Customer Reviews

Sports Illustrated Knockouts: Five Decades of Swimsuit Photography

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

 

 

Some great photography of some beautiful subjects. If you've seen the swimsuit issues you know the style. The photos range from around the days of Brinkley to Casta.

The only reason I say it's not quite perfect is that they seem to have been a little too ambitious on the size of the book. Almost every photo is stretched to the limits of the pages, which can make for great impact, but some of the photos have lost a little quality being blown up that much. You can see some graininess in several of the shots; I think most of them are the older ones. Most of the pages are fine however.

It would also have been nice to see some of the body paint pics in here but they are absent.

Overall a nice book.

When I first discovered this one, I almost jumped on it. The Magazine (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition) itself is almost never to be found in Germany, so this seemed to be the perfect alternative. And don't get me wrong: it's worth every penny, but: the picture quality changes a great deal throughout the book. Some are so good, it makes you cry - others are rather poor blow-ups from the magazine. I would have assumed that with all the production-value that you have here (hardcover, nice binding, dust-jacket etc.) the editors could have done more to exclude pictures with the above-mentioned problems. Another thing: do not expect too many pictures from before 1990, the subtitle "five decades of swimsuit photography" seems a bit misleading.
All in all: high production-value, many rather exciting PG-pictures of beautiful women on the beach and very few disappointments concerning picture quality.

I'm not the "target" audience, have never really paid much attention to the swimsuit issue. But I will in the future. The book is not only a celebration of the female figure, it's also a real gem in terms of design -- stunning, smart, sophisticated. Anyone who appreciates design/beauty/fashion/art will find this book a keeper.

Really intriguing to see the history of swimwear fashion, and more importantly, the history of the female figure.
Hoffman and Deford have juxtaposed the images interestingly; sometimes one is compelled on a level of pure design/beauty -- how a curve in the landscape, the female figure, or the swimsuit itself mirrors a curve in the image on the opposite page. Sometimes it is interesting just to see how a model or suit from the sixties so starkly contrasts with a model or suit from the nineties. I look at this book as an important cultural record.

The quotes are also interesting, well chosen and a great complement to the images.

A gift that I was surprised to receive, I found the book compelling enough to write my first review for amazon.

I think this is a beautiful collection of some of the all time great SI Swimsuit photographs, reproduced as never before; large, and on great paper. Frank deFord has written a really interesting history of how the SI Swimsuit edition got started. But basically it's about the photographs - lots and lots of them. I have missed Kathy , Stacy, Elle, and all the other SI Swimsuit greats, now I have them all in one stunning edition. A great gift for any guy.

There is a wonderful quote in this book from a journalist (and a female one at that) which says:

"All the SI bathing suit models are muscular and lean and authentic. They don't mind working up a good sweat. They're proud of the bodies they've worked into shape. There is nothing powdery or gushy about them. In other words the women in the swimsuit issue are not the worse role models a young girl could have."

And she's absolutely right. If I had abs like that I would show them off proudly too!!! Knowing a little bit about physical fitness...I know that it takes a lot of discipline and hard work to get your body to look that toned. The last thing in the world I would do is criticize them for this. I came to SI just by chance I saw the 1995 special on TV and was left majorly impressed at how the young women conducted themselves. They were definitely no ones "hoochies". Actually I was so impressed that when I saw several of them on the covers of various magazines etc.. I immediately remembered their names. And that is not something that happens with everyone.

I never understood the hullabaloo people make about the SI swimsuit issues. I think that it is absolutely wonderful. My favorite period was when Jules Campbell was the editor. The woman definitely had an eye for (tasteful) beauty. It was pure old school: In that while the models were certainly appealing-it was always in a DIGNIFIED WAY-everything about these ladies said "respect me". These women carried themselves with the confidence of Queens. They exuded assurance and implied that they had the world on a string.

The pictures in the book are absolutely exquisite and are worth every penny.

Believe it or not in a world where actresses and film stars often look as if they work in the adult entertainment business. The SI swimsuit models are not the worst role models young girls can have. Thanks ladies for providing such an inspiration to me!

If you love sport Illustrated swimsuit edition, or if you simply love model Photography, this book is simply the best i've found.
Hardcover, excelent print quality, intereting stories, and best of all.... Some of the Best pictures Sports Illustrated has published in the las 5 Decades. If you whant the best coffe table book to own, this is it.

The women in this book are sexy and classy. It can't be easy to combine dignity and a bikini but they manage. The binding seems kind of weak.

A few of the pictures are grainy, and some of the shots are unappealing. But of the good ones, they are truly unique gems of glamour photos. The models in this book are all beautiful, healthy, sexy; and they all have a very positive outlook in their eyes. A very pleasing book to thumb thru on a cold or cast down day.

Your SI copies get lost over the years so this is the best way to keep these great pictures forever. Iconic.

This book is simply amazing. I received my copy, flipped through it, and then I bought two more copies. One to read (actually, there's nothing to read), the second one for just in case the first one falls apart, and the third copy for the office.