Calendar Girl: Sweet & Sexy Pin-Ups of the Postwar Era

From Publishers Weekly
Collins's vintage collection of sexy calendar girls takes kitsch to a new level. There's something at once innocent and provocative about these images, which Collins (who's written over 20 books for Collectors Press, including Elvgren: His Life & Art) organizes by month. The author opts not to comment on the photographs' sexist undertones, instead focusing on their artistic elements and the artists who created them. He assembles calendar photos from 1943 to 1957, showcasing the women who "paved the way for Hugh Hefner's Playmates" in outfits that range from the amusing (e.g., the March 1954 image of a woman dressed as a genie coming out of a bottle) to the scandalous (e.g., the August 1953 picture of a topless blonde drying her hair on the beach). Captions such as "When it's chilly out doors/At the end of the day/It's nice to come/To a warm negligee!" add further to the risque brashness. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Antique Trader, June 25, 2003
A lavish coffee-table book, Calendar Girl is much more than an accumulation of colorful pin-up art.

Book Description
During the long, lonely days of World War II, sweet and sexy beauties did their part for America by posing in sassy—and often humorous—pin-up calendars. These calendar girls, as they came to be known, motivated servicemen worldwide, reminding them of the sweet-smelling safe haven of home. When the men came home after the war, the demand for these calendars continued to grow well into the 1950s. Artists transformed simple, girl-next-door darlings into alluring icons, and painted them with scenic backgrounds depicting life in post-war America. With more than 600 full-color images, CALENDAR GIRL is a titillating tribute to these sumptuous centerfolds of yesteryear, to the artists who rendered them, and to the veterans who remember them.

About the Author
MAX ALLAN COLLINS’s credits include four series of suspense novels, film criticism, short fiction, trading card sets, and movie tie-in novels, including such bestsellers as Air Force One and Saving Private Ryan. He is co-author of ELVGREN: HIS LIFE & ART and has written over 20 books for Collectors Press. He lives in Muscatine, Iowa.


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Collins's vintage collection of sexy calendar girls takes kitsch to a new level. There's something at once innocent and provocative about these images, which Collins (who's written over 20 books for Collectors Press, including Elvgren: His Life & Art) organizes by month. The author opts not to comment on the photographs' sexist undertones, instead focusing on their artistic elements and the artists who created them. He assembles calendar photos from 1943 to 1957, showcasing the women who "paved the way for Hugh Hefner's Playmates" in outfits that range from the amusing (e.g., the March 1954 image of a woman dressed as a genie coming out of a bottle) to the scandalous (e.g., the August 1953 picture of a topless blonde drying her hair on the beach). Captions such as "When it's chilly out doors/At the end of the day/It's nice to come/To a warm negligee!" add further to the risque brashness. (June) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.


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