand in ``11:30 P.M.--Saturday Night''; Clark Sevill Demorest's flip wish-fulfillment fantasy, ``A Matter of Attitude''; and B. J. Simmons's ``Unconditional Positive Regard,'' in which a couple make a first effort at ``swinging.'' The level of prose is uneven in the collection as a whole, however; many of the stories are rather amateurishly written and feature cliched, wooden dialogue. Author tour. (May)\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalThis collection of 22 short stories has been compiled as a tool for heterosexual couples to explore men's and women's perspectives on sex and to act as a catalyst for dialog about the subject. Barbach ( Going the Distance: Secrets of Lifelong Love, LJ 9/1/91) has selected erotic short fiction from both male and female writers that illustrates what each gender finds appealing about the sexual union. The collection subtly amplifies the general notion that men's erotic images are more visual and visceral and that women tend to find erotic content in the emotional development of the relationship. Although many of the stories have very explicit descriptions of copulation, the editor has not included stories featuring rape or anything more potentially objectionable than adultery and ``swinging'' fantasies. All the characters are willing participants, and even profanity is kept to a minimum. Recommended for larger public library collections.-- A. Arro Smith, San Marcos P.L., Tex.\ \
