99 Erotica / Fotografie 2

"I work very hard to make sure that the men I draw having sex are proud men having happy sex."
-Tom of Finland

The Comic Collection is the only compilation of Tom of Finland’s popular panel stories. Each of
five 192-page volumes features eight or more complete stories, including all twenty-six episodes of
Kake, Tom’s infamous ultimate leatherman. The stories are arranged chronologically in books sized
to fit perfectly in one hand, with the whole set appropriately housed in a very handsome display
box. For boys who like boys who like art, this attractive package is not to be missed.

The artist: Touko Laaksonen, the boy who would become Tom of Finland (1920-1991), began
drawing cartoons at age five. His favorite subjects were the rough manly men of his native Finland,
as Touko knew from an early age that men interested him more than women. His talents were further
honed by art study in Helsinki. He found success in the Finnish advertising industry but secretly
continued creating his increasingly erotic drawings of hyper-masculine men. In 1957 he submitted
some drawings to the American magazine Physique Pictorial and the "Tom of Finland” legend was
born. By the late sixties Tom's "dirty drawings" became the standard for gay art, and Tom’s Men a
template for a new gay masculinity. Tom’s art continues to play an important role in promoting
self-confidence, positive self-image and openness in the gay community.

Durk Dehner is Tom’s archivist and provided the original art for these volumes. He was born in
Alberta, Canada, where he studied art before moving to the United States in the mid-seventies. He
modeled for photographers Bruce Weber and Ken Haak, and began working with Tom of Finland in
1978 as his public relations liaison. Dehner was instrumental in bringing Tom out of the underground
and focusing public attention on his work. The two co-founded the Tom of Finland Foundation in
1984 as an archive for Tom's work and life history. He continues as head of the Foundation,
headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and has expanded it to provide a refuge for all forms of
erotic art.

Fifty years of Playmates of the Month

In celebration of Playboy magazine's 50th anniversary, TASCHEN brings you this ultimate Playboy
tribute featuring each and every Playmate of the Month since issue number one. Beginning with
Marilyn Monroe herself and including such favorites as Pamela Anderson, Anna Nicole Smith, and
Jenny McCarthy, this chronological look at the history of Playboy centerfolds includes photos of the
Playmates as well as updated personal information about their lives to this day - just enough to spark
your memory or pique your interest and surely leaving you yearning for more...

Hugh Marston Hefner was born in Chicago on April 9, 1926. The first issue of Playboy magazine,
featuring the now-famous calendar photo of Marilyn Monroe, was produced in 1953 on a card table
in his South Side apartment. Playboy grew at a phenomenal rate and by the end of the decade, the
magazine was selling more than a million copies a month. At the start of the Sixties, Hef began to live
out the "Good Life" depicted in the pages of his publication. He hosted a popular syndicated
television show called Playboy’s Penthouse, purchased the Playboy Mansion, and opened the first
Playboy Club on the Near North Side of Chicago. Throughout the Sixties, Hef and Playboy became
what Chicago columnist Bob Greene has called "a force of nature." Hef wrote an extended series of
editorials titled "The Playboy Philosophy," championing the rights of the individual and challenging
the country’s heritage of puritan repression. By 1971, when Playboy Enterprises went public, the
magazine was selling 7 million copies a month and there were 23 Playboy Clubs, resorts, hotels and
casinos with more than 900,000 members worldwide. Hef established a second residence in Los
Angeles, which quickly became known as Playboy Mansion West, and in 1975 decided to settle
there permanently. In 1980, Hef championed the reconstruction of the Hollywood sign (then in
serious disrepair) and was honored with a star on the Hollywood walk of fame for his efforts.

Since the mid-Eighties, daughter Christie Hefner has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of Playboy Enterprises, but Hef continues to serve as the
magazine’s editor-in-chief.

The Playboy Book - 50 Years
Fine gentlemen's entertainment since 1953
Relive Playboy's fifty-year history with this sweeping retrospective of the groundbreaking magazine
that grew from Hugh Hefner's pet project into an icon as recognizable as Disney and Coca-Cola.
Visit Hef's Playboy Mansion, canoodle with his delectable Bunnies, tour the DC-9 Big Bunny jet,
experience the sizzling atmosphere of the Playboy Clubs, read the best Playboy interviews, original
fiction, and humor, cackle at the irreverent cartoons and social satire pieces, and - of course - admire
each Playmate of the Month since the first issue (all six hundred of them!). All of the magazine's
most glorious moments are highlighted in this extravaganza of Playboy nostalgia.

With an introduction by Hugh Hefner

Hugh Marston Hefner was born in Chicago on April 9, 1926. The first issue of Playboy magazine,
featuring the now-famous calendar photo of Marilyn Monroe, was produced in 1953 on a kitchen
table in his South Side apartment. Playboy grew at a phenomenal rate and by the end of the decade,
the magazine was selling more than a million copies a month. At the start of the 60s, Hef began to
live out the "Good Life" depicted in the pages of his publication. He hosted a popular syndicated
television show called "Playboy's Penthouse," purchased the Playboy Mansion, and opened the first
Playboy Club on the Near North Side of Chicago. Throughout the 60s, Hef and Playboy became
what Chicago columnist Bob Greene has called "a force of nature." Hef wrote an extended series of
editorials titled "The Playboy Philosophy," championing the rights of the individual and challenging
the country's heritage of puritan repression. By 1971, when Playboy Enterprises went public, the
magazine was selling 7 million copies a month and there were 23 Playboy Clubs, resorts, hotels and
casinos with more than 900,000 members worldwide. Hef established a second residence in Los
Angeles, which quickly became known as Playboy Mansion West, and in 1975 decided to settle
there permanently. In 1980, Hef championed the reconstruction of the Hollywood sign (then in
serious disrepair) and was honored with a star on the Hollywood walk of fame for his efforts.
Since the mid-80s, daughter Christie Hefner has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Playboy Enterprises, but Hef continues to serve as the magazine's editor-in-chief, plays a key role in
determining the path of Playboy Enterprises, and directs other areas of the corporation including
cable television and video production.