Customer Reviews

Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin

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The vision of Weimar Berlin as a bastion of decadence in increasingly Nazi-fied Germany is perhaps due in large part to our familiarity with the musical "Cabaret" or with Isherwood's "Berlin Stories." But in fact, the available documentation for that vision has been pretty slim until recently.

Mel Gordon has spent years assembling the material he shares in this amazing book. Be warned; this is not a pleasant book to read. The images can be disturbing or downright upsetting, and the information therein is similarly unsettling. It is, however, an invaluable resource for any student of the period as it makes available material that has simply not been widely seen outside of Germany.

If you are as fascinated as I am with the period between the wars, this book is a must-have. It gives depth to the glossy, Hollywood version of Berlin decadence, and shows it to be born as much out of poverty and hopelessness as out of the free expression of sexuality/sensuality. And please do take quite seriously the warning: This book is NOT for the faint of heart.

I suppose there is the inherent interest and entertainment of antique hardcore erotica for some people, which this book provides, but the things depicted (photographically) and described in this book may completely alter your view of the past.

I guess it is known that Berlin, prior to the rise of the nazis, was a decadant, burlesque place. But the variety and pervasiveness... and SEVERITY of this is not commonly known. In this book you will see gay nomadic boy scouts, theatrical spanking machines, nudist priests, gleefuly incestuous families (depicted in lifestyle journals for apparent mass consumption) and manuals of dentist chair molestation. It really is shocking - and all the more when you recognize these images as decisively in the past, and apparently NORMAL for this time period.

I used to look through this book whenever i went to this bookstore in 2000-2001, mostly browsing and skimming. It made a lasting impression and i have never been able to find similar information elsewhere. According to some of the reviews I've read, the author makes an unsubstantiated claim/conclusion that this period ended not because of social outrage or exhaustion, but because of particular economic and political circumstances. But for myself, foreign to this place and time (and culture), it completely changes my picture of germany, world war ii and modernity. Apparently there were sprawling nihilist fiends BEFORE mankind was confronted with the possability of nuclear annihilation.

I personally consider this a "coffee table book", albeit for S&M yuppies. It is way too flashy and consumable for research purposes. (I would hesitate to site it as a source for any paper.) However, as far as I can tell, it is one of the only accessable documentations of ...something I can't believe I've never heard of.

This *is* the most comprehensive book about Weimar Berlin on the market. Full of never before seen pictures, illustrations, and information, this book is what any Deco era enthusiast needs. Mel Gordon's text is anything but dry, stuffy, or overly scholarly as these books can tend to be. No, instead, his enthusiasm and interests spill onto each page, with his tell-tale approach and overwhelming details about Pre-War Weimar Berlin's enigmatic history. If Neo-Weimar studies are your cup of tea, then this book is the "on the rocks", "straight up", cold hard shot of gin! I recommend the 5th Edition (2006 Version) hardback that includes the original 2 sections that are omitted in the first few before it. The replaced sections are wonderful and if you've seen the book before, you will be quick to notice that Gordon has added *more* pictures and has corrected the color on the illustrations and paintings. In short, Mr. Gordon's work is quite simply the *ONLY* work out there worth reading about this subject. Most shy away from the real debauchery of the era and underplay it's hedonistic proclivities, but Gordon lays it all out in this book with great panache. Gordon is a UC Berkeley professor, accomplished writer of several books, and former New York Actor's Studio alumni who can bring to life any lecture or essay with great ease. Gordon's writings and lectures are the most dead on and most effective out there on the subject. See him lecture, read his work, and keep tabs on this history agent provocateur; he is the future of our unique artistic and often risqué past. A treasure in researching circles and a great preservationist of a rich bygone era. - A Campa (of The Art Deco Society Of California)

Exquisite. The author proffers an intricate and vivid portrait of the sexual culture, customs, morals and mores of Weimar Berlin. Contains concise yet detailed passages on all aspects of inter-guerre sexuality, from fetishes to prostitution to sex crimes. The vintage images are superb -- they will appeal to the voyeur, the historian, and the Bacchus in everyone.

In glorious black-and-white pictures and color plates, Mel Gordon illustrates the splendour that was Weimar Berlin. This book is necessary for any uppity later generations who thought they came up with nightlife, sex and provocation.

This book has proven to be an astonishingly valuable source in my research of the period, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone interested in the social history of this remarkable time and place. As a costume designer, the photo references are first-rate, and not available anywhere else. As a collaborator in the theatre and an amateur social historian, I found VP one of the most thorough and colourful pieces of research I have encountered in a long while. Pony up the dough, folks, it's well worth it!

Excellent book, which had lots of information regarding Berlin, Germany in the wild 20s. I only wish there was more in depth material to read and more photo's. Especially interesting was the "Occult" section, which could have had a more in depth coverage, but I'm not complaining. Dietrich Eckhart, who belonged to a number of Occult Societies introduced Hitler to Ernst Rohm The Criminal Elements or crime section was also heady. Overall, well put together and very interesting. I think including the individuals and activies of some subversive groups in Berlin at the time would have been helpful in understanding the rise of Naziasm in the 20's. I understand there were a number of "White Russian" exiles that supported Hitler's cause.

Mel Gordon has recreated the powerful erotic imagery of a time and place now gone, and perhaps residing in only a few memories.

The black and white pictures, posters and settings recreate the longed-for but never achieved phantom-like dreams of a little boy in the thirties, who barely remembers the sloe-eyed slinky long legged sometimes stern faces about to enter the eros of barely hidden, furtive and mysterious explorations and invitations to shadowy eroticareal. A real "Noire". All delighfully expressed in this volume.

A must for any serious reader of social-cultural history of the times, but more so for lovers of quality erotica. mooseman01@aol.com

Much is being said now about Weimar and economy, and how the U.S. has circumstances that mirror it. But little is said about progressives, leftists and the sexual 'liberation' programs in "left" times---- But The Institute of Sexual Research was, in fact, a mirror instiution to The Institute of Social Research, which in the 30s became known as the Marxist "Frankfurt School," and set up shop in Columbia University, after they left Germany to create the "New Left" and programs that would lead american Academics after the WWII. George Lukacs the Marxist theorist was Sex Commissar under Bela Kun in the short-lived coup, which was the second Marxist government in the world, which happened after Russia, in Hungary. The use of the Weimar Sex playbook in society has a long history with the left, and the Institute for Sexual REsearch was also involved with Magnus Hirshfeld, a gay rights activist who actively worked for pro-abortion in Weimar Germany, and who was a sex researcher, now known as the 'father of gay rights."

Thanks for the book. It is one of the few providing links to the world of Weimar and its use of sexuality in the population--- the "burlesque" and how it relates to theories of social control. A must read.

Reading and reviewing this new presentation by Mel Gordon proved that the author had researched the subject of the "Weimar Republic" and its many varied avenues meticulously. Text was exact , and the illustrations lavish. Truly epic in the accurate presentaion of a place and time in world history which should never be forgotten. Eagerly awaiting the author's next subject.