Inspired by a pack of naked playing cards from the 1970s, this is my meditation on masturbation, from silent fumblings with a cousin under the duvet, to grinding against a mattress, and through to doing it in front of a mirror at a time of grief.

How do we learn to wank? Who was our first jerk-off partner? A brother, a cousin, a friend from school? In my second book, I explore ways to masturbate, and how our relationship to jerking-off changes with time. I also share some anecdotes from friends, whether its the long-lasting (and reliable) fantasy of being seduced by a Moscow taxi driver, or the fantasy of playing dead while being fucked, or the obsession with a particular part of the body (the pubic bush, for example).

Ranging in scope from Onan in the Bible to sex with ugly men to phone sex with strangers, My Life in Masturbation is part meditation, part confession, and part smut. It is also a comment on how our fantasies and masturbation habits evolve with technology and the ways we live our lives.

This personal essay appears alongside 20 full colour images, details from the pack of naked playing cards.