The Technique of the Love Affair

Book excerpt: This 1928 classic--playfully shocking and surprisingly practical--is now back in print, astutely annotated for the nineties. Originally published anonymously by the multitalented Doris Langley Moore (author of many books of nonfiction and fiction, and a much sought-after costume designer for film and theater), The Technique of the Love Affair is a masterfully written dialogue between the worldly "Cypria" and the naive and sentimental "Saccharissa" on how to conduct--with grace and restraint--successful love affairs. Moore outlines a pragmatic approach to sexual pursuit and conquest, peppering her advice with incisive comments on the nature of men and women--which (current self-help books notwithstanding) has remained virtually unchanged after seventy years. A sparkling period piece and a shrewd guidebook for those who consider pleasure a serious business, The Technique of the Love Affair is brimming with unassailable, timeless insight. Now, in this new premillenial edition, it is--more than ever--a wise and witty manual on the art of love for the thinking woman.