A Lover's Pinch: A Cultural History of Sadomasochism

A worldwide subculture that influences everything from fashion to advertising, sadomasochism has a long and lively history. A Lover's Pinch tells the story of consensual sadomasochism, from a controversial religious practice to a secretive sexuality branded a perversion. The origins of kink and fetish culture have been shrouded in secrecy and myths, until now. Here, Peter Tupper reveals the true story of sadism and masochism, dominance and submission. From the ancient Christian flagellants to the Fifty Shades trilogy, the history of consensual sadomasochism is a story of fascinating individuals, unlikely connections and strange twists and turns. Meet Arthur Munby, the Victorian gentleman who secretly married Hannah Cullwick, his maid of all work, and called her his slave; and Jack McGeorge, the UN weapons inspector who was outed as a BDSM club leader just before the Iraq war. Explore the links between Robinson Crusoe, Uncle Tom's Cabin and modern BDSM pornography, and between fetish fashion and anti-Catholic propaganda. Learn how the 19th century middle-class household nurtured dominant-submissive sexuality. Discover the secret history of a hidden world. Winner, 2019 Geoff Mains Non-Fiction Book Award, NLA-International

Author: Peter Tupper
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 08/10/2018
Pages: 344
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.20w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781538111178


Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2019

About the Author
Peter Tupper's writing has appeared in Wired magazine, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the Globe and Mail, the Utne Reader and www.TheTyee.ca. He is a co-founder of Metro Vancouver Kink, a non-profit BDSM community organization in Vancouver, BC, and remains active in the BDSM scene. He has researched and blogged about the history of consensual sadomasochism since 2005, and has presented at The Art of Loving in Vancouver, BC, the Center for Sex Positive Culture in Seattle, WA, and the 2012, 2013 and 2016 Master-slave Conferences. He has also been a guest on Graydancer's Ropecast, the Masocast, Jack Rinella's Leathercast, Erotic Awakening and the People of Kink podcasts. He edited and contributed to Our Lives, Our History: Consensual Master/slave relationships from ancient times to the 21st century (2016), which won the 2017 Geoff Mains Non-Fiction Book Award from the National Leather Association: International.