A very wonderful and detailed introduction to SM... so much information, well-written, includes negotiation forms and drawings of rope techniques. ( )

Dry but informative. Interesting. ( )

I felt like I learned so much from SM and could really talk about it fairly confidently (in terms of what I've read, more hands on experience came later) but I also felt that this book was rather hard to read, there was ALLOT to absorb and remember and the writing style always felt fairly tough. Though it not being a novel it's the content thats really importent and how much I got out of it which felt invaluable at the time. Being a much better reader than I was quite along time ago when I read it I still kind of dread re-reading it even though I feel like it would be a good idea. ( )

This book lives up to its title. It really is a "realistic introduction" for people who are interested in getting started into the world of BDSM (the current PC acronym for S&M). The author intended for people to read straight through it, though he reports that many people use it as a reference work, turning to the section they're most interested in reading about.

SM101 is much more for people who are interested in, or curious about, participating in BDSM activities, than it is for someone trying to understand from the outside. There is some introductory material which would be of use for the second sort of reader, but it's presented more as background material before delving into the details than it is an overview for outsiders.

Mr. Wiseman has an EMT background, and is a strong exponent of safety in one's BDSM practice. Within the BDSM world, there is some controversy over safety and acceptable risk, and Wiseman comes down very strongly on the low-risk end of things. Despite the controversy over the level of safety appropriate for experienced BDSM "players", for people beginning to explore BDSM, who are the intended audience of this book, it's appropriate to strongly emphasize safety for acts which carry significant risks. ( )