Lot 254 SET OF PLAYBOY MAGAZINES (DEC. 1953 – JULY 2005) W/ MARILYN MONROE ISSUE #1 & RELATED MATERIALS
COMPLETE SET OF PLAYBOY MAGAZINES (DEC. 1953 – JULY 2005) INCLUDING MARILYN MONROE ISSUE #1 AND RELATED PLAYBOY MATERIALS - This is a complete set of 600+ Playboy magazines dating from issue #1 (CGC graded 5.0) 1953 to 2005, including a variety of related Playboy
materials, all in excellent condition. When a young Hugh Hefner published his fi rst issue of Playboy, it was left undated, as he wasn’t certain there’d ever
be a second issue. Today, over half a century later, the magazine is still on newsstands all over the world and Hugh Hefner has become the pajama-clad
symbol of American male success and leisure. The fi rst issue of Playboy magazine was produced in Hefner’s Hyde Park kitchen, had a cover price of
only 50¢, and sold out in a matter of weeks. Known circulation at that time was 53,991 (in 1971 the Nov. issue of Playboy sold over 7 million copies)!
The fi rst centerfold model was Marilyn Monroe, in her iconic pose photographed in 1949 for a pin-up calendar. The Playboy logo, a stylized profi le
of a rabbit wearing a tuxedo bow tie, was originally designed for the 2nd issue as an endnote, but was quickly adopted as the offi cial magazine logo
and has appeared ever since (often hidden within the cover image for readers to search out). Hefner has said he chose the rabbit for its “humorous
sexual connotation,” and because the image was “frisky and playful.” From the start, socially conservative and religious groups of the day railed against
the magazine, deeming it “immoral”. But Playboy was fi rmly committed to featuring only the most tasteful celebration of the nude female form. As
a result of this attention to artistry and quality, many mainstream celebrities were attracted to Playboy’s high profi le, glamorous pictorials. Over the
years, famous models have included, Jayne Mansfi eld, Nancy Sinatra, Stella Stevens, Farrah Fawcett, Kim Basinger, Goldie Hawn, Sharon Stone, Drew
Barrymore, Charlize Theron and Pamela Anderson, to name a few. And a Playboy photo spread has been known to create its fair share of fame too.
Stars like, Barbie Benton, Dorothy Stratton, Jenny McCarthy and Anna Nicole Smith have all been immortalized and had their careers propelled
by their presence in Playboy magazine. But Playboy was more than just a pretty face. Hefner insisted on featuring only the best artists and writers
available. Well-known photographers contributed to Playboy, including Ken Marcus, Richard Fegley, Arny Freytag, Russ Meyer, Pompeo Posar, Suze
Randall, Herb Ritts, Stephen Wayda, Sam Wu, Mario Casilli, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, and Bunny Yeager. Some of the era’s great writers
achieved acclaim being published in Playboy as well. Writers including; Saul Bellow, Sean O’Faolain, John Updike, James Dickey, John Cheever, Doris
Lessing, Joyce Carol Oates, Vladimir Nabokov, Michael Crichton, John LeCarre, Irwin Shaw, Jean Shepherd, Arthur Koestler, Isaac Bashevis Singer,
Bernard Malamud, John Irving, Anne Sexton, Nadine Gordimer, Kurt Vonnegut and J. P. Donleavy. In addition to Playboy’s famous “Centerfold” of
the “Playmate of the month”, the Playboy Interview was a staple of the magazine with intensive Q & A sessions with notable fi gures of the day like
Martin Luther King Jr., Jimmy Carter, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, etc. This complete set of Playboy magazines includes the rare Marilyn Monroe 1st
issue and is accompanied by; Hardbound Playboy Annual (1956), Best of Playboy (volumes 1-8, 1964), Playboy Holiday album (1971), Playboy Cartoon
album (1963), Playboy: The Sexual Revolution (1970), Playmate Calendars (1965 & 1981), the 1st 3 issues of “Oui” magazine, the 1st three issues of
“Gallery” magazine, (3) pocket paperbacks (Playboy on the Town, Playboy Cartoons, Playboy’s Book of Parties), Playboy trading cards (many signed by
playmates), and the 1st issue of “Playboy” - a Harvard Lampoon parody. This is a rare opportunity to own a complete collection of this milestone in
American culture, publishing and men’s entertainment. A Playboy magazine empire that began in a young dreamer’s kitchen and grew until no less
than one-quarter of all American college men were buying the magazine every month.
