Exotique (Special Series) [Box set] [Hardcover]

Kini Christy (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Special Series | Publication Date: November 1, 1998

Leonard Burtman, the hand and lens behind this classic American "digest of the unusual and bizarre", was Forced to make a drastic career switch after witnessing the desert A-Bomb tests of the Fifties while working as a government scientist. Turning his back on the horrors of the twentieth century, he devoted the rest of his life to images of sexual Fantasy, which in their own way have shaped the male collective consciousness just as powerfully as the nuclear missile. His conversion coincided in with the growing liberation of US cities as they rebelled against Eisenhower to embrace a night-life of decadence, sensuality, and physical abandon. "Exotique" presented the pin-up as a Femme Fatale, publishing shot after shot of the dominatrix adorned with tight corset, razor heels, complex underwear and an expression on her Face that demanded obedience. Enthusiastically casting from a roster of willing models (including the legendary Betty Page) as well as call-girls and dancers, Burtman experimented with bondage scenarios and group poses, and as a bonus hired in the maestros of the illustrative arts like Eric Stanton to bring his pneumatic ideal to life even more extravagantly. This colossal collection contains all this and more.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 2444 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; First edition (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822874361
• ISBN-13: 978-3822874363
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 5.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #923,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Neato Collection, June 13, 2000

By 

Kristen Weiser (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exotique (Special Series) (Hardcover)

This is a very interesting collection. Flipping through the pages of the three hardbacks that make up EXOTIQUE I got a really good feel for a whole different side of 1950's women's fashion and lifestyle.

The three volumes are filled with great B&W photos, comics, illustrations, cartoons, and advertisements. Interesting dated articles and reviews make up the text.

If this sounds interesting, also see Taschen's BIZARRE collection by John Willie. Very much the same as EXOTIQUE, but with (I think) a kinkier slant on women's bondage fashions of the 1940's.

The three volumes are hardcover and have unusual covers.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The finest vintage fetish collection !!!, December 28, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exotique (Special Series) (Hardcover)

This collection along with taschens release of bizarre is a fabulous treat indeed. The packaging is top notch, and whats contained inside is sheer brilliance. Heels , stockings, dominant damsels.. this is the first 36 issues of this fanzine put out from 1951 - 1959. The fiction is what youd expect for 50's underground sexuality. A subtle reminder of times when underwear mattered!!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Superb subject manner not given its full due, September 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Exotique (Special Series) (Hardcover)

While Taschen is to be commended for returning these rarities to print, the quality of their production leaves much to be desired. The photos, especially, are not reproduced well with the chosen printing process, and the paper stock seems thin. This is surprising, considering that the sort of person who would buy this collection most likely wouldn't mind paying for a superior production. And given the price of the originals, there is lots of room to manoeuver. Hopefully they'll reprint the variety of ancilliary Exotique productions, such as the photo books, and upgrade the physcial quality.