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The Guide to Getting It On Paperback – January 20, 2009
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length992 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherGoofy Foot Press
- Publication dateJanuary 20, 2009
- Dimensions7.12 x 1.86 x 9.09 inches
- ISBN-101885535333
- ISBN-13978-1885535337
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"If you're going to own just one instructional book about sex, this is the one. Funny, hip, and informative, it's packed with advice about what to put where and covers every topic a couple could possibly be curious about." -- Women's Health Magazine--Sex Awards
In our vast library of sex books, this is by far and away the most human, enlightening and entertaining read of the lot. I'll be recommending it until my keyboard wears out. -- Cosmopolitan Magazine UK
"One of the few books about sex that you actually want to sit down and read." -- Playboy Magazine
"You've never read a manual as warm, friendly, liberating, thorough, and potentially sex-life-changing as the Guide to Getting It On! Neither had anyone in our office--which may be why our copies keep disappearing." -- Oprah Magazine
From the Publisher
Here are the awards The Guide has won:
Ben Franklin Book Award
Firecracker Alternative Book Award
Sexuality.org Best Heterosexual Book Award
USABooknews.com Best Book Award
American Foundation for Gender & Genital Medicine Book Award
From the Author
Even as a so-called expert, I keep learning new things and discovering that a number of long-held facts and assumptions about sex aren't correct. And just when I think I understand how sex plays itself out in our society and culture, that changes too. It's important for me that The Guide reflects what I know now, not what I knew two or three years ago.
From the Inside Flap
From the Back Cover
Sue Palmer/ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Goofy Foot Press; 6th Edition (January 20, 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 992 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1885535333
- ISBN-13 : 978-1885535337
- Item Weight : 3.4 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.12 x 1.86 x 9.09 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #378,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #576 in General Sexual Health
- #1,146 in Sex & Sexuality
- #1,930 in Love & Romance (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Paul Joannides, Psy.D. is a research psychoanalyst, llama farmer, and author of the "Guide To Getting It On," a book on sex that is used in dozens of college sex-ed courses and has been praised by Rolling Stone, Playboy and Oprah Magazine. For his latest Sex-Ed videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/GuideToGettingItOn
Paul has been on the editorial boards of the Journal of Sexual Medicine and the American Journal of Sexuality Education. He has given the opening keynote address for the CFLE-Planned Parenthood National Sex Education Conference and the NCAA approved him to speak to college athletes on sexuality as part of their speaker’s grant program. He has been invited to speak at Dartmouth, Yale, Tufts, Lehigh, Rice, Middlebury, East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and to the OB/GYN residents at one of the US Army’s largest teaching hospitals.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this book super informative and comprehensive, with well-illustrated content that's easy to comprehend. Moreover, they appreciate its humor, with one customer noting how it presents facts in an upfront manner. Additionally, the book receives positive feedback for its relationship focus, with one review highlighting its blend of serious and lighthearted content. However, customers disagree on the book's length, with some noting it's over 600 pages long.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book super informative and comprehensive, describing it as a nonjudgmental guide with gobs of information.
"...still technically a sex manual, I like how Paul’s book still includes really helpful, factual health information such as what chemicals you want to..." Read more
"...but it's mainly because this happens to be a book about sex that is informative and may encouraged safe sex and answer questions more so than the..." Read more
"...The authors style in presenting the information is so comfortable that the 1000 pages can be consumed in a brief period of time...." Read more
"Super enlightening, especially for those of us that grew up in a conservative Christian home and knew next to nothing about anything to do with sex...." Read more
Customers find the book highly readable and delightful, with one customer noting it is a great read for couples.
"...or usable by all people, but for knowledge purposes, it's worth reading. I would recommend this book to people of all ages...." Read more
"...called, “The Boy Crisis” and that has a been a very important/educational read for me as a boy mom. I highly recommend that as well!" Read more
"...intimidated by sex books but want to start somewhere, this is the perfect place...." Read more
"Good book...." Read more
Customers find the book humorous, appreciating its lighthearted approach and how it presents facts in an upfront manner.
"...and lots of it while still being light, good resources, fantastic humor, and well worth the money...." Read more
"...It's easy to read, fun, the pictures are explicit but tasteful, and the tone of the work is very encouraging...." Read more
"...It's frank and really, very humorously done...." Read more
"...myths, and provided information that helped us just relax and enjoy each other (warts and all)...." Read more
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it well illustrated and easy to read, with accompanying texts that are simple to understand.
"...The illustrations are really beautifully done. There are even some really interesting bits of history sprinkled throughout the book...." Read more
"...if this hasn't sold you on the idea yet... This book is a great conversation starter...." Read more
"This book is well written. It is written is a very "easy to read" style, and had they used such a book when I was in high school, verses the "Bury..." Read more
"...One thing I LOVE about this book is how accessible it is. It's easy to read, fun, the pictures are explicit but tasteful, and the tone of the work..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's focus on relationships and serious approach, with one customer noting how it provides enlightening information for married couples.
