Customer Reviews

For the Boys: The Racy Pin-Ups of World War II

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have quite a few books on the subject matter and although I love the original artwork being presented next to the nose-art photos, I really felt that proper credit should've been given to the artists (both original and the Service Men). On some pieces you can see the signature but on a lot of them, you can't and the artists aren't cited. On the photos of the Bombers and Fighters, it would've been nice if the authors had done a little more research and included Bomb or Fighter Groups/Squadrons to give further credit to the Service men who so faithfully recreated their favorite pin-ups on their aircraft.

The layouts are also sometimes too "BUSY" and give you a SCRAPBOOK FEELING, but again, THE ARTWORK AND PHOTOGRAPHS MAKE UP FOR THE OBVIOUS SHORTCOMINGS.

I would recommend "VINTAGE AIRCRAFT NOSEART" for better pictures of the painted aircrafts, and the "GREAT AMERICAN PIN-UP" as a starting point if you're really interested in both art forms as those two books are jammed packed with both good photographs, and rich history. then perhaps getting books on your favorite individual artists. Mine are Vargas and Elvgren.

This is one of the most amazing books on the subject that I have seen. The major focus of the book is the pin-ups that our boys painted on the sides of their war planes. There are photos of GI's painting the planes, several works in progress, and then pictures of groups of men posing in front of the finished planes. The pictures are clear and detailed. There's tons of great pictures of pin ups by the Masters such as Elvgren & Vargas. Anyone who collects pin-ups should get this book, fabulous pictures, interesting text and did I mention the pictures???

I decided to add this to my "Pin- Up Book" collection when the price fell below $$$!

Although I really had no idea what to expect, imagine my surprise (and astonishment!), when I discovered that this book is not only a great "Pin-Up" resource, but also a fantastic "Nose Art" book (in it's own right!).

Not only does it cover the B-24 Liberator (in abundance), but also includes the B-17, B-25, B-26 and B-29 (bombers), and features fighter aircraft as well! Tons of color photos, never before published.

As an added bonus, I didn't realize this was a huge "Coffee Table" book! (13.35 x 10.32 in.) with 144 pages of visual delight!

Set in a scrapbook-type format, this book showcases pin-up art used to help G.I.'s show exactly what they were fighting for back during the World Wars.

Plane Nose Art, Calenders and matchbook covers are some of the pieces showcased in this book. Everyone from Vargas to Elvgren's artworks are shown in a small sampling, that'll help entice you to look them up further.

Great racy art (considering it's been decades since they were made) of an era long gone. These pieces are definitely a 'less-is-more' situation where what you don't see is sexier than what you do.

For The Boys blends an art history book with a focus on film and military images, considering the story and influence of the pin-up girl during World War II. For The Boys profiles calendars, postcards, mathbooks and other memorabilia featuring the girls and uses many original source images by Vargas, Elvgren and others to accompany photo-packed pages and information. A colorful, revealing collection.

This book is large and has a great many of pin ups in it. Not a lot of reading, which is fine because if you are looking for a pin up book, you want the girls. This book has that covered with many artists. It is also nice to see the actual image that was showcased on the nose's of the airplanes during WW II. My wife is a pin up photographer and has found this book to very helpful in re-creating some of the old images. With her partner making the costumes for the ladies, and armed with this book and a few others, she has found success.

This is one of the most amazing books on the subject that I have seen. The major focus of the book is the pin-ups that our boys painted on the sides of their war planes. There are photos of GI's painting the planes, several works in progress, and then pictures of groups of men posing in front of the finished planes. The pictures are clear and detailed. There's tons of great pictures of pin ups by the Masters such as Elvgren & Vargas. Anyone who collects pin-ups should get this book, fabulous pictures, interesting text and did I mention the pictures???

For The Boys isn't your usual general pin-up girl book, but a narrowed focus on the girls of World War II, detailing the story of the Hollywood pin-up model of the times and telling of how the movie stars showed up on calendars, postcards, playing cards and in cartoons. Full-page color illustrations pack a presentation which does a fine job of relating the pin-up girl to World War II history.

The introduction to this book is an informative piece about various pin-up artists of the WWII era; however, most of the book was a scrapbook style work that left much to be desired. The main fault with the display of images was that there was no way to tell which artists created which images. Another drawback was how "racy" some of the images were. This significantly limits the appropraite audience for this book.