- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: Skylight Edition (Sep 2009)
- ISBN-10: 303766603X
- ISBN-13: 978-3037666036
- Product Dimensions: 31.4 x 23.4 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 827,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
I bought this giant, weighty book for a friend. His impression was similar to my own: an extremely handsome book, beautifully designed, containing a vast array of cartoons across more than 50 years of Playboy. In terms of pure enjoyment, though, I'd be tempted to score this book 3 stars. The cartoons vary from a few that are very funny, to a lot that raise little more than a smirk. And then there's the rest...
In terms of an overview of an important aspect of this famous and groundbreaking magazine, this is a significant book. Pity, then, that no one thought to date each cartoon. This would have given readers an interesting glimpse into changing tastes. A cartoon that was daring in, say 1959, would have been less so by the 1970s. Instead we're left to guess.
For my own taste, my reaction to many of these cartoons is that they are keen to be explicit and sexy first, and funny second. It's almost as if the artists' remit was to add one more layer of titilation with a joke tossed on top. Not that I don't applaud Hefner's determination to push boundaries at a time when the FBI were monitoring Playboy, and large swathes of American society sought to draw a halt to any notions that women, heaven forbid, could actually enjoy sex. The US Post Service had attempted to put Esquire out of business in the 40s; when ultimately the Supreme Court saved them, Esquire dropped their cartoons (some featured topless women) to be on the safe side. It is to Hefner's credit that he was brave enough to employ these gifted artists, including the now much-acclaimed Alberto Vargas, at Playboy. For this reason alone, the book is worth buying. The cartoons I enjoyed most - in terms of graphics and wit - are those by Erich Sokol. A huge talent who deserves his own volume.
In terms of an overview of an important aspect of this famous and groundbreaking magazine, this is a significant book. Pity, then, that no one thought to date each cartoon. This would have given readers an interesting glimpse into changing tastes. A cartoon that was daring in, say 1959, would have been less so by the 1970s. Instead we're left to guess.
For my own taste, my reaction to many of these cartoons is that they are keen to be explicit and sexy first, and funny second. It's almost as if the artists' remit was to add one more layer of titilation with a joke tossed on top. Not that I don't applaud Hefner's determination to push boundaries at a time when the FBI were monitoring Playboy, and large swathes of American society sought to draw a halt to any notions that women, heaven forbid, could actually enjoy sex. The US Post Service had attempted to put Esquire out of business in the 40s; when ultimately the Supreme Court saved them, Esquire dropped their cartoons (some featured topless women) to be on the safe side. It is to Hefner's credit that he was brave enough to employ these gifted artists, including the now much-acclaimed Alberto Vargas, at Playboy. For this reason alone, the book is worth buying. The cartoons I enjoyed most - in terms of graphics and wit - are those by Erich Sokol. A huge talent who deserves his own volume.
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