materials, all in excellent condition. When a young Hugh Hefner published his fi rst issue of Playboy, it was left undated, as he wasn’t certain there’d ever
be a second issue. Today, over half a century later, the magazine is still on newsstands all over the world and Hugh Hefner has become the pajama-clad
symbol of American male success and leisure. The fi rst issue of Playboy magazine was produced in Hefner’s Hyde Park kitchen, had a cover price of
only 50¢, and sold out in a matter of weeks. Known circulation at that time was 53,991 (in 1971 the Nov. issue of Playboy sold over 7 million copies)!
The fi rst centerfold model was Marilyn Monroe, in her iconic pose photographed in 1949 for a pin-up calendar. The Playboy logo, a stylized profi le
of a rabbit wearing a tuxedo bow tie, was originally designed for the 2nd issue as an endnote, but was quickly adopted as the offi cial magazine logo
and has appeared ever since (often hidden within the cover image for readers to search out). Hefner has said he chose the rabbit for its “humorous
sexual connotation,” and because the image was “frisky and playful.” From the start, socially conservative and religious groups of the day railed against
the magazine, deeming it “immoral”. But Playboy was fi rmly committed to featuring only the most tasteful celebration of the nude female form. As
a result of this attention to artistry and quality, many mainstream celebrities were attracted to Playboy’s high profi le, glamorous pictorials. Over the
years, famous models have included, Jayne Mansfi eld, Nancy Sinatra, Stella Stevens, Farrah Fawcett, Kim Basinger, Goldie Hawn, Sharon Stone, Drew
Barrymore, Charlize Theron and Pamela Anderson, to name a few. And a Playboy photo spread has been known to create its fair share of fame too.
Stars like, Barbie Benton, Dorothy Stratton, Jenny McCarthy and Anna Nicole Smith have all been immortalized and had their careers propelled
by their presence in Playboy magazine. But Playboy was more than just a pretty face. Hefner insisted on featuring only the best artists and writers
available. Well-known photographers contributed to Playboy, including Ken Marcus, Richard Fegley, Arny Freytag, Russ Meyer, Pompeo Posar, Suze
Randall, Herb Ritts, Stephen Wayda, Sam Wu, Mario Casilli, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, and Bunny Yeager. Some of the era’s great writers
achieved acclaim being published in Playboy as well. Writers including; Saul Bellow, Sean O’Faolain, John Updike, James Dickey, John Cheever, Doris
Lessing, Joyce Carol Oates, Vladimir Nabokov, Michael Crichton, John LeCarre, Irwin Shaw, Jean Shepherd, Arthur Koestler, Isaac Bashevis Singer,
Bernard Malamud, John Irving, Anne Sexton, Nadine Gordimer, Kurt Vonnegut and J. P. Donleavy. In addition to Playboy’s famous “Centerfold” of
the “Playmate of the month”, the Playboy Interview was a staple of the magazine with intensive Q & A sessions with notable fi gures of the day like
Martin Luther King Jr., Jimmy Carter, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, etc. This complete set of Playboy magazines includes the rare Marilyn Monroe 1st
issue and is accompanied by; Hardbound Playboy Annual (1956), Best of Playboy (volumes 1-8, 1964), Playboy Holiday album (1971), Playboy Cartoon
album (1963), Playboy: The Sexual Revolution (1970), Playmate Calendars (1965 & 1981), the 1st 3 issues of “Oui” magazine, the 1st three issues of
“Gallery” magazine, (3) pocket paperbacks (Playboy on the Town, Playboy Cartoons, Playboy’s Book of Parties), Playboy trading cards (many signed by
playmates), and the 1st issue of “Playboy” - a Harvard Lampoon parody. This is a rare opportunity to own a complete collection of this milestone in
American culture, publishing and men’s entertainment. A Playboy magazine empire that began in a young dreamer’s kitchen and grew until no less
than one-quarter of all American college men were buying the magazine every month.
Important Notice
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