Obviously, this book review is going to be too much for some readers. I originally reviewed Dian Hanson’s Big Book of Pussy on Epinions.com and I wanted to preserve the review before it gets lost forever. I originally had it on my sex blog, but I’m in the process of dismantling that. So here’s my reposted Epinions review from 2012, for better or worse… Enjoy!
Pussy is a curious thing, All pink and covered with hair,
Looks like the mouth of a Methodist preacher, And stinks like the ass of a bear.
Page 10 of The Big Book of Pussy
Leave it to Amazon.com’s suggestive selling efforts to get me to purchase Dian Hanson’s Big Book of Pussy(2011). Not long ago, I decided I wanted to order Hanson’s book The Big Book of Breasts in 3-D. Amazon.com, in all its salesmanship wisdom, presented me with the option to puchase two other Hanson titles, including The Big Butt Book and The Big Book of Pussy. I went for it, figuring I would probably enjoy the butt book and might learn something from the pussy book. So for the past few days, I’ve been reading and perusing a trifecta of photographical tributes to the female form. Hanson also has two other books that I know of, one celebrating legs and the other celebrating penises… in 3-D, of course!
To be completely honest, of the three Hanson books I now own, I was the most nervous about looking at The Big Book of Pussy, even though I am a mature woman who happens to own one. Frankly, until I forced myself to look at Hanson’s book, I didn’t find the vagina that mystical. It was just a hairy part of my body that occasionally got stinky and sometimes gave me great pleasure. However, I can’t deny that my “lady parts” give my husband great pleasure… I can see it in his eyes. 😉 So it makes sense that I might get better acquainted with my “muff”… and maybe even celebrate it.
The Big Book of Pussy… a visual feast or a hell of a shock…
I opened the book and was immediately confronted with rows of women’s faces interspersed with pictures of labias. Once I got past the initial shock of seeing those private parts, I looked closer and noticed that no two were alike, suggesting that just like snowflakes, women’s vaginas are highly individual. Being a heterosexual woman, I have to admit that I had never considered such a concept, though it’s only natural.
I continued reading and, once again, was drawn in by Hanson’s refreshingly frank commentary on vaginas. She touches on art history, writing about how the vagina has been depicted in art across the ages. From Paleolithic cave paintings in Europe to cave paintings in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the vagina has often been recreated and admired by artists. Hanson even describes The Cave of Vulvas, found within the Tito Bustillo cave in Spanish Asturias. I can only imagine the travel review I could write about that place!
Aside from art, the vagina has also been celebrated in other ways. For example, Hanson found a well-produced German Web site selling a line of scents called Vulva. It comes in several different varieties. And yes, Hanson did order a small vial for the princely sum of 24.90 euros ($34). She describes the scent as smelling like perfume, musk, and urine. I bet she could hardly wait to dab it behind her ears!
She also writes of an interesting sideline job for broke college students. Back in the 1980s, she helped write form letters to horny guys looking for female companionship. The letters came with a pair of “dirty panties”, complete with a musky aroma. Lucky recipients might even find secretions or skid marks on their pair. Hanson explains how those panties were actually created and the creative ways the college ladies came up with to make each pair look authentic.
We’ve got bush!
Hanson’s big book also educated me on the history of feminine hygiene. A black and white photo of a woman with hairy thighs and an equally hairy bush is captioned as having been taken in 1940. Hanson explains that most American women have been shaving their armpits since around 1925. They didn’t start shaving their legs until around 1945; therefore, hairy legs on a woman in a picture can offer a clue as to when the shot was taken. Hanson explains that it wasn’t common for women to groom their “bushes” until the 1980s.
Trilingual
Like the other two Hanson books I own, The Big Book of Pussy is translated into English, German, and French. The translations are presented in three vertical columns, making it quick going through the pages of this book.
The photos
The Big Book of Pussy consists of lots of photos in black and white and color, from 1900 until 2011. Some of the photos are tasteful. And some– I won’t lie– are rather disgusting. Some of the photos are funny and some show women in impossibly athletic poses. Some of the pictures feature incredibly hairy “honey pots”, and some sport hairless slits. Almost all of the models appear to be sexually mature, though I did see one or two that made me stop and wonder. It wasn’t her vagina that made me question; it was her face. She looked like a wide-eyed doll. Casting my eyes south, I eventually determined there was no way she wasn’t full grown.
The models who appear in this book are all model types. You won’t see any really heavy women or women who aren’t somewhat attractive. However, Hanson does include a wide array of different ethnicities, as well as some clever artistic adaptations of lady bits. Are you ready for a photo of an Asian woman who appears to have a sideways vagina? How about a picture of a vagina that appears to double as a man’s beard, complete with a face drawn on the model’s flat stomach?
Just want to read the articles?
I’m happy to report that this book is not just about pictures of vaginas. Hanson has included several articles from models, including one from a woman who calls herself “Mouse”. Mouse is famous for being a “vaginal performance artist” who makes art with her pussy. In one provocative photo, she is shown with what appears to be dynamite sticking out of her nether regions. In another, there’s a Barbie doll that appears to be experiencing a second birth. A newsy article accompanies these “interesting” shots.
There’s also an article about Steve Shubin, the “Faux Vagina King”, Shubin is an ex-cop from the Los Angeles area whose wife is an ex-professional tennis player. His wife got pregnant with twins. The doctor, noting Shubin’s wife’s advanced age (40), advised the couple to avoid sex for the duration of the pregnancy. Shubin was crushed. Knowing that the prospect of avoiding sex for that long would tempt him, he designed his own faux vagina. He got the patent for it in 1995. I’m reminded of that old saying… “necessity is the mother of invention”!
Other articles include one about “Flower Tucci”, champion female squirter, and Buck Angel, the man with a pvssy. Buck is physically, psychologically, and legally a man, but he also has a fully functioning vagina. Yes, he was born with it.
I was skeptical, but now I’m kinda sold…
Yes, The Big Book of Pussyis about a taboo topic. I was a little squeamish about reading this book, mainly because I don’t find vaginas that interesting to look at… Or, at least I didn’t think I did until I picked up this heavy duty coffee table book (and I dare you to display it on your coffee table!). To be honest, if this was just mainly a book of photos like Hanson’s Big Book of Breasts is, I probably wouldn’t like it. As it is, there’s only so long I can look at these vaginas without feeling distinctly uncomfortable. But Hanson spices it up with some very interesting and educational commentary that touches on a wide variety of subjects. I appreciated the interesting articles, too, though I was interested in some more than others. I probably could have done without reading about “Mouse”.
Overall
I don’t think this book is quite as accessible as Hanson’s other books are, mainly because the pussy is such a private part of the body. Also, I would advise prospective readers to keep an open mind as well as a steady stomach. Some of the photos in this book are pretty vulgar and gasp inspiring. Not all photos are suitable for the squeamish. Still, I would by lying if I didn’t enjoy parts of The Big Book of Pussy and gain a little more appreciation for my own female parts. I recommend it with four stars.
ETA: I would NOT pay $1499 for this book.
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