Academy Inc. specialise in relatively short fiction which involves erotic corporal chastisement, mostly of young males and mostly by nubile females, and Robert Emerson has published several works in this genre, largely in electronic format. 'Learning the Hard Way', in this context, refers understandably to the practice of applying various instruments of pain to the rear parts of young men, in this case Roland Richardson. Part 1 relates the remarriage of Roland's mother to a man who is a strict believer in the practice, and who consigns Roland to a school which he relies on to do their punishing duty. In Part 2, which I have read as a slim paperback, the young man becomes enmeshed in the high-tension relationships, which are also related in detail. Roland's holiday escapades are not neglected. Emerson has an easy, entertaining style, well-suited to the genre and using a light touch which emphasises anticipation, without undue violence. ( )