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Sex (book)
Encyclopedia
Sex is a coffee table book
written by Madonna
with photographs by Steven Meisel Studio
and film frames taken from film shot by Fabien Baron
. The book was edited by Glenn O'Brien
. Sex was released on October 21, 1992 by Warner Books. The book was released by Madonna as an accompaniment to her fifth studio album Erotica, which was released a day earlier.
The extremely controversial book featured strong adult content and softcore pornographic photographs depicting simulations of sexual acts, which included sadomasochism and analingus
. Madonna wrote the book as a character named Mistress Dita, inspired by 1930s film actress Dita Parlo
.
Featured in the book, aside from unknown models, are actress Isabella Rossellini
, rappers Big Daddy Kane
and Vanilla Ice
, model Naomi Campbell
, gay porn star Joey Stefano
, actor Udo Kier
, socialite Tatiana von Fürstenberg
, and nightclub owner Ingrid Casares.
For the release of Sex Madonna gave a party at New York City's Industria Superstudio, which she attended dressed as Little Bo Peep
with a stuffed toy lamb.
and Time Warner
executives were reluctant to allow Madonna
to create such a book, and although they eventually gave her permission, they remained greatly opposed to the idea. Madonna was made to sign an agreement that forbade her from including any photographs depicting children, religious imagery and bestiality.
Not long after signing this agreement Madonna founded Maverick
, a multi-media entertainment company. Since by contract she had total artistic control over any of the work released by Maverick, the agreement she signed with Time Warner concerning what not to do in Sex became obsolete. The book's editor Glenn O'Brien
suggested the title "Sex", which was the name of Mae West
's first Broadway play. As a "tongue-in-cheek
" way of demonstrating her power to the executives who had so vehemently opposed the book, Madonna included two photographs that "broke the rules"—a photo where she is tied à la S&M
on a low cross-shaped table surrounded by candles with a large cross
displayed on the wall behind her, and another photo of her kneeling on the ground with a dog underneath her on its back, creating the impression that she is straddling the animal while it is giving her oral sex. However, should one look closely at the photograph, one will see that the photo is an illusion—Madonna is not straddling the dog's head at all, but rather kneeling on both knees beside the dog.
Warner Bros. commented that Sex was very difficult to produce, requiring contributions from many different printing and publishing companies, with Mighty Dimension Inc. coordinating the project—LTI, Bishop Studio, Master Eagle Graphic Design, and Shorewood Packaging, all based in New York City; as well as Laserscan Inc. in Phoenix
, Arizona; Benson and Palmer in Newport
, Rhode Island; Mohawk Papermills in Cohoes
, New York; C&H Packaging Company Inc. in Merrill
, Wisconsin; and Nicholstone in Nashville
, Tennessee. At some point while the book was being produced some of the photographs were stolen, prompting an FBI investigation that quickly recovered the photos. In the credits of the book Madonna thanks the FBI for " ... rescuing photographs that would have made J. Edgar Hoover
roll over."
Madonna had originally intended to call the book X but changed her mind when Spike Lee
's upcoming film Malcolm X
began to be promoted. The film was released three weeks after the book, and inspired the fashion trend of wearing hats and shirts with a large X in honor of Malcolm X
. Madonna wanted the book to be of an oval shape, but the printing and manufacturing of such a book would have been too expensive. In the end, the original design for the X title and shape of the book were only retained on the back cover (see below) and on the accompanying CD and its packaging.
The book was shot during the summer of 1992 in New York City and Miami. Locations in New York City included the Hotel Chelsea
and Times Square's all-male burlesque Gaiety Theatre
(dancers from theatre participated in one of the book's photo sessions). In Miami, the majority of the sessions were shot at Madonna's home and on various beaches and streets. Aside from Steven Meisel himself, photographers from his studio were also employed. The book credits Michael Stratton, Darren Lew, Line Barzudkas, Stephen Callaghan and Chris Hobson. Fabien Baron, one of the book's designers, also shot many of the photo sessions on film. Photographers Stephen Callaghan and Darren Lew were also credited for filming. Many of the book's photographs are actually stills taken from this footage, which was done almost entirely on Super 8mm.
and the photographer Siung Fat Tjia), who also designed the packaging for Madonna's Erotica album and single. The book is largely presented in a style not far off from Andy Warhol
's works, namely the famous shot on the metallized plastic cover of the book (a colored reverse negative), which Madonna also used as the cover of her Erotica album.
