The Kama Sutra is not a difficult book. It is only a book that has been badly served by its reputation. If you are meeting it for the first time, this page will give you an honest starting point.
First: reset your expectations
Almost nothing you have heard about the Kama Sutra in popular culture is a good preparation for reading it. The text is not a manual of exotic techniques. Rather, it is a classical Sanskrit treatise on the art of a cultured adult life, in which intimate life is one topic among many. Approach it as you would any other work of world literature.
Which translation to start with
For a first English reading, the Wendy Doniger and Sudhir Kakar translation, published in the Oxford World's Classics series in 2002, is the best available choice. It is faithful to the Sanskrit, readable in modern English, and comes with a substantial introduction and notes.
The Burton translation of 1883 is worth reading later, as a historical document, but its language is dated and its accuracy inconsistent.
Where to open the book
Not in Book Two. Book Two is famous but not representative. Begin with Book One, which introduces the setting, the intended reader and the underlying philosophy. Twenty or thirty pages of Book One will do more to prepare you for the rest of the text than any summary.
What to skip on a first reading
You can safely skip Book Five (on infidelity) and Book Six (on courtesans) on a first pass. Both are historically important, but they are also the parts of the book most closely tied to the specific society of classical India and least easy for a modern reader to place without commentary.
How to read Book Two
Slowly, and without expecting to be shocked. Book Two is the origin of the modern reputation, but the actual writing is analytical, not graphic. Read the whole book as an essay on the pacing and language of intimacy, rather than as a manual.
Give the philosophical framework its due
The Kama Sutra sits inside the framework of the four aims of life (dharma, artha, kama, moksha). If those terms are new to you, ten minutes of background reading, the introduction to any decent modern edition will do, will make Vatsyayana's own reasoning much clearer.
Common beginner questions
Is it a religious book?
No. It takes for granted the general worldview of classical Hinduism but is not scripture.
Do I have to read it in order?
No. It is a reference work, not a novel. After Book One, feel free to move around.
Is there a good short version?
The summary page on this site is one option. Most annotated modern editions also contain a summary in their editor's introduction.
Do I need to know Sanskrit?
Not at all. A good modern translation is written for a general adult reader.
Reading with a partner
Many couples read the Kama Sutra together — not as a manual but as a conversation starter. Its material about attention, courtesy and shared life is often more useful than its material about physical arrangement. Read a chapter, discuss it, and see what emerges. The book is small enough that this can be done comfortably over a few evenings.
Reading alone
Read as you would any classical work: with a pencil, a notebook, and patience. The Kama Sutra rewards close reading in a way that its reputation would not lead you to expect.
Where to go from here
The natural next click is the main Tesro resource, which sets each of these individual pages in its wider context. On either side of this one you will find Poses and The Lotus Position. If you have questions about the site itself rather than the text, look at About, Editorial Standards, Regulation & Compliance or Publishers & Operators.