Gilbert Oakley

Gilbert Oakley wrote a number of guides to human fetishistic behaviour in the early days of the explosion of erotic literature that began early in the 1970s, and it is possible that these works of marginally scholarly content, not clearly aimed at erotic titillation, prepared the way for more extended case studies and erotic stories that soon followed. 'Dial S for Spanking' aims towards the scholarly, specifically in the area of erotic chastisement, although it doesn't really succeed intellectually, and is very cautious erotically. Its main value probably lies in showing how less usual varieties of erotic behaviour were viewed in those days, even in liberal circles. One particularly interesting area considered is that of how a predisposition towards spanking and being spanked might be the result of educational and parental control, and another is how male-female differences might affect their predisposition. Two factors indicate the need for caution, however: a rather strange perspective on lesbian behaviour, and an unjustified (to me) emphasis on the views of Krafft-Ebing, who is quoted verbatim (in an iffy translation) and at considerable length. The cover of the book is more erotic than is justified by its content, although eight pages of monochrome photographs remedy this to some extent. Some case study material is included, adding to the feeling that this is a ragbag of thoughts, incompletely considered.… (mere)

At the start of the current permissive era in the publishing of explicitly erotic material at the start of the 1970s there was a spate of small transient publications dealing with specific topics in the widely-set genre that could be seen as erotic by enthusiasts for these topics. Diamond Star were one of the more notable publishers, and this book is a typical example. As time progressed, books became more explicit, and included photographs (mostly monochrome) and/or drawings in addition to text which was partly informative, partly titillating. This early example, subtitled 'A guide to Domestic Discipline' has relatively few (eight) photographs, and deals with its subject in a 29 brief essays. The definition of domestic discipline has changed over the intervening decades in a way that downplays the erotic side of consensual adult spanking, although the start of this trend is evident here. Much of the book uses the format of case studies, which are better treated from an erotic viewpoint elsewhere. Perhaps surprisingly, given the lightness of the treatment, the book offers much, giving brief insights into most aspects of the practice.… (mere)