Certain pages included collages of ripped and pasted prints (including some that were stapled together), proof sheets and entire pages in both monochrome & full color. The text of the book varies from handwritten to printed, with eye-bending styles of typefaces and colors. In the non-English versions of the book any printed text that was not printed in these complex typefaces had the relevant translation printed over it, and any text that could not have the translated text printed over it was included at the back of the book on additional pages. In the Japanese version, Madonna had any photos that included visible genitalia "scribbled out".
Included with the book was a CD packaged in silver mylar packaging that resembled a condom. The CD contains a stripped down version of "Erotica
", titled "Erotic". Although the sound is similar to Erotica, the song's lyrics consist of passages read by Madonna from the book.
There is a small photonovella-style comic bound into the back of the book titled Dita in "The Chelsea Girl" which depicts a party at the Hotel Chelsea
in New York City. Allegedly Madonna created the dialogue of the comic book when photographer Steven Meisel placed a stack of randomly ordered photos from one of the book's photo sessions on her desk. He suggested she conjure up a story while maintaining the random order of the photos.
The English language release of Sex was printed in 1.5 million copies in its first edition and another 1.5 million in its second (Madonna herself is said to own the very first printed copy of the first edition.). The Japanese and French language releases received a 1 million copy printing each for the first edition. Since the Japanese version was banned shortly after its release, it did not receive a second edition printing like the English and French versions did. The English version was the only version printed in the United States, while the English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Japanese versions were printed in their respective countries. Aside from the translated text and differences in paper quality, they are identical to the English language version. The Japanese version was printed on art paper of far higher quality than that of the English and other versions.
The Japanese version was the only release of Sex to be put into a box. Although all of the other official releases of the book include the title on the metallized plastic cover as "Madonna Sex", the Japanese language release had the title printed as "Sex by Madonna" on the metallized plastic cover.
Books that were printed in languages such as Thai
, or Russian are all unofficial and were manufactured without the consent of Madonna or Warner Bros. These versions of the book were printed in a variety of styles, with varying covers and quality.
The book was sold for $49.95 in the United States, £25.00 in the United Kingdom, Pts 7,500 in Spain, 300F in France, 99 DM in Germany, and L75,000 in Italy.
The book was published on October 21, 1992, generating international publicity. Several organizations tried to boycott the sale of the book, while many book stores refused to carry it. There were many negative essays by critics that considered Sex to be a calculated controversy timed to boost sales of Madonna's new album. Soon after the release of the book there came a phenomenon which was considered to be a "Madonna backlash", with many people feeling that the singer had finally "gone too far".
In spite of the controversy and negative reviews, Sex sold 150,000 copies on the day of its release in the USA alone. Three days later all 1.5 million copies of the first edition were sold out worldwide, making Sex the most successful coffee table book
ever released. The bookstore chain Waldenbooks
sold 22,000 copies of the book on the day of its release, and commented to MTV that they had never once seen a book sell out so quickly.
The day after the release of the book MTV aired a special called The Day In Madonna hosted by Kurt Loder
(the title of this special was a pun of the title of the channel's daily show The Day In Rock), which profiled the release of Madonna's Sex and her new album Erotica, even taking the book to the streets to allow people, including a sex therapist and group of real-life New York City dominatrices
, to view it. MTV also interviewed many people who had viewed the book on the day of its release at the HMV music store in New York City. In celebration of the release of the book, the store held a Madonna look-alike contest and set up a booth where people could view the book for $1.00 a minute, with all of the proceeds going to Lifebeat, the music industry organization founded to help fund AIDS research.
Since all of the first edition copies of the book sold out so quickly, there was a huge demand for additional copies, with Warner Books deciding to print a second edition of the book.
The Japanese version of the book was released on December 1, 1992, and after a week of being for sale in Japan the book was banned, leaving many book and music chains that purchased copies of the book unable to sell them.
Now long out of print
, Sex is very valuable—prices for a brand-new unopened first edition can start at $150US$ on Amazon.com or eBay.com. As a result of the Japanese version of the book only being printed in 1,000,000 copies and being banned shortly after its release, an unopened edition can start at prices as high as $120US$. But in Brazil, for example, these prices can be higher. The book was not sold in Brazil and the only version that can be found in rare bookstores is the American one and it can cost from USD250 to USD400.
