Playboy: 50 Years: The Cartoons [Hardcover]

Hugh M. Hefner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

For 50 years, Playboy magazine has showcased the world's best and brightest cartoonists. Their spectacular stable of artists includes luminaries such as Buck Brown, Jack Cole, Eldon Dedini, Jules Feiffer, Shel Silverstein, Doug Sneyd, Gahan Wilson, and hundreds of others. Hip subversives and sly revolutionaries all, Playboy's artists have continually proffered a sophisticated brand of humor sorely missing in other mens magazines. Now, Playboy celebrates its golden anniversary with this glorious collection of the finest and funniest cartoons. Handpicked by Hugh M. Hefner himself, the pages are filled with the distillation of the entire cartoon archive, offering insightful commentary on topics from the sexual revolution to relationships, money, and politics. More than 450 cartoons feature sweet young things, terrible tarts, winsome wives, suitors, and studs -- a riotous chronicle of five decades of Playboy cartoons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811839761
• ISBN-13: 978-0811839761
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fifty years of fun., June 15, 2004

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Playboy: 50 Years: The Cartoons (Hardcover)

It's nice to see a book of coffee-table proportions just devoted to cartoons, well why not? Previous Playboy books have covered the history of the magazine, the delightful Playmates and now the cartoons. The 450 plus illustrations are the work of 107 cartoonists and if you are a regular reader of the magazine you'll see your favorites. Gahan Wilson has the most (thirty-two) followed by regulars like Eldon Dedini, John Demsey, Alden Erikson, Kiraz, Roy Raymonde, Doug Sneyd (he of the flamboyant signature, which I was never able to decipher until now) Erich Sokol and between these, dozens of great artists who have maybe one or two works each. The humor might not be the wonderful ironic style of the New Yorker but it is amazing how many fresh takes can be created with the bachelor lifestyle.

This is a handsomely produced book, printed on thick glossy paper which, nicely, allows you to really appreciate just how good some of these artists are. My favorite, Jack Davis, unfortunately only has four shown, Richard Taylor has a super picture on page ten, an art gallery where he has created several Picasso type paintings, Doug Sneyd, Phil Interlandi and Dedini are all brilliant draughtsmen and Shel Silverstein can create so much with so little line and color.

However I was a bit disappointed with this book, as another reviewer has commented, there is no indication of when the cartoons appeared and I wish the publishers had gone the extra mile and perhaps devoted some space throughout the pages for a photo and biography of the regulars, some of these guys have been with Playboy for years. Someone though, at least, did have the foresight to compile an Artists index and a useful Order of appearance list, both of which are in the back pages.

Clearly a wonderful book for the bedside table if your date didn't turn up, try laughing yourself to sleep.

32 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars nice book, but..., May 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Playboy: 50 Years: The Cartoons (Hardcover)

First of all this book is printed on excellent paper & is well done except for one thing. there is no way to tell what year the cartoons are from. They should have had chapters. 1950`s 1960`s ect so you know what era they are from

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is A Cool Book, September 29, 2006

By 

Notnadia (Currently upstairs.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Playboy: 50 Years: The Cartoons (Hardcover)

Fifty years worth of cartoons from Playboy. Doesn't that just set the mind reeling? Some of the biggest names in the business have their work showcased here in this history-making compendium. These cartoons are sometimes funny, often sardonic, frequently risqué, and one and all they once graced the pages of the world's favorite source of "illustrated" reading material. Perhaps the best way to regard this hefty collection (did you catch the pun?) is as a window to the changing mores of American society regarding not only women and sex, but what is and is not acceptable subject matter for a cartoon itself. When taken as a whole I find this material reflective of how much times have changed, and Playboy magazine with it. Very little to offend anyone here, just good clean fun and some real laughs too.