Customer Reviews

The Playmate Book: Six Decades of Centerfolds

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE PLAYMATE BOOK is a tastefully presented heavyweight coffee-table edition book which showcases every woman who appeared in PLAYBOY between 1954 (Marilyn Monroe) and 1996 (Victoria Silvstedt). The photographic quality is superb. The history of the magazine is well-documented. The book does skimp on many of the capsule biographies of the 512 beautiful women who grace these pages. The Playmates of the Year, perennial favorites such as Bettie Page and Pamela Anderson, famous Playmates such as Stella Stevens, and Playmates who met infamous ends (Jayne Mansfield, Claudia Jennings and Dorothy Stratten come to mind), are given far more coverage than the average, perhaps fairly so.

THE PLAYMATE BOOK brings humanity to these otherwise often anonymous pin-up girls, many of whom suffered social ostracism (particularly in the early days of the magazine) for daring to bare all, and shows the Playboy Playmates to be an eclectic and interesting group of women with widely divergent lifestyles. Some of their stories are wonderful, some are tragic, some involve jets, yachts and 'beautiful people' while others involve kids and picket fences. There is no one 'definitive' Playmate.

The book's greatest failing is its inability to bring it all together. More than just a "family album" THE PLAYMATE BOOK should be a social history of women over four decades, but sadly does not editorialize even briefly on "what it all means." It's a bad oversight on the part of the editors, and takes away from the finished product.

It's fun to see the evolution of the Centerfold over time, the changing styles, the increasing daring. It's also fun to find your favorite Playmate(s) and discover what she is/was doing (circa 1997). Hopefully, PLAYBOY will update this book periodically, and add new Playmates as they appear.

A fantastic photographic book. Hugh Hefner showed his excellent taste in women by having the Playmate and now he shares the lovely ladies for every man to enjoy and reminise. From 1954 to 1996 it is a fantastic journey down memory lane to revist not only the photographs of EVERY Playmate, but see a glimpse into their personal life as well. It is also interesting to see the changes in hairstyle, fashion, and even measurements of the Playmate through the years. Yet one thing remains the same, and that is the beauty that each one of them have. Hef defintely gives male's around the world a gift when he authorized this photographic journey of the beautiful women of Playboy. Highly recommended.

The Best of the Best...women in the good o'ld USA. Indeed, a complete history of the most socially acceptable female anatomy for the decades. Most anyone can reflect on a time or associate a period in their life with one of these Playmate's. You know, I bet at least one of these Playmate's made up your concept of your dream girl. An excellent reference for artist's, or for plastic and reconstructive surgeons, as well as, their patients. A must have for every play boy, who ever wanted a Playmate.

This book is the definitive collection of all the Playmates since the very begining. For the collector, or even the fan, of all things Playboy this serves as a great guide to all the beautiful women who have graced the pages of the magazine. Not only are the photos stunning, but the short-but-sweet stories of where they are now and what they've been doing since appearing make for enjoyable reading. I've had the pleasure of meeting many of the ladies and getting this book autographed is like getting your yearbook signed...by all beautiful women.

One caveat though: if you've got the previous edition (the 40th) you'll find the only change is the addition of the last ten years of Playmates.

Finding your dad's stash of "Playboy" magazines is one of the rites of adolescence. Here you find 'em all! Actually, it's just one photograph of each woman who was a Playmate between the first issue and the year this book was published. This is a good collection of photographs of beautiful women. Looking at these pictures, you see why "Playboy" really is a magazine that's done in good taste. The women are presented as examples of beauty, and the brief history that accompanies each woman tells you what they've been up to since. Most of these women explain how "Playboy" changed their lives for the better. And you'll also discover how many famous women have appeared as Playmates, including Janice Pennington, Jenny McCarthy, and Pam Anderson. Keep in mind, though, that the "Playboy" lifestyle isn't for everyone, and this may not be the perfect gift for everyone.

If your a fan of the beautiful playboy playmates, its a no-brainer. You can check out all the babes from the 50's - 90's, and you can read about where many are today!

The Playmate Book is a MUST for fans of Playboy Magazine, but even more so for those who have grown up enjoying these beautiful women. Also, if you are an autograph collector, then this is the book you need. Remember getting all those autographs in your high school yearbook? Getting the Playmate's autographs in The Playmate Book is much more fun!

This is an excellent pictorial history of the Playmates from the early days through 1996. It's fun to read up-to-date information and find out where some of your favorite Playmates are doing today and what they look like now. Not every Playmate is updated like that, however (some them are still "missing in action"). The Playmate Book also tells us of the different paths Playmates have taken since their appearance. Some have storybook endings, others not (a reminder they are more than the photos we see of them). Overall, a fine book. If there was one nitpick, it's too bad they chose to reprint a lot of the same photos from the issues the Playmates appeared in, instead of choosing outtakes. However, the photographic quality of the book is far better than the magazine, owing to a better paper stock.

Truly enjoyed the book, it's a beauty to be able to see so many beautiful woman over the years presented by Playboy in one single book.

very well shot pictures&tastefully done. Playboy has always had Beautiful Women pose as Centerfolds&this Book does a very Good Job of capturing the best shots. I've always been a fan of Playboy.