The storied and turbulent career of glamour artist Alberto Vargas took him from Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies in the 1920s to Hollywood in the 30s to Esquire magazine and the emergence of the "Varga Girl" in the 40s and, ultimately, to a lasting home at Playboy in the 60s and 70s. This is the first book on the works of Vargas in more than a decade.[Read More]

This illustrated text tells the story of the American pin-up as a genre as utterly American as the paintings of Edward Hopper. It describes the genre's origins and development, showcasing the most important artists.

Post-depression America was in desperate need of a defining iconography that would lift it out of the black and white doldrums, and it came in theform of Gil Elvgren's Technicolor fantasies of the American dream. His technique-which earned him a reputation as "The Norman Rockwell of cheesecake"-involved photographing models and then pai[Read More]

"Girls, Gags & Giggles" - this was publisher Robert Harrison's recipe for dishing up the American pin-up to the U.S. male. In the 1950s, his girlie magazines sold by the millions, before becoming icons of pulp and trash culture.These skilfully illustrated girls with their curvaceous forms and inviting lingerie soon overtook America's national desse[Read More]

A handsome collection of rare pin-ups from the late cartoonist who defined Betty & Veronica's look. For nearly half a century, Dan DeCarlo was the Archie comic book artist. Credited with creating the all-girl band Josie and the Pussycats, DeCarlo's rendition of Riverdale's teenage populace entertained and influenced generations of young people a[Read More]