Sex Toy Books

It should come as no surprise that this sex manual was the first to really give sex toys their due. After all, the authors worked for years at Good Vibrations, once the best and most progressive sex shop in America. Anne Semans and Cathy Winks took the no-pressure sales style at Good Vibrations and translated it into a complete sex manual that had a huge impact on a generation of sex toy lovers. Some of the sex toy references are dated now, but the basic information is as accessible and practical today as it was when the book was first published. Six chapters cover sex toys from vibrators to erotica to lube.
Anne Semans and Cathy Winks, 2002. 325 pages.

Written by one of the authors of the Good Vibrations Guide to Sex, Many Joysfocuses exclusively on sex toys, how to choose them, and how to use them. It features the same no nonsense and friendly tone, and is written for a diverse audience in terms of gender, age, and orientation. Some of the sex toys mentioned have fallen out of favor, but as a sex toy primer, this book offers everything you need, and more.
Anne Semans, 2004. 320 pages.

The newest sex toy book in my recommendation list comes from Violet Blue who offers all the basics (vibrators, dildos, lubes, etc.), plus newer information about sex toy materials, online teledildonic sex toys, sex machines and sex furniture. Since the mid-2000s the sex toy industry has seen a boom in higher quality, better-designed sex toys, and Violet Blue offers readers a context and way of evaluating the quality of toys and whether or not a sex toy is going to be something you’ll want to bring home.
Violet Blue, 2006. 192 pages.

This classic small book continues to be the only book focusing on how to choose and use vibrators. It’s not a good choice if you’re trying to navigate your way around new materials and technologies. But if you know what you want, and you’re more interested in how to use it and how to bring a vibrator into your relationship, the GV Guide to Vibrators still delivers.
Joani Blank and Ann Whidden, 2000. 75 pages.

A wonderful and unique collection of fictional and real life tales about sex with sex toys. Less a how-to book than an inspirational and funny guide to sex with sex toys, this collection grew out of Good Vibrations in the late 1990s, when they were still a radical sex toy company trying to shake up the way people thought about sex.
Anne Semans and Cathy Winks, 1998. 216 pages.

A different kind of sex toy book, this is one of a few books available that offers step-by-step guides to making your own sex toys. The definition of sex toys is broad here, covering everything from vibrators and dildos to lingerie and sex toy “cozies”. This book is definitely not for the lazy sex toy user, but if you’re into DIY and you want to get your sex toy spending under control, this might be the best $15 you ever spent.
Matt Pagett, 2007. 128 pages.

This is a collection of 125 sexual things to do with props. Most of the tricks don’t use store bought sex toys, instead favoring things you can find around the house or buy inexpensively at the hardware store. But if you expand your definition of sex toy to include anything that isn’t part of your body that you use for sex play, then this guide is bound to give you at least a couple dozen ideas you hadn’t thought of.
Jay Wiseman, 1998. 128 pages.