The Playboy Book: Forty Years [Hardcover]

Gretchen Edgren (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

The authorized story of "Playboy", the publishing empire that, since 1953, has been the source for the final word on fashion, society, fiction, technology, and, of course, beauty. Color illustrations throughout.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: General Pub Group (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881649032
• ISBN-13: 978-1881649038
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #617,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The History And Important Bits Of Playboy, January 14, 2000

By 

CaptHowdy (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Playboy Book: Forty Years (Hardcover)

What can you say about this thing? It's Playboy! It's a history of the first forty years of Playboy magazine. I'm not afraid to say that I can be your basic white trash and enjoy this one. It shows the stories, news, sports, cartoons, and the women that Playboy has had between it's covers.

What is neat about the book for me, were two things:

The history of Playboy. For example did you know that January 1958's Playmate Elizabeth Ann Roberts had to get a note from her mother to appear nude in Playboy? Hefner was then charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and from then on demanded that all his model be 18.

The women. Not all Playmates became stars, but a lot were interesting like the above mentioned Playmate. There have been major stars like Betty Page, Marilyn Monroe, Sharon Stone, Pam Anderson, Vanna White, Madonna, Tanya Roberts, et cetera, et cetera, in the magazine as well.

Say all you want, I'm glad this one is on my bookshelf to peruse through.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, October 25, 2009

By 

Bill Your 'Free Form FM Handi Cyber Print DJ ... (Mahwah, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Playboy Book: Forty Years (Hardcover)

If you want a quick history of Playboy, and like to look at the models from all eras, this will more than do the job. This is a big, glossy, sturdy book that covers all the bases, and you need two hands to carry it. The pictures are stunning.

Personally, though, I would collect back issues of Playboy if you wanted the true sense of the magazine throughout the years. Playboy was always as much about nuance and mileu as it was girly shots.

In the 1950s you see adds for tube stereo sets, in the 1960s, great shots of student protests, playmates in a panneled room burning insense, bell bottoms in the 1970s........you get the idea.

There is nothing like holding the actual magazine in your hand, smelling the must, looking at the new H.S Scott preamp you just had to have, that new 1971 Nerelco you needed because your sideburns were longer; the fun little send aways for a peace sign with the bunny ears, the interviews, all the great production values that captured the era you are most interested in. Of course it was all prefab, but that was part of the fun.

You are not going to get that richness of detail here. But if you don't want to do the footwork to get back issues or if you have limited storage space, this will be more than a viable option.

5.0 out of 5 stars Really? 4 Stars?, June 10, 2010

By 

Fakeer (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Playboy Book: Forty Years (Paperback)

Why would anyone rate this less than 5 stars? It's like rating a history text book. It's strangely perfect regardless of what's inside.