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Review

I will be honest with you, before this book ever landed on my desk I knew I was going to give it 4 stars. It is published by Universe and they always do a phenomenal job so I knew that when they tackled the topic of vintage male nudes, the result was going to be fantastic. Now that I actually have the book in my hands I cannot convey how exciting this collection is. Many of the images in this book have never been published before and the photographers represented are really the pioneers of gay porn. Each photographer has a section that starts with a brief history and some insight into the work they did.

The work represented here is as different as its creators. Not all male nudes are created equal, some of these are classic physique shots, some are intimate images of lovers, and others are shot outdoors and really capture the playfulness of the models. Let’s not forget the absolute beauty of the men. This was a time before huge bulging muscles were in fashion and men were not overly worked out. If you ask me that is the most beguiling type of man, naturally fit and glistening in oil.

You can get a real sense of the secretive shoots and the magic these men were creating together. We forget now in this time of in-your-face sexuality and over-the-top gay porn that it all started in secret meeting places by outlaws willing to risk jail time for their love of the male form. This book serves as a record and a reminder that these images need to be protected and celebrated so they can be shared for generations to come. Let's not forget Al Urban, John Shreeve Barrington, Earle Forbes, Robert Galster, Frederick Kovert, Plato, George Platt Lynes, Vulcan, Don Whitman and Antonio Arabia as the pioneers they were.

 -- Nick Strathern