Manara Erotica Volume 2: Kama Sutra and Other Stories Hardcover – December 4, 2012

I love Manara books. The stories may seem weird at first sight, however they provide you with a lesson in the end. Manara's drawing trace is very meticulous and his characters seem to give a live impression for the erotic stories. I recommend Manara's books for those fans of erotic stories!

I,liked this book because of the art work.

another fantastic artwork book filled with amazing images of beautiful women, done by a masterful artist, collected into a get volume put out by DARK HORSE BOOKS.... I would suggest you should pick one up.... get stuff...

I pretty much agree with the previous reviewer. Kama Sutra and The Golden Ass do look great! But what you get out of this 300 plus page volume, is about 120 pages of interest. The Sandra F stuff is utterly pointless. And Jolanda of Almaviva, about half this book, would have been better served in pocket format. Here it's reprinted with four pages on every page. Not eminently readable. Now, the fumetti neri I've seen were small, but not quite this small. So what we get is early and not very good work, reprinted in a very strange way. For completeness. Well at least it was 32 $ on preorder here on Amazon. Cover price is 60$ and not remotely worth it. Do not buy until you've looked through it.

Buyers should be aware that half of this volume of Manara Erotica is given over to "Jolanda of Almaviva," one of Milo Manara's formative works. It has been included here for the sake of completeness, but you could probably skip it. While this early work, a pirate adventure with lots of nubile woman, is interesting to see, the story is nothing special and Manara would come a long way as an artist. So what does that leave?"Kama Sutra": This short story, inspired by the ancient Indian text of the same name, has lovely full color art and a very flimsy plot. After a motor vehicle accident, a girl comes into possession of a talking belt, and runs around getting into various scrapes (without wearing any pants) as a man with a turban tries to get the belt back. Along the way, there are several sex scenes and an attempted rape. The end comes abruptly."The Golden Ass": The best story in this volume by far. Based on a Latin classic, "The Golden Ass" tells the tale of a man who wants to learn magic and accidentally transforms himself into a donkey. This story is both sexy and funny. This one also has great artwork, and is painted entirely in metallic colors (grays, silvers, etc.) aside from the flesh tones."The Diary of Sandra F.": A very short piece in which Manara illustrates erotic incidents that were supposedly described in letters sent to him by a woman named "Sandra F." All involve a form of exhibitionism. This one could probably be skipped too.I recommend "The Golden Ass," and to a lesser extent, "Kama Sutra." These two stories are presented in color. "The Diary of Sandra F." and "Jolanda of Almaviva" are in B&W and are really nothing special (unless you're just curious to see how Manara has evolved as an artist). Since "Jolanda" takes up at least half of the book, this might not be the best value for your money. I would have preferred "Butterscotch," which looks more interesting, but my guess is that those stories are being saved for the third volume of Manara Erotica.Would I recommend a purchase? For the Manara completist, definitely. For everyone else, especially if you're on a budget, I'd recommend trying to find a discounted copy. Amazon's current price (about $34) is quite reasonable.

An interesting assortment of Manara's work. The largest part of this collection, about 150 pages, reprints one of Manara's early works, said to appear in English for the first time. "Jolanda of Almaviva" (of the lively soul?) brings us some swashbuckling adventure, where Jolanda herself takes an active role in the swashbuckling - not just a babe in need of saving. And, Manara's stories being what they are, she swashes most of those buckles in an advanced state of undress and looking great. The Golden Ass brings to life Lucius Apuleis's class bawdy, in Manara's vivid visual style. Sandra F's entries carry a dreamy sort of straight-faced illogic, and Kama Sutra creates a steamy, modern tale loosely inspired by the Indian classic.Good, grownup fun with art as delicate, gorgeous, and seductive as  Crepax's . I'm coming back for more.-- wiredweird

An album full of Manara's fantastic drawings! Everything you need from him, collected in one ( of three albums). Classic and classy!