The Playmate Book: Five Decades of Centerfolds Hardcover – October 1, 1996

In this complete collection of former monthly Playboy Playmates, the girls really do look like the girl next door. That's because while the hair dressers and make-up people have done their magic, not so for the airbrush artists. The centerfold models had not been air brushed into sexless, neutered department store mannequins. Unlike how the pictures were originally published in Playboy, these same photos skipped the airbrush artist. It’s amazing how retaining a little body hair makes the centerfolds so much more real. One can finally tell the real blondes from the fake ones. The portraits reveal a history of Brazilian Waxing and pubic hair fashion and it certainly has changed over the decades. It’s so refreshing to again see your favorite centerfolds, but this time in all their natural beauty. Natural makes these women look human and even more down-to-Earth beautiful. The women become Eves in the Garden of Eden before that nasty old serpent with his wormy apple created the fashion industry. This book, which sometimes goes under two different titles, is a long overdue return to truth and the American Way. (Sorry about that, I just couldn’t resist it in this particular review). In any case, this coffee table book is a must have for those two generations of males who grew up when Playboy Magazine was touting its ideas of culture to a very conservative United States. This uncensored trip down memory lane will make the reader feel forty years younger.

The title can be misleading. The Centerfolds are the women not reproductions of the centerfolds. The women may or may not be shown with their ( picture ) centerfold, and if it is the picture it may be cropped. I was hopping for all the pictures ( centerfolds ). Besides that there are bios of each centerfold ( person ) and a scattering of commits from editors, photographers and Hef himself. A bit over positive at times but the reader can get a feeling for a personify to go with many of the centerfolds ( persons ). There is also a collection of statistics on the women - measurements, names state or country from and other facts if your are interested in more than pictures. An enjoyable book on something that effected my life and many others. But if you want a collection of all the centerfolds ( pictures ) you'll want another book.

This book is the definitive collection of all the Playmates since the very begining. For the collector, or even the fan, of all things Playboy this serves as a great guide to all the beautiful women who have graced the pages of the magazine. Not only are the photos stunning, but the short-but-sweet stories of where they are now and what they've been doing since appearing make for enjoyable reading. I've had the pleasure of meeting many of the ladies and getting this book autographed is like getting your yearbook signed...by all beautiful women.One caveat though: if you've got the previous edition (the 40th) you'll find the only change is the addition of the last ten years of Playmates.

If you have a love for vintage playboy then this is a great book for you

I bought this book to see a friend's girlfriend naked. I know, shallow, but what the hell. Apparently my friend (39) is shacking up with a real live playmate from the 70's. She is 52, but still HOT! Had to see her in her prime though and this book pulled through. My Dad loves it also, have not got around to really reading it yet, but it does seem to live up to what it promises, ALL of the centerfolds in all of their glory.

Lovely pictorial of early playmates in the history of playboy. When they followed the theme of the girls next door.

An excellent overview of six decades of Playboy centerfolds, with an abundance of interesting trivia.

I liked the book , it has a short bit of info about each playmate which adds to the interest in addition to great photos.

For your eyes only...

This is a huge, gorgeous, lavishly illustrated book that chronicles every one of the stunning women who appeared in the centerfold of Playboy magazine over six decades, as the title promises. But, in addition to reprising the appearances of all thos lovely ladies, the book also includes details and anecdotes about each, and provides a fascinating look behind the scenes, giving a unique look at the process of selecting and photographing the Playmates evolved over the years. A special shout-out to Ergodebooks, the seller who shipped my copy to me very promptly and well packaged. It arrived in flawless condition.