First of the home-produced (un-illustrated) compilations of correspondence between Fetters customers and Jim Stewart. No betrayal of confidentiality here; all contributors agreed to publication and, in some cases, expanded what they had originally written or discussed.

This collection of "questions and answers, ideas and problems, fantasies and realities" clarified a lot of points for a lot of people in those pre-Internet days.

The range of topics discussed is still widely thought-provoking. Perhaps time for it to be augmented, re-edited and illustrated (Offers of editorial help would be welcomed).

INTRODUCTION
by Jim Stewart

Don't expect a string of titillating descriptions of an explicitly sexual nature ..... or a how-to-do-it-by-numbers guide to S&M games. The different bondage scenarios discussed here are included because they illustrate the diversity of interests, and the general need to exchange ideas.

Don't expect great literature. When it comes to writing down a rush of ideas .....; when it comes to an enthusiasm .....; when it comes to a flow of alternatives - - to hell with grammar and structure: dots, dashes, colons, semicolons and double question marks may not be true punctuation - but they indicate a personality. To gossip onto paper can be a great release. I encourage people to use their own 'voice' as they write to me, not keep stopping to tidy up the text. That sort of impetus is very necessary if total strangers are going to expose their innermost secrets in cold print.

My correspondence with FETTERS customers inevitably takes on a wildly un-businesslike intimacy. Details of their likes and dislikes, experiences and fantasies pour through my letter box - and as promptly as time will allow I'm delighted to respond. Tactful and tentative first letters from total strangers often blossom into elaborate surveys of their most personal hopes and wildest dreams.

For many years in both the theatre and FETTERS I've been involved in turning fantasies into some sort of reality ... but ... in the emotional / physical minefield of SM & bondage game playing, a sound basis of know-how is necessary. Access to reliable information on the subject has always been dangerously limited. Knowing what other people do and how they do it can be a revelation. Discovering that one's own ever-so special guilty secret is, in fact, rather commonplace in the cannon of SM fetishes can be something of a shock. But hearing about what other people do / like / achieve / fail to achieve can be very liberating.

So, this small volume contains actual letters to and from FETTERS. There is no betrayal of trust here. All letters are reproduced with the full consent of the writers In fact in some cases the writers have expanded or summarised their original correspondence specially for this publication. All letters were chosen because they contain information. They also illustrate the diversity of preferences within the field too loosely called 'Bondage'.

Enjoy what you enjoy

TITLE OF EACH CHAPTER WILL TAKE YOU TO FULL TEXT

LETTERS FROM THE FETTERS FILES
Edited by Jim Stewart
Written before the Internet opened up the Information Highway, this home desk-top published book explores a wide variety of bondage / SM questions and answers, ideas and problems, fantasies and realities. These are discussed informally in letters between Jim Stewart and various kinkheads around the world. (All letters are reproduced with the full consent of the contributors.)

Subject matter includes:
1. A VOICE FROM THE WILDERNESS
Typical letter from an experienced self-applied bondage player with no previous contact with the outside world. The author discusses intuitive knowledge and privately arrived at instinctive fantasies which turn out to be textbook clichés.

2. SPORTS EQUIPMENT AS BONDAGE
Ex-navy technician turned-on by diving, skiing and other restrictive sports gear describes how he has played intensely private self-applied restraint-games since early childhood.

3. HAVE DUNGEON, WILL TRAVEL
Bondage enthusiast with ex-army ambulance equipped for indoor and outdoor games seeks male and female playmates.

4. BONDAGE PSYCHOLOGY
Complex and obscure thoughts on distinctions between specifically SM activities and bondage-as-an-end-in-itself from a German Thinker.

5. SLAVE CONTRACT
A formal agreement document which details many alternative SM activities, is to be signed by a 'Subject' contracting to surrender him/herself to a period of 'Confinement and Control'.

6. SM CLUBHOUSE WANTED
A group of regular game-players advertise for isolated rural premises or secure urban 'Industrial space' suitable for a wide range of SM and bondage group activities.

7. MEDICAL INSIGHT
Cautionary notes from a senior doctor (also an experienced SM/bondage/Leatherman) detail the dangers of some popular SM practices, as he tries to separate often-repeated fiction from harsh reality.

8. THE MISSING LINK
Long-time FETTERS correspondent summarises his gradual coming-to-terms with suppressed instincts. This intensely honest story shows how unfocused frustration for years screwed up his career, marriage and self-esteem. A fascinating insight into a problem more common than most people realise.

A printer-friendly version of the entire text is at LETTERS

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