Male Bondage [Hardcover]

If you don't get the concept of sexy men, nude with muscles and being turned on by being tied up by rope then don't go anywhere near this book.
If like me however you love the unhibited sight of beautiful men tied up with the supreme skill of Van Darkholme then buy this book and devour it!
Each photo is a work of art. Van Darkholme is a master of bondage and admits that he's always loved the idea of tying guys up.
There are many body types in this book but they are all made more perfect by the rope tied around their naked bodies and genitals.
The images in this book are all of naked men. They are almost all aroused (not surprisingly) and the photos are lit and posed beautifully. There is nothing remotely sleazy or amateurish about this book. It is a real turn-on though if you're into bondage. Van Darkholme has adapted the Japanese bondage art of Shibari and made it his own.
No guy in here is more stunning looking then Van Darkholme himself (an American/Vietnamese). The man is sexy male perfection and the rope shows his muscles at their best.
This book is a visual feast showing the vision of one man rather than a manual or 'how-to'guide.

This world may not be your cup of tea or you may think it's not, but for anyone who admires and appreciates the well developed adult male body, then I defy you not to be fascinated or at least intrigued by these pictures. The quality of the book is first class, superb paper, superb quality photographs, both colour and monochrome. If I have to give a negative aspect it's that I would have liked more text. The text is minimal and none of it from Van Darkholme, but obviously his work speaks for him. I would have been interested to hear something of his philosophy and motivations but then again, there's nothing ambiguous about these pictures. They are what they are. He chooses his models well, these aren't overblown, overproportioned body builders, but they are well developed men, some with stocky muscular build, some leaner but taut and honed to perfection. I have to admit that I am fascinated by the practice of restraint - not torture or pain, but the idea of being restrained and helpless.The idea of voluntarily giving up your freedom and putting yourself into a potentially dangerous, even fatal situation from which you have no escape both puzzles and draws me. Van Darkholme has undoubtedly raised bondage to the level of an art form - his ingenuity and sheer knowledge of engineering to hold many of these men suspended from trees and bars without causing them serious injury is staggering in itself. The photographs themselves are works of art, such clarity and creative use of lighting and pose - they have a kind of savage and primal beauty. Surprisingly, for me the most erotic pictures were those which show no genitalia and have a simple arrangement of ropes. All of the pictures have the appearance of a living sculpture or 'set piece' but the simpler arrangements seem to have more 'truth and plausibility' about them. There is one monochrome picture of a man hanging from a tree, very simply tied and wearing a simple loin cloth. The position of his body and his facial expression give such presence and immediacy to the scene that I felt as if I could imagine having discovered him by accident whilst out walking. Completely mesmerising. Although not as big a book as I imagined it would be, worth every penny and more. I would also love to see a similar volume that featuring less perfect specimens of manhood - ordinary men who you could pass in the street every day, with soft bellies, undeveloped chests and an endowment that isn't 'top-o-the-range'! I'm sure Van Darkholme could elevate them to a new level of eroticism that they could never imagine as they walk around in their business suits or jeans & sneakers. I'd love to be able to get inside the heads of the exponents and recipients of this art form and find out just what's at the heart of it all. Perhaps it's one of those things that has to be experienced to be understood? Well worth buying if you have the slightest whiff of curiosity about this practice.