The essential guide to adult film and media studies, combining historical insight, critical theory, and global perspectives for scholars, educators, and students alike.

The Intellect Handbook of Adult Film and Media brings together thirty-six chapters organized into six sections, ranging from historical and methodological approaches to issues of representation, production, and spectatorship, to transnational perspectives, and questions of law, health, and policy, offering a comprehensive survey of this growing field. Written by leading scholars, the volume examines sexually explicit media in its full context: its production, circulation, consumption, and reception. Engaging with an extensive body of scholarship, the essays provide overviews of key literature, major historical developments, and central theoretical debates, supporting the continued growth of adult film and media studies as a legitimate area of academic inquiry. Designed as both a reference work and a teaching resource, the handbook will be invaluable to emerging scholars and educators working in film, media, gender, sexuality, and porn studies.