- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1 edition (Oct 1 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 8711260785
- ISBN-13: 978-0811839785
- ASIN: 0811839788
- Product Dimensions: 31.5 x 23.7 x 2.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1.6 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#136,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #25 in Books > Reference > Catalogues & Directories > Catalogues
- #98 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Photojournalism
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
You mean people don't read Playboy for the Nabokov stories and hard-hitting reportage? Sturdily produced, this is a candy-colored, unpretentious gaze over a half-century of nudity, fun, sex and the most absurd fashions this side of Cukor's The Women. Playboy was genuinely shocking in its youth, but these 250 color pictures, compared to what's out there now, emphasize control and stardom. Here's the first centerfold, Marilyn Monroe, as the "Golden Dream." Here are Ursula Andress, bent in half like a cupid's bow; Pamela Anderson and Dorothy Stratten; the sensational Russ Meyer "actress" Edy Williams floating across the sinuous blue of the perfect swimming pool. Herb Ritts's photographs of the models Stephanie Seymour, Cindy Crawford and Elle Macpherson are suitably iconic, as are David Bailey's tawny Catherine Deneuve and Chris Von Wangenheim's Raquel Welch in blue, black and white. The text is a second thought indeed, but it's serviceable, the work of longtime Playboy staffer Peterson. Playboy lured some great artists into its pages, including Warhol, Antonioni, Helmut Newton and Brett Weston, but judging from what's here, none seem to have done their best work for the magazine. On the whole, 50 Years is largely unpretentious-with one exception, trying to persuade us that the "triptych" of black-and-white head shots that lines the bottom of the opening page to each Playboy Interview is somehow some new kind of art form. In truth Playboy's major innovation was the centerfold, unfolding out of the book as though too big for its britches.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Playboy celebrates its 50th anniversary with this lavish collection of the very best of the magazine's photography. More than 250 full-color photographs, chosen from the ten million images preserved in the Playboy archive, chronicle five decades of brilliant, life-affirming art. <I>Playboy: 50 Years</I> revisits the girl next door, the sex symbols, and the gods and goddesses who shaped our culture. It visually tracks the changing politics, fashions, and mores through the frenzied peak of the sexual revolution and beyond - from the almost nostalgic eroticism of the 50s bachelor, a martini his secret of seduction, to the highly charged images of modern sexuality. Celebrity models such as Raquel Welch and Cindy Crawford, along with interview subjects such as Mohammed Ali and Salvador Dali, and infamous bunnies such as Anna Nicole Smith and Pamela Anderson reveal all. Portfolios devoted to the bachelor pad, the perfect cocktail, fashion, and sports cars celebrate Playboy as the ultimate wish book. From the history-making red velvet shot of Marilyn Monroe, "posed with nothing on except the radio," to the highly charged images of such masters as Herb Ritts and Helmut Newton, this book is a breath-taking photographic tour de force. The definitive gift of the season, <I>Playboy: 50 Years</I> is also the only book being published in the fall to coincide with the launch of the magazine's 50th anniversary.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tasteful!,
By Frederick A. Babb "An Author," (http://www.frederickbabb.com) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Playboy: 50 Years: The Photographs (Hardcover)
Women shun playboy with exploitation yells while men flock to the magazine racks to keep playboy an institute. The bottom line is that Playboy is a mix between male fantasy and giving ladies an opportunity to reach fame in tactful photos. Ironically, the magazine that start all the scandals has converted into the gentleman of adult magazines. This book takes you down the past 50 years to demonstrate how Playboy has remain true to their intentions of presenting lovely ladies in daring, yet tasteful, photos.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book,
By Freakzilla (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Playboy: 50 Years: The Photographs (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful 240 page photography book of the 50 years of Playboy photography. It opens with the Playboy story, and how it grew into the great company it is today. The book then shifts over to the importance of the centerfold. I was nowhere near born when a lot of the beautiful women such as Ellen Stratton, Liv Lindeland, and Eve Meyer were posing, but I can see why the magazine was so successful. There is also a nice frontal and backside poster of Nancy Cameron included. The next chapter includes just a few of the many people that have contributed to the Playboy interview over the many years, talking about various controversial issues. There are more pictures included, this time of some beautiful celebrities, such as Cindy Crawford, Kim Basinger, Pamela Anderson, and Stephanie Seymour among a sea of others. The lifestyles section was very intriguing, to say the least. There are a lot of great photography shots in this section that absolutely stunned me. I cannot put into words what this is like, so go see for yourself! There is an artwork gallery of some fascinating and very detailed pictures. A lot of beautiful work that will leave you breathless, as well as a very disturbing piece of art that has scarred my mind forever. Finally, there is the covers section that they have included. I liked some of the old school covers that they had, some were very unique and others, while simple, still caught your attention. Overall I found this book very enjoyable. For younger fans of Playboy, such as myself, this gives only a small sense of what Playboy was, and how it has grew since then. For the older fans, I guess it will be nothing new, but it will be a nice trip down memory lane.
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Love Women!,
By HotChocolate (Hotlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Playboy: 50 Years: The Photographs (Hardcover)
For a man like me, this book was the ultimate (belated) Christmas present because I truly love women, and I truly love the beauty of women as these master Playboy photographs portray them. How lucky we are to live in a free society where we can feast our eyes on such God-given glory. And for any man who loves women as much as me, and who enjoys giving women gigantic pleasures, they should also look into the videos "Goddess Worship" and "New Sex Now" -- all 3 of these great products are for men with great appreciation of the female essence and come most highly recommended.
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