Bright Young Collectors | February 4, 2026 | Nate Pedersen

Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize Honorable Mention Amalia V on Collecting Sex

Amalia V

Our Bright Young Collectors series continues today with Amalia V. of New York City who was an Honorable Mention in the 2025 Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize for woman collectors aged 30 and younger.

Where are you from / where do you live?

I’m originally from Philadelphia, but I’ve lived in NYC for over ten years now.

What did you study at University? What do you do now for an occupation?

In undergrad, I double majored in English and Gender Studies and in 2022 I got my MLIS with a focus in archives. My current, full-time job is working as a Professional Dominatrix.

Please introduce us to your book collection. What areas do you collect in?

I collect books, zines, and published materials that live at the intersection of one or more of the following categories: sex work, queer BDSM, and Female Domination.

To me, this collection is both a way to funnel my passion for hunting down hard-to-find items, and, most importantly, serves as a form of cultural preservation for communities who are often ignored, reviled, and even punished for simply existing. On my work social media accounts, I post books I’ve found, to the point where now even my clients buy me books they think I will enjoy. In many ways, this collection feels imbued with my sex work and feels completely, inextricably linked to my profession. I even coined the cheeky moniker “Archivatrix” for myself!

How many books are in your collection?

Oh man, a lot! Between all the different types of content I collect, I have upwards of 250 books, magazines, zines, porno mags, and catalogs in my collection. It grows bigger every week! I fear that it is becoming sentient…

What was the first book you bought for your collection?

I bought a 1995 Taschen compilation and reprint of every issue of John Willie’s Bizarre magazines from the 1950s on eBay. At the time, it was one of the most expensive books I had ever purchased (it was $75) and it showed up to my house in a dinged-up shoe box covered in tape and reeking of cigarettes. I’ve always collected books that interested me, including books about sex and sexuality, but that felt like the first step in the direction of collecting with intention and purpose. Soon after that purchase, I started to collect more books about kink and sexuality.

How about the most recent book?

My sub recently tracked down and purchased a copy of Susan Meiselas’ photo book Pandora’s Box for me, which was published in 2001 and profiled the Dommes and their subs at the famous NYC commercial dungeon Pandora’s Box. Though I never worked at a commercial dungeon, a lot of my Domme friends have (many of whom started at Pandora’s!). The establishment has been around in the city for decades and still exists today. This book feels like an important part of Domme history in NYC.

Amalia V

Items from Amalia V's collection

Amalia V

More items from Amalia V's collection

And your favorite book in your collection?

This is like trying to pick a favorite child! I have a few standouts though. By far, the most special book that I’ve ever been given is a comic created by my submissive that charts the journey of our first year together in our dynamic. It’s gorgeously illustrated by S.R. Arnold and the story is presented in a way that is surprisingly relatable for the content—it’s a beautiful example of how kinky dynamics, though seemingly very different from vanilla relationships, are ultimately built on the same foundation of love and care.

Last year I also got a complete run of Comic Maso, which is a very rare Japanese kink comic in a series of 6. A very good sub purchased them for me last year after hunting a few of them down on a Japanese book site, we found the rest at a book fair together—very thrilling!

My original edition of Coming to Power by Samois is also a favorite. It’s a long out of print book from 1981 created by the first leatherdyke collective in San Francisco. This book is now regarded as one of the most important books about lesbian BDSM and helped to define the language, roles, and customs of the community. It’s an out of print book, and extremely difficult to find copies of, and is often priced upwards of $100. I purchased mine in 2019 at the Lesbian Herstory Archives’ annual book sale for $2, and there’s original writing and a sticker about Samois on the inside of the back cover.

Best bargain you’ve found?

Generally, I *love* getting a good bargain. The high of that will last me for DAYS! One of my most memorable collecting finds was when I was in Rome. I stumbled upon a bunch of book vendors selling out of stalls on the street, and a few of them had a ton of old kink/porn magazines from the 60s into the 2000s, all for super cheap (less than 10 euros each!). I almost passed out from happiness and bought as many as I could fit into my luggage. I loved the quizzical looks they gave me as I bought handfuls of dirty mags—I guess I wasn’t their usual customer base. When in Rome, etc. etc.

How about The One that Got Away?

Either I’ve been incredibly lucky, fiscally irresponsible, or I’ve intentionally burned it from my memory if it’s happened, but I don’t have very many book collecting regrets that come to mind!

What would be the Holy Grail for your collection?

Owning a full run of On Our Backs (a lesbian BDSM magazine that ran from the 1980s-2000s) would be incredible, but very difficult to obtain. If you or someone you know is selling their collection, let me know! Will work for smut!

Who is your favorite bookseller / bookstore?

When possible, I try to buy from local bookstores and independent vendors. There’s a lot of great shops in NYC! A few that I love are: Desert Island Comics, Dashwood Books, Climax Books, Topos Bookstore, Better Read Than Dead (Book Row generally!), and Mast Books. For online vendors: Japanese Avant-Garde Books, Vasta Archives, and Alta-Glamour are heaven for a pervert like me. I also love the annual Please Knock Erotic Book Fair that takes place in NYC in the fall. And of course, I’m in a long-term, committed relationship with the love of my life, eBay <3

What would you collect if you didn’t collect books?

I always joke that the world is divided into two types of people: people who like “stuff” and people who don’t. I am emphatically a Stuff Girl, so the right question really is what else do I collect! I collect vintage die-cut valentine’s from the 40s and 50s, I love any sort of physical media (especially vinyl), I love stickers of all sorts, and I love Sonny Angels.