I've already covered this subject in some depth on the "O for Overrated" thread, but I would like to add a couple of things here.

YNHumiliator, I've never heard of any of those stories you listed here! Guess I'm not up on my classics. I did like "Nine and a Half Weeks", which was actually better (MUCH better) than the movie, which kept most of the slow parts and left out most of the good stuff. (It also changed the story some, didn't it?)

BDSM Tourguide, IMHO anything Anne Rice wrote qualifies as an "Instant Classic" (as our local radio station would say). Which is not to say that it's good (I didn't care for either Belinda or Exit to Eden), just that its classic. The Beauty Trilogy was good, but the first book was the best and I wouldn't have been too disappointed if it had been one book at half the length of the trilogy. What do you think?

The female alcove "sculptures" were my introduction to 'women as furniture', a concept I am still struggling with. The first fifty or so pages of the first book really makes the whole thing worthwhile, especially to someone new to BDSM literature. I think the trilogy can be a good introduction to fantasy BDSM.