Lonnie Barbach brought women's erotica into the mainstream with her classic collections, Pleasures: Women Write Erotica and Erotic Interludes. Now she has produced The Erotic Edge, her first book of arousing fiction for and by both men and women, designed to bring couples together, liberate and enhance their sexual pleasure, and deepen their mutual understanding of intimacy. This long-awaited new collection is a graphically intense exploration of seduction, romance, and erotic fantasy that puts no taboos on shared pleasure or the imagination of desire.Barbach has created a book that men and women can enjoy separately, read together, and use to illuminate their contrasting sexual natures. Her commentary examines the strong connection between men's sexual response and visual stimuli, contrasted with the importance of foreplay and mental seduction for women. She also offers advice on how to use particular stories as a starting point of sexual encounters.Each story is a sensual journey. "Waiting for Claire" by Bruce Zimmerman takes us to an upstairs room in steamy Tangier. Katherine DeRosa's "Mirror, Mirror" goes deep into the mind of a woman as she prepares to see her lover. "Nighthawks" by Erik Jendresen brings a painting to pulsing life. And "Shy" by Deena Metzger explores a territory where intimacy has no limits. These selections and many others cover the full range of erotic themes, from monogamous tenderness and romance to group sex, infidelity, and fantasy. The resulting anthology is wide-ranging, hot, and helpful - stimulating in every sense of the word. Read Less