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Rating: 
Summary: gay sex eye opener
Review: due to the complete lack of any sex education for gay men when I was a student, owing to the fact that the system assumes all students are heterosexual and educates them as such, I had to learn about sex "on the road" so to speak - this book is a serious attempt to redress this - well done
Rating:
Summary: A Must read!!! LOTS of info!
Review: I absolutely loved this book! It was chalk-full of clearly presented, mostly objective information. There wasnt preachy like some books can be... It was very objective, gave u the option of assigning ur own opinion... The only preachiness was of things that could be hazardous to your physical/mental health. The authors have a very optimistic attitude toward sex, which is extremely refreshing, and they basically say that if you follow safe sex guidelines and avoid people, places, and situations that might cause unsafe sex, u can lead a satisfying and healthy sex life.
This book is a must read for anyone new to the gay scene as it provides information on a wide variety of topics and makes u aware of certain scenes and practices and risks associated with them. I found the information on AIDS and HIV and also the section on STD's VERY helpful. It cleared up many questions I had and debunked all the false info.
I especially enjoyed this book as it was written in part by a psychologist, and so the information was given in a kind of psychologically logical way. Since many of the sections dealt with sexual practices, they are behaviours and the author presented them as such and goes into possible sources for these behaviours and preferences.
I enjoyed the illustrations even thought they were only pencil illustrations. They were exceptionally done and I actually got turned on by them LoL
Also the Appendix supplied me with many useful resources for other books and helpful organizations for future reference.
This book is full of helpful information and advice and, again, I highly recommend this book to anyone new to the gay scene, or even just as a reference. This book has become an invaluable reference for me, and I hope it becomes the same for all of you as well!
Rating: 
Summary: There is much better out there
Review: I picked up a copy of the first edition originally published in 1977 years ago at a used bookstore, mainly for some of the drawings. Alas, the text was so awful that I finally had to sell it since I couldn't bear to have it in my library any longer. This new edition is worse as the text is virtually verbatim from the original but now even most of the pictures are unattractive! Far from being an objective reference book on gay sex the original (and this revision) had a very strong agenda...namely selling the promiscuous casual-sex gay lifestyle the authors saw as liberating. Entries on long term partners or couples was brief and halfhearted but entries on watersports, rimming, fisting, etc. were extensive. From the authors writing style one would gather that anyone not into these esoteric practices just wasn't opening themselves up to their true desires. The real problem though is that instead of having a nice, long entry on say anal sex, covering both it's history and all the issues, The Joy of Gay Sex is more interested in cramming in every weird, esoteric "gay" practice that it can in order to be called definitive. There are new entries that were not present in the original like 'shaving' but rather than state the facts the authors go off in some of the most rhapsodically purple-prose of the book about how wonderful the practice is. Then the authors belittle and put-down the promising trend toward a lighter-skinned physical ideal for us caucasions rather than the leathery sun-tanned look so popular in years past. This in spite of years of evidence showing how damaging all that sunbathing is for those of us of caucasion ancestry. So much for objectivity. The best gay sex manual ever written was published by Gay Sunshine Press the same year as the original Joy of Gay Sex in 1977 and is also still in print. It has beautiful illustrations and a joyous, loving, holistic writing style. There is another gay sex glossary published by Alyson which is also very good and again, with wonderfully sexy drawings. Now yes, these other books deal with casual sex as well but they don't sell it with the relentlessly aggressive manner that this book does. If watersports, fisting and living the most stereotypical sort of gay "lifestyle" is what you want this book will likely fit the bill. For the rest of us, there are wonderful other books out there.
Rating:
Summary: There is much better out there
Review: I picked up a copy of the first edition originally published in 1977 years ago at a used bookstore, mainly for some of the drawings. Alas, the text was so awful that I finally had to sell it since I couldn't bear to have it in my library any longer. This new edition is worse as the text is virtually verbatim from the original but now even most of the pictures are unattractive! Far from being an objective reference book on gay sex the original (and this revision) had a very strong agenda...namely selling the promiscuous casual-sex gay lifestyle the authors saw as liberating. Entries on long term partners or couples was brief and halfhearted but entries on watersports, rimming, fisting, etc. were extensive. From the authors writing style one would gather that anyone not into these esoteric practices just wasn't opening themselves up to their true desires. The real problem though is that instead of having a nice, long entry on say anal sex, covering both it's history and all the issues, The Joy of Gay Sex is more interested in cramming in every weird, esoteric "gay" practice that it can in order to be called definitive. There are new entries that were not present in the original like 'shaving' but rather than state the facts the authors go off in some of the most rhapsodically purple-prose of the book about how wonderful the practice is. Then the authors belittle and put-down the promising trend toward a lighter-skinned physical ideal for us caucasions rather than the leathery sun-tanned look so popular in years past. This in spite of years of evidence showing how damaging all that sunbathing is for those of us of caucasion ancestry. So much for objectivity. The best gay sex manual ever written was published by Gay Sunshine Press the same year as the original Joy of Gay Sex in 1977 and is also still in print. It has beautiful illustrations and a joyous, loving, holistic writing style. There is another gay sex glossary published by Alyson which is also very good and again, with wonderfully sexy drawings. Now yes, these other books deal with casual sex as well but they don't sell it with the relentlessly aggressive manner that this book does. If watersports, fisting and living the most stereotypical sort of gay "lifestyle" is what you want this book will likely fit the bill. For the rest of us, there are wonderful other books out there.
Rating: 
Summary: Satisfied
Review: I sat down and flipped through this book after I bought it. While I didn't need or use all the information in this book, it has definately proved usefull.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!!!
Review: Loved it better than Cats and more stimulating than Pottery Barn!!!
Rating:
Summary: So, so...
Review: This book offers some nice information, but to subculture, sex-centered gays. I was really disappointed at some topics such as bisexuality and sex with animals!!! Thats not what I expect in my gay sex. So clearly, buy this book ONLY if your life revolves around sex. I now regret I bought this book.
Rating:
Summary: updated, but still out of touch
Review: While it is admirable that the authors have updated this resource to reflect the changes in gay culture since the last edition, there are still many "holdovers" of out of date information and attitudes. Most pointedly the entry on "hustling" is offensive, condescending and stigmatizing. The authors have clearly not read any of the relevant social science research that has been published in the last 20 years on what the authors deride as the politically correct term "male sex work." It is also problematic that a book that claims to be a reference book cites no sources whatsoever nor includes a list of reference at the end. Without references this book is composed of nothing more than the opinion of the authors. However, for the uninformed this text is a very good first source, just don't take anything in it as "the last word."
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