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In 2026 I will start writing a regular column about erotica books (in the broadest sense). This post contains various annotated lists of sexually explicit books. All these are compiled by academics, journalists or authors. But now AI engines can now provide annotated lists of erotic fiction titles. It’s amazing!

I am assembling a list of book titles on sexual themes. The annotated book lists are prepared by scholars and authors mostly. I know the same titles pop up on these kinds of lists, so I’ll seek out lists with unconventional or obscure titles.

Annotated Book Lists

“Best books of erotic fiction that will make you laugh” is an annotated listicle I wrote for shepherd.com in November 2025 . See also my reader’s guide to the fiction of Marco Vassi.

The lists on Shepherd are somewhat less academic, more personal and more likely to contain more oddball titles. It’s more author-friendly and geared towards indie authors. Authors can pay a small membership fee which allows them to post their own annotated book list.

In contrast, Fivebooks also offers annotated book recommendation lists, but it’s more geared towards academics, and the authors are usually notable academics talking about book which are already well-known. Many (most) are at Stanford or Oxford or Princeton or something like that. The interviews are fairly interesting and discuss books and genre in depth. That said, titles on the fivebooks lists are not that interesting; they mostly contain the usual suspects. For erotically-themed lists, the emphasis is more on nonfiction.

• (Shepherd.com–mostly fiction): Flip the Script on Woman’s Sexuality, Pleasure and Cultural Roles, Young Women who are Unruly, odd, lost or making bad decisions (Lesbian), Explore Sexuality and Intimacy In and Between Men, Naughty historical romance novels, Comic books about sexuality, Literary Manga, Mysteries featuring steamy romance., Kinky Books before the Internet was a thing, Dark Romance Lovers: Irresistible Stories of Violence, Depravity, and Love. Dark, twisted and sexy books, Books that model older women unabashedly enjoying sex, Erotic Romance Books to give you all the feels… and not just between your legs!, Urban Spin on Love, Romance & Erotica,
• (Shepherd.com–mostly nonfiction): Thinking about Gender (and Sex), Medieval Sexuality, Neurotic Hypersexuals Looking to Overcome Sexual Shame, Books that will Stimulate Your Brain, Thinking about Sex and Relationships Differently, History of Sexuality in Modern Latin America, Lesbianism/Married Women who Love Women.
• (Fivebooks- fiction and nonfiction): Erotic Writing by Arab Women, Best Books on Adultery, Gay Fiction (compiled by Edmund White no less), Sex in Victorian Literature, 18th Century Sexual Revolution, LGBT Novels for Young Adults, History of Prostitution, Understanding the Nude, Best of Trans Literature, and Landmark LGBTQI books
• (Unwanted) Sex Lives of Married Women: Eight Books About Complicated Desire. Compiled by Kate Hamilton (a pseudonym) , whose memoir Mad Wife is about her traumatic experiences being married.
• 30 Best Erotic Novels to Curl Up With by Marie Claire Magazine. A mixture of classic and contemporary, though mostly by female authors.
• There are a ton of erotica book listicles on Goodreads, most of which have the usual suspects and aren’t that great. Best Literary Erotica . Listicles also for the Black Lace series (n.b. some not in English), Modern Erotic Classics (an imprint started by editor Maxim Jakubowski) and Bibliotheque Erotique (a grabbag of various things).

Anthologies

Anthologies are a great way to sample different kinds and styles of erotica. I’ve learned about many great authors that way. Indeed, in the 1980s and 1990s, that was the best way to learn about smut. Starting in the 2000s to the present, many

Mammoth Book Anthologies is a series of genre anthologies with 24 different erotic anthology titles (many of which are available in ebook). Almost all were edited by Maxim Jakubowski (who has really dark tastes, especially with BDSM, etc). I highly recommend the first volume (published in 1994) which is NOT available in ebook form). But I imagine volume 1 would be easy to find in the used book market). Here is a table of contents which includes Anne Rice, Marco Vassi, Robert Silverberg. Actually, stumbling upon Vassi’s Carcass of Dreams led me to write an in-depth study of the author. This volume also includes Robert Silverberg‘s “Two At Once” (which is one of my all time fave comic erotica stories) and “Beauty’s Punishment” by A.N. Roquelaure (aka Anne Rice).

Several Mammoth titles were published in the 1990s and 2000s. I just counted and I own 9 physical books and 6 ebook editions. (I would estimate that I have read maybe a third of the stories). These guides are especially useful for learning about different authors — though to be fair MJ publishes many of the same authors over and over. In the 2010s, Barbara Cardy has taken over the editor position for these anthologies and focused on specialized niches (Lesbian, Gay, Uniform Erotica, Erotic Confessions, etc). The Mammoth stories are well-written and edited and yes, cheap (ebooks rarely are under 3.99).

Letters to Penthouse/Penthouse Uncensored. Several years ago I bought a few ebooks from the Letters to Penthouse series and found a lot to like. Penthouse was a raunchy men’s magazine from the 1970s and 1980s which was also known for publishing lots of fake letters from readers detailing their sexual adventures. I admit that I read a few from pilfered issues. They were sexy, very daring and yes, kind of funny because they were obviously fake. In keeping with the illusion, Penthouse never gave any bylines (aside from abbreviations and maybe a place name). They definitely reflect the 70’s liberal attitude to sexuality and the Sexual Revolution which was prevalent during that time — a tolerance which disappeared in the 1980s with the emergence of President Ronald Reagan and the AIDS disease. It was definitely a wilder time, and frankly, notions of consent and the use of drugs was a lot different than what the contemporary reader would be used to. Still, these stories were first and foremost stroke stories and didn’t really try to be anything more.

I know that Marco Vassi wrote a few of these letters — and he had even published a few things in Penthouse with his own byline. So some of the letters were smart and literate. On the other hand, the anthologies are randomly organized and anonymous. In fact there are two series with similar and overlapping content. Penthouse Uncensored and Letters to Penthouse. Good luck figuring out which ebook to buy (All are cheap and discounted often). Purely from the standpoint of organization and formatting, I thought Penthouse Uncensored was cheaper and easier to read.

Susie Bright edited Best American Erotica and Herotica anthologies starting in the 1990s. Bright was a prolific author, blogger and sex educator who edited these anthologies. They had more of a focus on lesbian sex and softer stuff. As printed books they were easier to find at bookstores and even libraries, but it seems that not much effort was put into making ebook editions of these volumes. Plus, they were ridiculously expensive, so I haven’t delved into them as deeply.

Cleis Press publishes several anthologies, Best Women’s Erotica, Afternoon Delight: Erotica for Couples, etc., etc. , many of which are edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel.