The Complete Kama Sutra: The First Unabridged Modern Translation of the Classic Indian Text [Abridged] (Paperback)

When I first got it I was dissapointed (no pictures)how wrong I was. since reading this book I have find out ways of calming myself, tackling problems in life, getting on well with other people and you wouldn't belive the tricks I have learn't for the bedroom :-D

This is not a book on sex, it is a manual on life. it is a guide by which you can learn to approach all aspects of humanity in a way which helps to improve on situations and get what you want out of life.

As far as my partner is concerned I wish I had bought this book sooner. I now know a hundred subtle ways of making feel appreciated and satisfied, from a breath on her neck to things that can't be mentioned on a web site that doesn't charge ;-D. I feel that this book is a must for any person who is serious about making themselves and their closest loved ones as happy as possible.

There is hardly a subject the author has not dealt with. If the range of subjects dealt with fascinates you (marriage, adultery, prostitution, group sex, sadomasochism, male and female homosexuality, and transvestitism) the scientific approach and the depth of classification in dealing with those subjects might bewilder you. ("There are different types of men and women according to their sizes of the organs, their moment of sexual enjoyment, and the violence of their sexual impulse"). The part dealing with occult practices is a blast. These practices include ointments for the body, marks on the forehead, powders sprinkled over the woman and substances that she be made to ingest, the surprising things she must be shown, as well as the means and remedies for subjugating her. This section also manifest the thoroughness of the research done almost 2000 years back.

While the considerable pains the author has undergone to protect the integrity of the original work makes this a classic, it is possible that at times the casual reader will be hard pressed to follow. The author emphasizes that this is not a pornographic work and is merely an impartial and systematic study of one of the essential aspects of existence. There is ample proof of that throughout the book.

On a more practical level I have found some of the advice to be very good - but you have to read this in context. If you are unfamiliar with the original text then you should be aware that this is not a 'positions' book, the majority of the Kama Sutra is devoted to relationships between men and women, courting, marrige etc. It is a facinating insight into an ancient civilisation, and underlying it is a fundamental understanding of what makes people tick.

This is an obvious choice for the those who wish to read the whole book, because the earlier Burton translation was edited by Victorian sensibilties. However if you just want to get a sense of this work you might consider the earlier version on grounds of cost.

Whichever version you get you will find this a facinating read, especially if you like the perfumed garden, now all I need is a translation of the chinese taos...