The Playmate Book - Six Decades of Centerfolds - Gretchen Edgren - Taschen

We make no secret of our love for Taschen books, as they validate and legitimize every subject they cover and are publishing masterminds. It is also no secret that we love Playboy magazine and would never let our subscription lapse. The last non-secret at Mondopopsickle to be revealed is that we adore beautiful women, (clothed or unclothed,) and never miss an opportunity to celebrate them.

If you love all of these things as much as we do, (and recognize the many labors of love by former Senior Editor Gretchen Edgren,) you will not be able to live comfortably without this giant tribute to the women who have made Playboy magazine one of the most important institutions of our cultural landscape.

You could get away with saying that you read Playboy for the articles, (as the joke goes,) but it wouldn't be true. The truth is that there is a vital place for Playboy in American culture and history and it is represented by the monthly selection of beautiful women who graces the middle pages of the magazine.

Throughout the decades we have watched the level of freedoms and attitudes reflected in Playboy's centerfolds. Playboy magazine pioneered territory that was not properly explored, and then took it a step further and brought it into the mainstream. It is not a mark of shame to be displayed without your clothes in Playboy but a badge of self-empowerment, recognition of beauty and an honor, and this is exactly what makes The Playmate Book so engrossing.

Through the densely rich chronology of centerfold history, we are given a visual tour of the past that is so complete and awe-inspiring one finds it hard to imagine how a book this thorough and exhaustive could have been created. The Playmate Book will take most people ages to get through, because as beautiful as the endless stream of images are, there is no escaping an even more intriguing area, and we are referring to the centerfold stories.

The Playmate Book is undeniably filled with some of the sexiest women you will ever see, but more importantly it is filled with positive stories of how their Playboy experience shaped their life, (and in the majority of cases,) for the better. Yes, it appears that the proof that posing nude for America's most celebrated and intelligent magazine is not only healthy but a recipe for a successful life is imbedded in the testimonials of the women who made it so special.

Fans of Playboy magazine will be swept up in nostalgia as they are reminded of where they were or what they were doing what they spotted certain centerfolds. Images of centerfolds like Lenna Sjooblom, (Miss November 1972,) will restore those warm memories of adoration and remind readers of the so hundreds of special women who shared their beauty with us in exchange for preserving their class and youthful beauty for eternity. (One of our favorite aspects of this book is seeing the centerfolds today and reading about what their experience was like.

Aside from the nearly 500 pages of sexy centerfolds and fascinating anecdotes, there are many, many images of women who are now quite famous and who are, or have, enjoyed a level of stardom and celebrity.

Styles, hair, fashion, and degrees of nudity changed over the years, but beauty and class stayed the same. The Playmate Book is nothing short of a treasure for Playboy readers and fans, and for anyone who loves beautiful women.

After a few weeks of studying The Playmate Book carefully, we can not give possibly give this book the praise it deserves because it is simply one of the most intensive love letters to a magazine and to women that we have ever had the pleasure to immerse ourselves in.

The Playmate Book offers plenty of evidence of why I am proud to be an American, and why Playboy has been such an essential and important part of our history.

The Playmate Book is quite possibly one of the nicest books you will ever have in your collection of coffee table books, and only a company like Taschen could make it happen.

Buy yourself one, and then someone you love.

Terry Osterhout
January 2006