The Male Ideal: Lon of New York and the Masculine Physique (Paperback)

by Reed Massengill (Editor), Lon Hanagan (Principal)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Long before Bruce Weber or Herb Ritts picked up a camera, there was a photographer whose images glorified the male nude. But Alonzo Hanagan, better known as Lon of New York, was working during the 1940s and 1950s, when images of the male nude were not just illicit but illegal. Twice, his studio was raided and his negatives destroyed by police. Many of the images in this book thus exist only as prints purchased by collectors at the time.

Now, for the first time in more than forty years, these photos are published in one comprehensive collection that recovers this lost body of work. Suffused with a coy playfulness and a naïve vulnerability, these erotic images of men evoke a time of greater innocence but also of greater suppression, revealing much about gay history and the history of photography.


About the Author
Reed Massengill, himself a photographer specializing in the male nude, became a close companion and confidante to Lon of New York and has complete access to Lon's archive and unequalled knowledge of his career. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Universe (March 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789309963
• ISBN-13: 978-0789309969
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #384,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Great Words Beautify Great Art, August 12, 2004

By	Fred in NYC (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I was only expecting the photos to be revealing. But this book is so well written that the shots expose even deeper beauty. Photographic history can be so dry, but in this author's hands you are engaged. No longer are the photos just nude shots, but a dangerous moment captured between a man behind a camera and another very real person in front. Illegal in their day, the prints were an act of daring as well as art - but the extent of the daring and danger are only truly felt after reading the great text. This book is a joy!

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tender truth, April 4, 2004

By A Customer

Many books on mid 20th century physique photography have appeared in the past 10 years, but none is as good as this one. I agree with the other reviewers who have characterized this book as the ideal model for this type of book. The life of Lon is portrayed truthfully and lovingly by Reed Massengill. The use of candid photos from Lon's own collection of snapshots and self-portraits of him with his models tells us much about the man. A large portion of Lon's work was lost due to the censorship of the past--a great loss when one looks at the earliest images from the 1930's. Many of these photos are breathtaking portrayals of the male body. At least these few images have been preserved and are here for all of us to see. Hopefully, this book will find it's way into the general market and not be limited to a gay clientele. The only drawback comes from the book design. Some of the images are unecessarily cropped sometimes affecting the integrity of the photographs. Most annoying is the placement of all captions in light, small print perpendicular to the page. One often has to turn the book sideways to read the description and identities of the various models, but at least they are identified. Most other physique photography books have failed miserably in this respect. Why wasn't this book produced in a hardcover edition? It deserved to be presented to the world as the serious book that it is. It is not some light-hearted photographic essay. Still, all these shortcomings are easy to overlook. This is a magnificent book done by a man who clearly cares deeply about the photographer and his work. Bravo!

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful layout, timeless images, April 14, 2004

By	rcf "rcfbiblio" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

Reed Massengill's book on Lon of New York is superb. The layout and design of the book is beautiful and should serve as a template for other photography books. Massengill's introduction is well written and worth reading to better appreciate the photos reproduced in the book. Massengill's writing style reflects storytelling, not simply factual biographical data, and his approach makes Lon of New York a real person, not some distant figure from the past. The inclusion of personal photos throughout the text helps to bring him to life. The physique photos by Lon are timeless (a trademark applicable to Massengill's own photography); they transcend the time period in which they were photographed to reflect male beauty of any age.