This is a distinctly British look at pornography and sexuality in all their forms. The very fact this is so centered on the Brits may turn off many readers from the rest of the world. But that is unfortunate as there is a wealth of seedy information in this tome, as well as it is a smashing good read.

Author Bruce Barnard took several years to wade through the renegade sexual underbelly of great Britain to bring us these true tales from the backrooms, sewers and video shops. Immediately as a Yankee I found the point of view here to be interesting because so much of the material being discussed is Illegal in the British isles. For example, my favorite chapter is on the healthy bootleg video trading underground. While that exists here in the United States it is only marginally illegal, with the main issue being one of Copyright infringement. But in the UK the sale of pornography that has not been classified is an outright criminal offence punishable by stiff fines or even jail time. So that entire chapter becomes a sort of pulp novel as people sneak into back rooms or find basement shops full of pirated cassettes. The air of a bad Film Noir hangs heavy over that chapter, making it a great read.

That is Bruce Barnhard’s strength here. He has an innate ability to make all of this seem more exciting than it may really be. Some of the other interesting chapters include “The Curious World of the British Sex Party” which covers all the ins and outs of throwing an orgy or participating in a Bukakke, “Boys With The Wood” is a hilarious essay following the production of a Gay porn film, and of course the “Manager/ Boyfriend syndrome” which follows the tale of a burgeoning adult queen and her abusive asshole of a boyfriend, whom the author ends up having to fend off more than once.

The second half of the book covers the sex trade from the other side; The media, the institutions and the British Board of Classification who rate the movies before they can be shown. In this set of Chapters Mr. Barnhard keeps a level head about him as he infiltrates these various arenas and gets the straight dope on t how this other have live in fear. The entrance into a secret Pornography deprogramming center is particularly harrowing, and funny at the same time.

If you have an interest in how people explore their sexuality, no matter how they go about it, then this is a very interesting read. (AC)