Tesro is an editorial reference site devoted to a single classical text: the Kama Sutra. Our aim is to give English-speaking adult readers a careful, thoughtful, non-graphic introduction to what the book actually says and to the cultural tradition from which it comes.
Our editorial position
Vatsyayana's treatise is one of the most misrepresented books in world literature. Popular treatments tend to reduce it either to a catalogue of exotic positions or to a scandal document. We think both readings are shallow. Vatsyayana's book is a serious classical treatise on the arts of a cultured adult life, and it deserves to be read as such.
Our editorial approach is therefore adult but non-graphic. We discuss the intimate content of Book Two, but we discuss it in the register a mainstream wellness magazine or a serious cultural publication would use, descriptively and with cultural context, not pictorially. Readers who want a graphic version of the material should consult a modern annotated translation of the text itself.
Who writes here
The site is written and edited by a small editorial team with backgrounds in humanities, cultural writing and reference publishing. We are not scholars of classical Sanskrit and do not pretend to be. We rely on the standard modern translations (chiefly Doniger and Kakar 2002, Alain Daniélou 1994, and the historical Burton and Arbuthnot 1883) and on well-regarded secondary literature.
Who we write for
Adult readers, that is, readers eighteen years of age and older — who are curious about the Kama Sutra as a cultural and historical object. Some of our readers are approaching the book for the first time. Some are returning to it after many years. Some are academics; more are general readers. We try to write in a way that respects the intelligence of all of them.
What you will not find here
Nudity. Pornographic descriptions. Illustrated positions. Instructional graphic content of any kind. Marketing language. Product recommendations. Wellness coaching. Sexual health advice, for which you should consult a qualified professional in your own country.
What you will find
Careful, adult English writing about a classical text. Cultural and historical context. Summaries of the seven books. Descriptions of the philosophical background. Notes on translations and editions. Pages on individual positions treated as items of cultural vocabulary rather than as instructions.
A note on tone
We take the view that seriousness and warmth are not opposites. The Kama Sutra is a serious book and also, quietly, a warm one. We try to write in the same register.
Contact
See the contact page for editorial enquiries.
Navigating the rest of the site
The natural next click is the main resource, which gathers everything published on the site under a single introduction.
On the team behind the writing: see Publishers & Operators.
On editorial method and its regulatory context: Editorial Standards, Corrections Policy and Regulation & Compliance.
On legal terms: Privacy Policy, Cookies Policy and Terms of Use.
To write to us, please use Contact.