Book excerpt: For better or worse, pornography and sexual representation suffuse American culture. This first comprehensive guide to the literature includes the history of pornography in the United States and discusses pornography in a vast range of media. It presents information regarding bibliographies and reference tools concerning pornography and reviews of references devoted to the histories of sexuality and its representations and on theoretical works on erotica and pornography. A chronology of important dates in the history of American Pornography and a discussion of child pornography outline issues and events throughout its history. Dramatic, visual, and electronic media are gathered and arranged by topic. Pornography in all of its forms is explored in this three volume reference. Slade includes many avenues upon which pornography and sexual representation have had an impact including research and policy in the medical and social sciences, the law in the United States, and the economics of pornography. An invaluable tool for further research, this guide to the literature of pornography and sexual representation will appeal to scholars and students of popular culture, gender and women's studies, and gay and lesbian studies. It will also interest those in the field of American history and mass media.