Madonna later responded to the negative publicity and controversy with her 1994 song "Human Nature
", which was included on her album Bedtime Stories
'(Cite references)
According to the BookFinder.com
, Sex was the most requested out of circulation publication.
Many of the photos in the book Sex are actually stills. Photographers from Steven Meisel Studio shot many of the sessions with regular photography, while fashion photographer Fabian Baron, Stephen Callaghan and Darren Lew shot a number of the sessions on video, including super 8 mm.
Much of this footage was utilized for the video
for the single Erotica
, which Baron directed. An hour of this footage was then compiled for a film that Madonna had played during a party she gave for the release of Sex at New York City's Industria Superstudio. Madonna also had 100 copies of the film made to give to her closest friends. This film boasted a soundtrack of vintage French chanson
s from the 1930s through the 1950s by such singers as Charles Trenet
, Edith Piaf
, Maurice Chevalier
and Joséphine Baker
. At some point in the early to mid-1990s, this film leaked out to the public, and for a time copies of it were sold as The Sex Book Video or as The Making of Sex and Erotica in versions with variations in editing and soundtrack in online markets such as eBay, where occasionally a copy of the film will still turn up for sale. Copies of the original 60-minute edit with the original French noir soundtrack once went for prices as high as $250US$—even more expensive than the book itself, although it is now commonly available for free due to the popularization of file sharing
.
) of the animated sitcom The Simpsons
, aired as part of The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
, Krusty the Clown attempts to market a book extremely similar to Sex as a means of resolving his financial woes. Krusty is seen in a suggestive pose on the front cover. Unlike Madonna, however, Krusty apparently never appeared fully nude, as he quickly claimed that he "used a stunt butt."
In the 2004 episode of South Park
titled "Pre-School
", the main characters use the Sex book to understand what a pair of female breasts look like.
In 2010, writer-performer Greg Scarnici
released a book parody of Sex titled Sex in Drag—which was shot entirely on Fire Island, NY.
Coffee table book
A coffee table book is a hardcover book that is intended to sit on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for...
written by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
with photographs by Steven Meisel Studio
Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel is an American photographer, who obtained popular acclaim with his work in US and Italian Vogue and his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book Sex...
and film frames taken from film shot by Fabien Baron
Fabien Baron
Fabien Baron is a French art director. He is editorial director of Interview magazine.-Life and career :In 1982, Baron came to New York with the idea of staying for six months....
. The book was edited by Glenn O'Brien
Glenn O'Brien
Glenn O'Brien is primarily a writer, largely on the subjects of art, music and fashion. He's featured as "The Style Guy" at GQ magazine, and has published a book with that title....
. Sex was released on October 21, 1992 by Warner Books. The book was released by Madonna as an accompaniment to her fifth studio album Erotica, which was released a day earlier.
The extremely controversial book featured strong adult content and softcore pornographic photographs depicting simulations of sexual acts, which included sadomasochism and analingus
Anal–oral sex
Anilingus Anilingus Anilingus (from anus + lingus (Latin Lingere: to lick), also spelled analingus, also referred to or described as anal–oral contact or anal–oral sex, is a form of oral sex involving contact between the anus or perineum of one person and the mouth (lips) or tongue of another....
. Madonna wrote the book as a character named Mistress Dita, inspired by 1930s film actress Dita Parlo
Dita Parlo
Dita Parlo was a German film actress.Born Grethe Gerda Kornstädt in Stettin , Parlo made her first film appearance in Homecoming in 1928 and quickly became a popular actress in Germany...
.
Featured in the book, aside from unknown models, are actress Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
, rappers Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
and Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
, model Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
, gay porn star Joey Stefano
Joey Stefano
Joey Stefano was an American pornographic actor who appeared in gay adult films.-Early life and career:...
, actor Udo Kier
Udo Kier
Udo Kier is a German actor, known primarily for his work in horror and exploitation movies.-Early life:...
, socialite Tatiana von Fürstenberg
Tatiana von Fürstenberg
Tatiana Desirée Prinzessin zu Fürstenberg or Princess Tatiana Desirée zu Fürstenberg ) is an American rock singer and filmmaker - and daughter of fashion designers Diane and Egon von Fürstenberg-External links:...
, and nightclub owner Ingrid Casares.
