This fact has been recognized from earliest times, and efforts to combat it have given rise through the centuries to a vast number of books on the subject. Hindu, Greek, Roman, and Persian literature record hundreds of sexual positions and animadversions, and if one has a library of erotica available and is sufficiently curious these positions may be studied. However, such a proliferation of detail can become exhausting and even morbid and absurd--though perhaps gaily absurd. Most of the modern books which dispense direct sexual advice obtain their material from these ancient sources. There are only five basic positions which have real relevance to most couples. I am going to describe them so that when you encounter them or wish yourself to change from your usual position you will not feel that they are strange, awkward, or so exotic as to cause you feelings of shyness, embarrassment, or guilt. The first position, of course, is the ventro-ventral (or face to face) position, with the man on top and the woman on the bottom with her knees up. Not even the most puritanically reared person will demur at this position, for it is the classical sexual position used in our society. It is, if used properly, perhaps the best position for sexual union. It allows for deep penetration of the vagina by the penis, and because it leaves the pelvic regions of both partners free, it allows for variety in sexual movement, though the man has more freedom of movement in this position than the woman. There’s an old but apt joke about this position. A young chorus girl asks an older one what her definition of a gentleman is. The older one promptly replies: “One who leans on his elbows.” Men should remember that this fact can be pertinent. The full weight of the heavy man can be quite tiring even to a very passionate woman. A pleasant variant of this position can be achieved if a pillow is placed under the buttocks of the woman before intercourse. If it is placed a little toward the small of the back, those women who receive preliminary pleasure from friction between the clitoris and the penis will find the contact easier to effect. If it is placed a bit forward it will be very exciting to those who get a great deal of sensation from pressure of the penis against the posterior walls of the vagina.