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Grady Harp wrote on 03/06/2011:

Bruno Gmünder Verlag continues to break publishing barriers and with this new book - PORN FROM WARHOL TO X-TUBE; THE HISTORY OF GAY PORN WITH LOTS OF IMAGES AND FASCINATING FACTS - they have entered the realm of a quality mix between entertainment and producing a book that should be in every college and university library in the social studies section. Written by Dr. Kevin Clarke, editor-in-chief of the German magazine Männer, a Berlin born musicologist, journalist, broadcaster and writer in a manner that is not only consummately readable and informative but also takes the reader on a visual journey through the history of porn from the 1960s to the present. He writes 'What is porn anyway, and where does it stand in today's global culture? To begin with, the "representation of sex acts with the aim to sexually arouse the viewer" is currently never farther away than a mouse click.' And from there Clarke delves into his subject by decades, from the popular open beginnings that resulted in the relaxation of mores in the 1960s after Stonewall through the polishing of the craft from famous photographers in brilliantly illustrated art books, to the proliferation of films, to the self made and produced personal products created simply with a camcorder and a subject and then transferred to internet sites. ('XTube is a Canadian pornographic video hosting service which allows unregistered and registered users to share adult video content with others. Among other things, the terms of use of xtube.com state that users must be 18 years of age or older').

Clarke then divides his book into fully developed chapters: Foreplay: A Short Introduction (which includes a brief history of imagery and ideas dating back to the 1800s); Porn and Pop Art; The Golden Age of Promiscuity; Boom Years: Porn as Safe Sex; Grab you Dick and Double Click! Each chapter is copiously illustrated with images of the most famous porn stars of all time There are in-depth interviews with such luminaries as Lucas Kazan, Chi Chi La Rue, JC dams, Chris Ward, Tom DeSimone, William Higgins, Fred Bisonnes, Mr Pam, and Axel Schock and there are also special sections devoted to Tom Bianchi, Peter Berlin, Tom Ford, the film 'Querelle', Erotikus, Amateur Studios, Jeff Burton, Mike Arlen, and John Rutherford.

As we all have come to expect, the visual quality of image reproduction from Bruno Gmünder Verlag is wholly professional and of the highest quality of color saturation. There is much to learn about not only a subculture here, but also a fascinating look at how the concept of human sexuality has developed in the past half century. This is a a book very much worth reading - while at the same time it is a book of visual richness that will not disappoint even the most critical eye!

Grady Harp