For the release of Sex Madonna gave a party at New York City's Industria Superstudio, which she attended dressed as Little Bo Peep
Little Bo Peep
"Little Bo Peep" or "Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep" is a popular English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 6487.-Lyrics:As with most products of oral tradition, there are many variations to the rhyme...
with a stuffed toy lamb.
History
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
executives were reluctant to allow Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
to create such a book, and although they eventually gave her permission, they remained greatly opposed to the idea. Madonna was made to sign an agreement that forbade her from including any photographs depicting children, religious imagery and bestiality.
Not long after signing this agreement Madonna founded Maverick
Maverick (entertainment company)
Maverick, is an entertainment company founded by Madonna, Frederick DeMann and Ronnie Dashev in April 1992. It is owned and operated by Warner Music Group.-History:...
, a multi-media entertainment company. Since by contract she had total artistic control over any of the work released by Maverick, the agreement she signed with Time Warner concerning what not to do in Sex became obsolete. The book's editor Glenn O'Brien
Glenn O'Brien
Glenn O'Brien is primarily a writer, largely on the subjects of art, music and fashion. He's featured as "The Style Guy" at GQ magazine, and has published a book with that title....
suggested the title "Sex", which was the name of Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
's first Broadway play. As a "tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
" way of demonstrating her power to the executives who had so vehemently opposed the book, Madonna included two photographs that "broke the rules"—a photo where she is tied à la S&M
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
on a low cross-shaped table surrounded by candles with a large cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
displayed on the wall behind her, and another photo of her kneeling on the ground with a dog underneath her on its back, creating the impression that she is straddling the animal while it is giving her oral sex. However, should one look closely at the photograph, one will see that the photo is an illusion—Madonna is not straddling the dog's head at all, but rather kneeling on both knees beside the dog.
Warner Bros. commented that Sex was very difficult to produce, requiring contributions from many different printing and publishing companies, with Mighty Dimension Inc. coordinating the project—LTI, Bishop Studio, Master Eagle Graphic Design, and Shorewood Packaging, all based in New York City; as well as Laserscan Inc. in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona; Benson and Palmer in Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island; Mohawk Papermills in Cohoes
Cohoes, New York
Cohoes is an incorporated city located at the northeast corner of Albany County in the US state of New York. It is called the "Spindle City" because of the importance of textile production to its growth. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 16,168...
, New York; C&H Packaging Company Inc. in Merrill
Merrill, Wisconsin
Merrill is a city in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,728 at the 2010 census. The city is located to the south of and adjacent to the Town of Merrill....
, Wisconsin; and Nicholstone in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee. At some point while the book was being produced some of the photographs were stolen, prompting an FBI investigation that quickly recovered the photos. In the credits of the book Madonna thanks the FBI for " ... rescuing photographs that would have made J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
roll over."
Madonna had originally intended to call the book X but changed her mind when Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
's upcoming film Malcolm X
Malcolm X (film)
Malcolm X is a 1992 biographical motion picture about the Muslim-American figure Malcolm X . It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as the titular character. It co-stars Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo...
began to be promoted. The film was released three weeks after the book, and inspired the fashion trend of wearing hats and shirts with a large X in honor of Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
. Madonna wanted the book to be of an oval shape, but the printing and manufacturing of such a book would have been too expensive. In the end, the original design for the X title and shape of the book were only retained on the back cover (see below) and on the accompanying CD and its packaging.
The book was shot during the summer of 1992 in New York City and Miami. Locations in New York City included the Hotel Chelsea
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
and Times Square's all-male burlesque Gaiety Theatre
Gaiety Theatre, New York (Male Burlesque)
The Gaiety Theatre was a gay male burlesque theater in Times Square, New York City for almost 30 years until it closed on March 17, 2005. The name on the awning over the entrance was Gaiety Theatre, but it was also called the Gaiety Male Burlesque or the Gaiety Male Theatre in advertisements...
(dancers from theatre participated in one of the book's photo sessions). In Miami, the majority of the sessions were shot at Madonna's home and on various beaches and streets. Aside from Steven Meisel himself, photographers from his studio were also employed. The book credits Michael Stratton, Darren Lew, Line Barzudkas, Stephen Callaghan and Chris Hobson. Fabien Baron, one of the book's designers, also shot many of the photo sessions on film. Photographers Stephen Callaghan and Darren Lew were also credited for filming. Many of the book's photographs are actually stills taken from this footage, which was done almost entirely on Super 8mm.