"...It’s mainly about hetero relationships (the author is very inclusive, but decided not to write about relationships that he has not experienced), but..." Read more
"...(outside of the usual 'sex technique how-to books') which involves all from intimacy to various other realms of sexuality people may be interested..." Read more
"...this book tackles all topics with positive regard and a focus on relationships and how sex works within that relationship...." Read more
"...This book will provide enlightening information to married couples as well. This book has all the answers and is well written and very humorous...." Read more
Customers find the book well worth the money.
"...you think of buying, but I can honestly say this is some of the best $10-$20 I’ve ever spent on a book over the years on the various editions...." Read more
"...while still being light, good resources, fantastic humor, and well worth the money...." Read more
"...Worth twice the price. Just wish it came in E-book format." Read more
"...(which is THICK as hell btw would not have guessed that, so great for the money!)..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's length, with some appreciating its over 600 pages, while others find it quite long.
"...Just as a note: This particular edition is quite a bit shorter than previous editions as some chapters needed to be removed in order to keep the..." Read more
"...After much consideration, I decided on it because it was large (around 500 pages) and from the reviews I'd seen, through, with pictures...." Read more
"...The book is quite long (over 900 pages) but it is a page turner and there are detailed pictures that accompany the chapters...." Read more
"...is incredibly extensive, covers a lot of ground (outside of the usual 'sex technique how-to books') which involves all from intimacy to various..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it a guide literally to getting it on, while others describe it as simplistic and standard.
"...The tone of the book is so warm and friendly. It’s also intelligent and really entertaining...." Read more
"...noted, the unzipped edition, which means it is somewhat shorter and more concise...." Read more
"...anything related to Sex and presents it in a way that feels very approachable for anyone...." Read more
"...And it's written so I understand it..........right to the point, and right on. Cites infor from REAL people...." Read more
Reviews with images

Truly a guide but not just for getting it on.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2018You probably don’t think you need to buy a sex manual, but trust me, you’ll definitely want to have this one on your shelf. I’ve bought 3 or 4 different editions by now. I first picked this up over a decade ago, when I was in my late 20s, a few years after ending my first serious relationship. It was one of the first books of this kind that I ever bought for myself. At the time, I remember thinking there was really nothing else like it being published. Even after since buying other books on this subject, I still don’t think there is anything quite as good as The Guide to Getting It On. The tone of the book is so warm and friendly. It’s also intelligent and really entertaining. There is a ton of information in it (I think some of the previous editions I have are over 1100? pages), but it’s very well organized. The medical information is really good, explained thoroughly, but never too complicated to follow. You won't feel stupid while reading this book, I promise. Most any type of topic you can think of is covered, and covered really well. The book manages to still be explicit, but tastefully done as well. The illustrations are really beautifully done. There are even some really interesting bits of history sprinkled throughout the book.
I really enjoy the author’s writing style and how he shows his personality throughout the book. Paul Joannides kind of reminds me of your cool, hippie type uncle. I never had a cool hippie uncle, but if I did, I’d want to have someone like him.
I had always been meaning to write a review for this book, but there were 2 things I came across recently that made me decide to write one now.
Last year, I purchased a newly published women’s health book, written by a female doctor, that seemed to have pretty good reviews. That book ended up being truly awful. I actually didn’t agree with some of the doctor’s advice. The book was really shallow (more to do with how you look down there) and was condescending towards women. It had some bad, pretty outdated health information in it that no woman should be following. The chapters on sex were really just glossed over. Most of the reviews were written by the author’s clients. It really upset me that I had wasted money and I felt cheated. I very nearly threw that brand new book against the wall at one point.
It really got me thinking, even though it’s been published for over 20? years now, how The Guide to Getting It On is still so much better than even all the new books now being published. I ended up recommending Paul’s book to someone else. Even though it is still technically a sex manual, I like how Paul’s book still includes really helpful, factual health information such as what chemicals you want to avoid putting in your body, for instance, when purchasing sex toys or lubricants. This kind of information isn’t always available in other more mainstream health and sexual health books sadly, even nowadays.
Just the other day, I was reading an article on a British website about whether couples would have sex during a woman’s period and how to handle it. 99% of the comments from adults in both the US and UK thought it was gross and disgusting and everything about it was negative. I remembered well that Paul’s book actually covers this very subject, so I recommended the book there as well.
Just as a note: This particular edition is quite a bit shorter than previous editions as some chapters needed to be removed in order to keep the price reasonable. You can download the extra chapters online for free if you like. The Kindle edition is also the most current complete edition, running at over 1000 pages.
A sex manual might not be the first book you think of buying, but I can honestly say this is some of the best $10-$20 I’ve ever spent on a book over the years on the various editions. It’s also very handy to now have the Kindle format to dip into when you have time. I have still kept all the older editions and I will continue to buy the newer editions. Buy one copy for yourself, no matter what your age or life experience, and one copy for your kids before they leave home.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2014I love this book! There is PLENTY of humor while still being informative. Considering this book is now being used in various college courses as the required textbook, I would say I'm not alone in saying the information is valuable and well worth the money.
