The Playboy Book: Fifty Years

by Gretchen Edgren (Editor)

Fine gentlemen's entertainment since 1953 Relive Playboy's fifty-year history with this sweeping retrospective of the groundbreaking magazine that grew from Hugh Hefner's pet project into an icon as recognizable as Disney and Coca-Cola. Visit Hef's Playboy Mansion, canoodle with his delectable Bunnies, tour the DC-9 Big Bunny jet, experience the sizzling atmosphere of the Playboy Clubs, read the best Playboy interviews, original fiction, and humor, cackle at the irreverent cartoons and social satire pieces, and?of course?admire each Playmate of the Month since the first issue (all six hundred of them!) All of the magazine's most glorious moments are highlighted in this extravaganza of Playboy nostalgia. With an introduction by Hugh Hefner

Genres: Photography, Adult, Nonfiction

464 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Playboy is what it is, and because of the reason why many people purchase the magazine, there needs to be an understanding of the true content of the magazine through the years. Remember that the magazine is usually only 20% sex and nude women. That leaves 80% every month to be used for art, technology, controversial editorials, interviews, etc.
This book was definitely more than I expected with it's vibrant pictures and outstanding content. It gives you an in-depth peek into the world of Playboy above and beyond the photos. I also found the simple black hardcover to be very discreet.

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought long and hard about whether or not I would list this book on my goodreads. I have a lot of feminist friends, and in fact consider myself to be on their side, and I worried about whether I would cause some rifts, and indeed, whether my having read this book is detrimental to the cause of equal rights. Also I considered whether anyone in my family would stumble across this information eventually, for there would certainly be disapproval, and perhaps some difficult questioning. I even thought about just quietly listing the book, and not writing a review, blaming laziness or being too busy rather than acknowledging trepidation as the cause of the absence of a few words.
But then I thought about the fact that I have lived my entire life under the heavy hand of shame and guilt, especially when it comes to matters of sex. And despite the fact that I actually read this book, and I did not just look at the pictures, it is unavoidable that sex is one of the primary concerns in the book. And despite the fact that I'm alone in my life right now, and probably will be for the rest of my life, I am still a straight male, and still enjoy seeing pictures of naked women. I suppose I could deny myself this pleasure, and pretend that I am entering some kind of spiritually pure state. But that is bullshit, and I can't abide it.
So anyway, the history of Playboy as presented in this book is pretty damn interesting. The magazine has a long history of being on the forefront of a lot social issues, including sexual freedom for all people, not just men, not just whites. The interviews gave public airing to an amazing array of disparate voices, allowing people from all kinds of opposing viewpoints to present their arguments, feelings, politics and more in their own words. Bizarrely enough, Playboy has actually been a strong advocate for women's rights.
So, enough with the guilt. I read this book and enjoyed it, and I looked at the pictures too.

[Nik Havert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun look back at Playmates from over fifty years. The best parts, apart from the nice photographs, of course, are the little stories by the photographers discussing some of the shoots.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read the articles.