Design and printing
Sex was designed by Madonna and Baron & Baron Inc. (consisting of Fabien BaronFabien Baron
Fabien Baron is a French art director. He is editorial director of Interview magazine.-Life and career :In 1982, Baron came to New York with the idea of staying for six months....
and the photographer Siung Fat Tjia), who also designed the packaging for Madonna's Erotica album and single. The book is largely presented in a style not far off from Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's works, namely the famous shot on the metallized plastic cover of the book (a colored reverse negative), which Madonna also used as the cover of her Erotica album.
Certain pages included collages of ripped and pasted prints (including some that were stapled together), proof sheets and entire pages in both monochrome & full color. The text of the book varies from handwritten to printed, with eye-bending styles of typefaces and colors. In the non-English versions of the book any printed text that was not printed in these complex typefaces had the relevant translation printed over it, and any text that could not have the translated text printed over it was included at the back of the book on additional pages. In the Japanese version, Madonna had any photos that included visible genitalia "scribbled out".
Included with the book was a CD packaged in silver mylar packaging that resembled a condom. The CD contains a stripped down version of "Erotica
Erotica (song)
"Erotica" is the lead single from American singer-songwriter Madonna's fifth studio album, Erotica . The single was released in October 1992 by Maverick Records, and later included on her greatest hits albums GHV2 and Celebration...
", titled "Erotic". Although the sound is similar to Erotica, the song's lyrics consist of passages read by Madonna from the book.
There is a small photonovella-style comic bound into the back of the book titled Dita in "The Chelsea Girl" which depicts a party at the Hotel Chelsea
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
in New York City. Allegedly Madonna created the dialogue of the comic book when photographer Steven Meisel placed a stack of randomly ordered photos from one of the book's photo sessions on her desk. He suggested she conjure up a story while maintaining the random order of the photos.
The English language release of Sex was printed in 1.5 million copies in its first edition and another 1.5 million in its second (Madonna herself is said to own the very first printed copy of the first edition.). The Japanese and French language releases received a 1 million copy printing each for the first edition. Since the Japanese version was banned shortly after its release, it did not receive a second edition printing like the English and French versions did. The English version was the only version printed in the United States, while the English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Japanese versions were printed in their respective countries. Aside from the translated text and differences in paper quality, they are identical to the English language version. The Japanese version was printed on art paper of far higher quality than that of the English and other versions.
The Japanese version was the only release of Sex to be put into a box. Although all of the other official releases of the book include the title on the metallized plastic cover as "Madonna Sex", the Japanese language release had the title printed as "Sex by Madonna" on the metallized plastic cover.
Books that were printed in languages such as Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
, or Russian are all unofficial and were manufactured without the consent of Madonna or Warner Bros. These versions of the book were printed in a variety of styles, with varying covers and quality.
The book was sold for $49.95 in the United States, £25.00 in the United Kingdom, Pts 7,500 in Spain, 300F in France, 99 DM in Germany, and L75,000 in Italy.
Release
In spite of the controversy and negative reviews, Sex sold 150,000 copies on the day of its release in the USA alone. Three days later all 1.5 million copies of the first edition were sold out worldwide, making Sex the most successful coffee table book
Coffee table book
A coffee table book is a hardcover book that is intended to sit on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for...
ever released. The bookstore chain Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
sold 22,000 copies of the book on the day of its release, and commented to MTV that they had never once seen a book sell out so quickly.
The day after the release of the book MTV aired a special called The Day In Madonna hosted by Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder is an American film critic, author, columnist, and television personality. He served in the 1980s as editor at Rolling Stone, during a tenure that Reason later called "legendary". He has contributed to articles in Reason, Esquire, Details, New York, and Time. He has also made cameos on...
(the title of this special was a pun of the title of the channel's daily show The Day In Rock), which profiled the release of Madonna's Sex and her new album Erotica, even taking the book to the streets to allow people, including a sex therapist and group of real-life New York City dominatrices
Dominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
, to view it. MTV also interviewed many people who had viewed the book on the day of its release at the HMV music store in New York City. In celebration of the release of the book, the store held a Madonna look-alike contest and set up a booth where people could view the book for $1.00 a minute, with all of the proceeds going to Lifebeat, the music industry organization founded to help fund AIDS research.
Since all of the first edition copies of the book sold out so quickly, there was a huge demand for additional copies, with Warner Books deciding to print a second edition of the book.
