(Ebook) Leatherfolk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice by Mark Thompson ISBN 9781938884009, 1938884000

(Ebook) Leatherfolk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice by Mark Thompson ISBN 9781938884009, 1938884000

Originally published: Boston: Alyson Books, 1991.
When mystery enters our lives and stays there, we are set off from others. And, like a stranger who becomes a trusted friend, that mystery can grow into wonder about the endless possibilities of who we are. Certainly there is no group more cloaked within the mystery and wonder of gay life than leatherfolk, an odd tribe within a tribe that arouses feelings both hostile and seductive.
This book is a collection of writings by men and women who share little in common other than the desire to explore taboo realms and intense erotic experience. In fact, this is the first co-gender, nonfiction anthology to address the complex and sometimes unspeakable topic of sadomasochistic sexuality and the subculture that has formed around it. As a result, Leatherfolk is about many things, including the formation of a rapidly growing community within today's gay world and the meanings of seemingly incomprehensible sexual acts. the style of writing covers a spectrum as well: historical memoir, social commentary, and personal testimony. -Mark Thompson
"'Leatherfolk' is porbably the finest book ever published on leathersex history and philosophy. Fascinating, comprehensivve, informative, and sexy." -- International Leatherman
"Leatherfolk" reveals a side of leather and S/M as no book before- its heart and soul. -- Lambda Book Report
...draws on parts of the psyche we are taught to regard as taboo, (and) can release powerful energies... -- London Gay Times
A groundbreaking anthology... this first non-fiction, co-gender collection to document the queer leather scene is an instant classic. -- The San Francisco Review of Books
Probably our first glimpse of the neo-tribal, fusion-oriented fourth phase of a cultural revolution that began in 1960. -- Fakir Musafar, Body Play and Modern Primitives Quarterly
Thompson is able to demystify S/M's darker elements without draining any of the thrilling erotic quality from the subject. -- Frontiers