Animerotics: A Forbidden Cabaret in 26 Acts [Paperback]

Wendy Ice (Author), David Delamare (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 2001

In 1894 wealthy eccentric Alphonse Zukor shocked European society by mounting an illegal underground cabaret-an alphabetic series of erotic acts featuring beautiful nude women and exotic animals. The bizarre performances changed the world by attracting and influencing such luminaries as Thomas Edison, Sigmund Freud, and Igor Stravinsky. In this lavish volume, artist David Delamare deftly recreates each of the cabaret's darkly alluring show cards. A living mermaid, a fire breathing tiger tamer, the knife throwing Donatello twins, and a Houdini-inspired escape from an octopus tank are just a few of the twenty-six seductive acts captured in these sensual sepia tone paintings. An expert showman, Delamare spins a fantastical tale of creative obsession and singular vision to lure audience members into his own smoky kaleidoscopic world. At curtain's close they are left wondering whether they've witnessed an actual slice of history or an artist's sleight of hand.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Delamare has illustrated ten books and exhibits in museums and galleries nationwide. He has produced book covers, theatrical sets, production pieces for Francis Ford Coppola and a book collaboration with singer-songwriter Carly Simon. ANIMEROTICS is dedicated to his late grandmother Ida, a vaudeville dancer who specialized in "leg mania."

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Collectors Press; First edition (May 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888054514
• ISBN-13: 978-1888054514
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,773,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A visually stunning and uniquely rendered tale., December 13, 2001

By 

Mark Russell (Portland, Or USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animerotics: A Forbidden Cabaret in 26 Acts (Paperback)

Animerotics, by David Delamare and Wendy Ice, dwells in that rare nexus between history and imagination. Richly illustrated with sepia-toned color plates by Delamare, we are given a glimpse into the world of the highly eccentric and instantly endearing Alphonse Zukor, underground vaudevillian and seeker of curious pleasures.

Set in Edwardian Europe, Zukor's dream is to produce a cabaret act that combines his passions for exotic animals, burlesque women and the alphabet. The product of a misunderstood visionary, his quest finds trouble wherever it lands, while historic and literary figures from George Bernard Shaw to the Marquess of Queensbury become entangled in the dragnet. Animerotics seamlessly blends the real with the fantastic in a story powerfully told in words and masterfully brought to life in paintings.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully wierd, March 12, 2003

By 

traceybeehive "traceybeehive" (Laguna Beach, Calif.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animerotics: A Forbidden Cabaret in 26 Acts (Paperback)

This type of stuff is right up my alley, personally. And it is one of the rare art books in which the text is as fascinating as the artwork itself. What a wierd and original story . This creative team have invented their own type of erotic circus and its amazing underground exisitence that leads you into a haunting and intriguing world. It is fiction but it s not so far fetched that you don't have fun imagining, "What if?"
If you like circus life, the book Geek Love and the darker side of human behavior, you will find this book just astonishing.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Erotic women & exotic animals, February 5, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animerotics: A Forbidden Cabaret in 26 Acts (Paperback)

Wealthy eccentric Alphonse Zukor produced an illegal underground cabaret mixing erotic women with exotic animals in the late 1800s: David Delamare's Animerotics recreates the cabaret's alluring show cards, using sepia tone paintings to capture these erotic fantasy images. Delamare's art is deftly portrayed in these oversized, full-page photos.