The Japanese version of the book was released on December 1, 1992, and after a week of being for sale in Japan the book was banned, leaving many book and music chains that purchased copies of the book unable to sell them.
Now long out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
, Sex is very valuable—prices for a brand-new unopened first edition can start at $150US$ on Amazon.com or eBay.com. As a result of the Japanese version of the book only being printed in 1,000,000 copies and being banned shortly after its release, an unopened edition can start at prices as high as $120US$. But in Brazil, for example, these prices can be higher. The book was not sold in Brazil and the only version that can be found in rare bookstores is the American one and it can cost from USD250 to USD400.
Madonna later responded to the negative publicity and controversy with her 1994 song "Human Nature
Human Nature (Madonna song)
"Human Nature" is the fourth and final single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories, released on June 6, 1995 by Maverick Records.-Song information:...
", which was included on her album Bedtime Stories
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on October 25, 1994 by Maverick Records. Madonna collaborated with Dallas Austin, Babyface, Dave "Jam" Hall and Nellee Hooper, deciding to move into a more R&B direction...
'(Cite references)
According to the BookFinder.com
BookFinder.com
BookFinder.com is a vertical search website that helps readers buy books online. The site's meta-search engine scans the inventories of over 100,000 booksellers located around the world. Users can find the lowest price for a book of their choice from over 125 million volumes available for sale, and...
, Sex was the most requested out of circulation publication.
Video
Many of the photos in the book Sex are actually stills. Photographers from Steven Meisel Studio shot many of the sessions with regular photography, while fashion photographer Fabian Baron, Stephen Callaghan and Darren Lew shot a number of the sessions on video, including super 8 mm.
Much of this footage was utilized for the video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the single Erotica
Erotica (song)
"Erotica" is the lead single from American singer-songwriter Madonna's fifth studio album, Erotica . The single was released in October 1992 by Maverick Records, and later included on her greatest hits albums GHV2 and Celebration...
, which Baron directed. An hour of this footage was then compiled for a film that Madonna had played during a party she gave for the release of Sex at New York City's Industria Superstudio. Madonna also had 100 copies of the film made to give to her closest friends. This film boasted a soundtrack of vintage French chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
s from the 1930s through the 1950s by such singers as Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet was a French singer and songwriter, most famous for his recordings from the late 1930s until the mid-1950s, though his career continued through the 1990s...
, Edith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
, Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
and Joséphine Baker
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker was an American dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France. She was given such nicknames as the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and the "Créole Goddess"....
. At some point in the early to mid-1990s, this film leaked out to the public, and for a time copies of it were sold as The Sex Book Video or as The Making of Sex and Erotica in versions with variations in editing and soundtrack in online markets such as eBay, where occasionally a copy of the film will still turn up for sale. Copies of the original 60-minute edit with the original French noir soundtrack once went for prices as high as $250US$—even more expensive than the book itself, although it is now commonly available for free due to the popularization of file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
.
Modern culture references
In a deleted scene from a 1993 episode (Krusty Gets KancelledKrusty Gets Kancelled
"Krusty Gets Kancelled" is the twenty-second and final episode of The Simpsons fourth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 13, 1993. In the episode, a new show featuring a puppet named Gabbo premieres in Springfield and competes with Krusty the Clown's show...
) of the animated sitcom The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, aired as part of The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular
"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on Fox on December 3, 1995. As the title suggests, it is the 138th episode and the third clip show episode of The Simpsons after "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" and...
, Krusty the Clown attempts to market a book extremely similar to Sex as a means of resolving his financial woes. Krusty is seen in a suggestive pose on the front cover. Unlike Madonna, however, Krusty apparently never appeared fully nude, as he quickly claimed that he "used a stunt butt."
In the 2004 episode of South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
titled "Pre-School
Pre-School (South Park)
"Pre-School" is the 121st episode and the 10th in season 8 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on November 10, 2004.- Plot :...
", the main characters use the Sex book to understand what a pair of female breasts look like.
In 2010, writer-performer Greg Scarnici
Greg Scarnici
Greg Scarnici is an American writer/director/actor and producer. He was born in Jamaica, Queens, and continues to work in New York City, where he balances work in theatre, film, and television...
released a book parody of Sex titled Sex in Drag—which was shot entirely on Fire Island, NY.