The Book of Erotic Failures – Peter Kinnell

The Book of Erotic Failures

🔹 Author: Peter Kinnell

🔹 Illustrated by: Pete Beard

🔹 Publisher: Futura Publications

🔹 Edition: 1987

🔹 Binding: Paperback

🔹 Pages: 204

🔹 Size: 4.5 × 0.5 × 7 inches

🔹 Language: English

The Book of Erotic Failures by Peter Kinnell, with illustrations by Pete Beard, takes an intentionally comic approach to the awkward, unsuccessful, and often absurd side of romance and erotic encounters. Rather than presenting intimacy as an idealized experience, the book turns disappointment, embarrassment, misunderstanding, and failure into material for humour.

The concept allows Kinnell to explore the lighter and more ridiculous aspects of human relationships. Romantic expectations do not always correspond to reality, and the contrast between the two provides an opportunity for comedy and satire. Through its theme of “failure,” the book plays with the conventions surrounding romance and erotic literature while encouraging readers to laugh at the uncomfortable situations that can arise from human behavior.

The illustrations by Pete Beard are an important part of the book’s presentation. Combining written humour with visual material gives the work an entertaining, informal character and places it within the tradition of illustrated popular humour books. The interaction between text and illustration makes the volume particularly interesting to collectors of illustrated comedy and vintage humour publications.

The book can also be viewed within the context of 1980s British popular publishing, when humour books frequently used exaggeration, parody, social observation, and deliberately provocative subjects to entertain readers. Its approach reflects a form of comedy that treats romantic mishaps and human awkwardness as subjects for playful observation rather than serious drama.

For collectors, the book is particularly interesting because of its combination of humour, illustration, adult subject matter, and vintage paperback publishing. It represents a distinctive type of popular literature that sits between comedy, satire, illustrated entertainment, and social observation.

Published by Futura Publications in 1987, this paperback edition contains 204 pages and measures 4.5 × 0.5 × 7 inches. Its compact format makes it a characteristic vintage paperback, while its unusual subject and illustrated presentation make it a distinctive addition to collections of humour and unconventional popular literature.

Written by Peter Kinnell
Illustrated by Pete Beard
Published by Futura Publications
1987 Edition
Paperback binding
204 pages
Size: 4.5 × 0.5 × 7 inches
Language: English
Humorous treatment of romantic and erotic mishaps
Combines comedy, satire, and illustration
Vintage British popular humour
Unusual and distinctive subject matter
Suitable for collectors of illustrated humour and vintage paperbacks
🔹 Collector’s Note

This 1987 Futura Publications paperback edition of The Book of Erotic Failures is an unusual vintage humour title combining satire, adult comedy, and illustration. The collaboration between Peter Kinnell and illustrator Pete Beard gives the book a distinctive visual and comedic character. Its unconventional subject matter and vintage paperback format make it particularly interesting for collectors of British humour, illustrated books, parody, and offbeat popular literature.