Dian Hanson’s: The History of Men’s Magazines. Vol. 2: From Post-War to 1959

$130.00

After WWII the U.S. assumed men’s magazine dominance. This volume documents that rise from 1946 through 1959, in over 650 covers and interiors, including burlesque magazines, a rare title for Black men, the first fetish magazines, the launch of Playboy, and some timid English and Latin American offerings.

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ISBN: 9783836592352 Category:

Description

WWII was devastating to Europe, but the U.S. emerged with a robust economy. People who were encouraged to save every cent for the war effort now spent freely, including on magazines. The U.S. quickly came to dominate the men’s magazine market.

Playboy, launched in December 1953, made a huge impact on publishing, but it was not the only American men’s magazine in the 1950s. The quirky burlesque titles Beauty Parade, Wink, Titter and Eyeful, featuring Bettie Page and covers by artist Peter Driben, inspired a spate of competing titles. Much loved WWII pin-ups, often of aspiring starlets, led to “news and nudes” titles with cover girls Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, and to more lurid titles like Shock, blending burlesque and celebrity scandal. In New York City a clandestine fetishist magazine industry, bankrolled by the mob, emerged, first with John Willie’s Bizarre, then Lenny Burtman’s female dominant Exotique.

Argentina, with a strong European influence, produced sophisticated Vea (Watch), while England, suffering paper shortages, produced little magazines with big buxom models, charting a path it would maintain through the 1960s.

Then came Playboy. Eschewing the strippers, Hugh Hefner offered up “the girl next door,” eroticized innocence, and espoused consumerism as the route to sexual success. This combination made Playboy the most successful men’s magazine in history, shaping international publishing for decades.

Volume 2 in this series contains over 650 magazine covers and photos from the U.S., Mexico, Argentina and England, plus informative essays.

Additional information

Weight 2078 g
Dimensions 22.2 x 28.7 cm
Publisher name TASCHEN
Publication date 22 June 2023
Number of pages 460
Format Hardback
Contributors Edited by Dian Hanson
Dimensions 22.2 x 28.7 cm
Weight 2078 g

The editor:
Dian Hanson produced a variety of men's magazines from 1976 to 2001, including Juggs, Outlaw Biker, and Leg Show, before becoming TASCHEN's Sexy Book Editor. Her titles include the "body part" series, The Art of Pin-up, Masterpieces of Fantasy Art, and Ren Hang.