I purchased the print version and there are illustrations that are in black and white. If you have kids under the age of... oh, let's say 10 or 11, I would probably keep this book hidden. Though this book is targeted to young adults, there are a number of reasons I would allow a puberty hit teenager to read this, but it's mainly because this happens to be a book about sex that is informative and may encouraged safe sex and answer questions more so than the current approved approach in schools. Really, when do people need to know where the ovaries are located in a woman or understand that men have more testosterone than women which is why they don't develop boobs in order to have a "hot" night?
With that said, I think that anybody who gets this book would probably end up reading it eventually from cover to cover. Not all in one day, or even the course of a year perhaps, but eventually. Yes, parts of this book may not be... applicable or usable by all people, but for knowledge purposes, it's worth reading.
I would recommend this book to people of all ages. Great information and lots of it while still being light, good resources, fantastic humor, and well worth the money.
Also, if this hasn't sold you on the idea yet... This book is a great conversation starter. Have it on your coffee desk at home or in another blatantly open spot in your home or dorm and let the conversations fly!
- Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2011This book is well written. It is written is a very "easy to read" style, and had they used such a book when I was in high school, verses the "Bury the head in the sand method" that the book burners of the world wish to use, we would have been far more educated and protected! At 16-18 it is unrealistic to believe your child is not going to be "experimenting" if not sexually active. It is rather sad that I know many friends that I have told about this book, are in their 40's and don't know half the information provided in this book. If you were born in the 60's, 70's or 80's I strongly recommend this book. If you are finished with High school, college, graduate school, and/or 20+ years in to your profession, READ THIS BOOK. If you are single or married, READ THIS BOOK. This is a book for both female and male alike. Single or married, you will be amazed at how badly you have likely been at having a much more satisfying sex life....That is, when the older of the
generations were coming of age, sex just was not something talked about. In fact, it is often a difficult subject between married couples married 10, or 20 years!! The language and information is explicit and plain conversation. The authors style in presenting the information is so comfortable that the 1000 pages can be consumed in a brief period of time. I have read this book, and I have gone back and read a few of the chapters a few times. Yes, in part it is a "Training manual". Yes, at 18, seeing one particular gal, 3-4 times a day was not unusual! Sadly I know now just how bad I was. Worse, married in my mid 20's, and through 30's I don't think I was that much better! Yes, issues that cover STD's, and medical issues impacting sex drive from ED to menopause are all covered. This is an educational book. It provides you with facts you need in adolescence to be safe if you are going to be active. It also teaches you the anatomy, emotional, physical components. So if they are going to be active, they might as well be educated to derive the most from the experience. The author points out the significant role emotion, and brain chemicals play in "making love", and sadly women are often on the "losing end of the equation". So don't
buy the book because I said so, buy it for her. It is never too late to learn how to please your partner. I wish they had a book like this available to us back in my high school days. But I didn't write the review to debate sex education. I wrote the review because I can tell you that any man or women reading it, or reading it together, will have a better sex life having read it, period. I gave this book to good friends as a holiday gift. The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Most have said they are reading it together, or complaining they can't get the book back from their partner! Worth twice the price. Just wish it came in E-book format.
Top reviews from other countries
- kasiokReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read.
I would never imagine that I will enjoy reading a sex book so much! This book is very comprehensive covering topics ranging from anatomy, nipples, handjobs, porn and basically everything you can imagine. It has loads of technical information as well as consultants and normal people opinions and experiences. It does not feel like you were reading a textbook, but rather like you were chatting with a really funny friend. I would imagine it's good for both beginners and advanced in bed as well as both male and female. You can really find out a lot about each other and yourself. I would recommend every single person on the planet to read this.
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diaoua viveneReviewed in France on November 23, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars super livre
Ce livre est génial!!arrive en bon état j adore!!il es gros et super intéressant ! Un investissement que je ne regrette pas
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pixelstreitReviewed in Germany on May 4, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Der beste Sexratgeber, den ich kenne.
Gendersensibel, bedürfnisorientiert, sex-positive; versucht, keine sexuelle Norm aufzustellen, enorm informiert, alles auch zum Thema Safe Sex, Krankheiten. Simply the best. Gibt gute Hinweise auch für weitere Literatur zu spezielleren Themen. Wird regelmäßig überarbeitet von einem äußerst kompetenten Team. Leider nur auf Englisch erhältlich.
- Lash BarReviewed in Australia on June 29, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars More for teenagers and uni students.
Great book for students.
Adults might find it a bit simplistic
- OscarReviewed in Canada on May 16, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars sexy times improved
great book. Good print quality. So much information!
A great tool for any fun loving adult to have. It doesn't have anything you won't find online. but while googling will require a lof of filtering out the useless stuff and the misinformation, this books gives you exactly what you need in just about every sex related subject. Plus I love showing this off on my shelf!
There's no "magic tricks" here, just a lot of honest information that will hopefully give you better understanding of sex (and better sex as a result!)