“What are the best Erotic Photography books?” We looked at 251 of the top books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 57 “Best Erotic Photography” books are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 175+ books, as well as the lists we used, are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!

Top 57 Erotic Photography Books

57 .) 1000 Nudes. A History of Erotic Photography from… by Hans-Michael Koetzle and Uwe Scheid

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

“A glimpse through the keyhole of history: From the earliest nude daguerrotypes to experimental nude photography

The history of nude photography is the history of people’s fascination with the topic. Indeed, the photographic depiction of the human body is the only subject that has enthralled photographers, theoreticians and consumers over such a long period – more than 150 years. No other motif is as prevalent as this one during all the phases of development comprising the history of photography, no other is present, whatever the technique, and is a subject of discussion within the context of nearly all aesthetic movements. Nor has any other pictorial topic produced such a variety of specialities as the nude: from the ethnological interpretation of the body to the glamour shot, from nudist photography to the pin-up of today. No other photographic field of application has inspired as much desire as it has awakened official wrath.”

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56 .) 1000 Pin-Up Girls by Driben Peter

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Waterstones

“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 dessert, in terms of popularity, and even developed considerable potential as a cultural export during the 1940s. “Never show everything,” was always the motto. Smiling prettily at the camera, the models exuded just the right amount of sex appeal without seeming too sophisticated or artful. They were the ‘girls next door’ whose wholesome attraction soon made one forget the magazines’ deliberately trashy presentation. Their rosy complexions and innocent allures still titillate even in an age when far more graphic material is the norm. For everyone who enjoys pin-ups, push-ups and pulp style!

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55 .) 50 Years of Pirelli Calendar by Philippe Daverio

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Waterstones

“Undress for history, please: The complete Pirelli retrospective

The notoriously exclusive Pirelli Calendar, featuring glamorous shots of beautiful women, was first published in 1964. Reserved for important clients and VIPs, the calendar has since grown into a legend of its own, showcasing the beauty of models such as Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell, Laetitia Casta, Cindy Crawford, Penélope Cruz, Milla Jovovich, Heidi Klum, Angela Lindvall, Sophia Loren, and Kate Moss.”

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54 .) Alvarado’s Pin-Up Nudes by Robert Alvarado

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Complex

Here is Robert Alvarado’s second full collection of pin-up photography. Alvarado uses this collection to focus more on the female form. As with all of his photography, the innovative techniques in these 130+ pin-up nudes blur the line that distinguishes a photograph from an illustration. With these techniques, his nod to Alberto Vargas, Gil Elvgren, and other pioneering pin-up artists is clear.

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53 .) Angels by Russell James

Lists It Appears On:

• Cool Material
• Popsugar

The Victoria’s Secret Angels have become an iconic representation of female beauty and sensuality that is unparalleled in popular culture. Russell James has spent 15 years being the primary photographer for the lovely and fascinating women who have been featured by Victoria’s Secret over the years. The list certainly is an impressive one, including such headline names as Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima, and Alessandra Ambrosio, to name a few. This ample volume showcases these heavenly representations of womanhood in all their splendor. Subtly provocative in a tastefully seductive manner, these portraits capture each model’s individual blend of physical attractiveness and beguiling personality. The array of images reflects playfulness and adventure, and the innovative compositions and technically perfect photography add to the overall captivating effect. Readers will truly feel as if they’ve stepped into their own little piece of paradise.

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52 .) Black & White Nude Photography by Stan Trampe

Lists It Appears On:

• Best Photography Books
• Booktopia

“In this book, veteran photographer Stan Trampe shows you how to produce outstanding black & white nude portraits using basic equipment and a simple lighting approach—both in the studio and on location. You’ll get great insight into what it takes to develop a trusting relationship with models that will facilitate an eagerness for them to embrace—and even improve upon—your creative concepts.

With more than 25 years’ experience photographing nudes, Trampe has developed an eye for what makes a portrait resonate with viewers. In the pages of this book, you’ll discover what makes his black & white fine-art nude images tick. You’ll get tips for choosing dramatic indoor and outdoor locations that will serve as the perfect backdrop and set the mood in the image. You will also learn how to create or find great natural light that shows texture and contours the model’s body for added appeal. Posing subjects to coax curves and highlight the subject’s physical aspects is of obvious import in this genre, and Trampe teaches you to help conceptualize a strategy that not only makes the subject look good but, in many cases, even plays off of another shape in the overall image. He also teaches you when and how adding fabric or props will further your image, and when less is more. Also included are pages on traditional compositional guidelines such as effective framing, leading lines, and the Rule of Thirds. Finally, Trampe ends with a look at basic retouching in postproduction to lighten or darken the image, remove blemishes, and creatively crop the image for added impact.
“

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51 .) Bob Mizer: Amg, 1000 Model Directory by Robert Henry Mizer

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

“It’s Raining Men: Two volumes and two decades of top physique models

In 1945 Bob Mizer began taking photographs of strapping young men on Muscle Beach in Venice, California. In December of that year he formed the Athletic Model Guild to market his photos, and “physique photography” was born. Before Mizer there were body builders and men who photographed them, but AMG photos, even those of the same men, were different, subtly provocative, discretely aimed at a gay audience. They weren’t nude, but showed as much as the law allowed in 1945.

In 1951 Mizer launched Physique Pictorial, America’s first indisputably gay magazine, bringing his photos of top straight body builders to grateful readers worldwide. By the late ’50s Mizer had photographed over 1,000 men, moving from the beach to his quirky Los Angeles studio, where he introduced props including Greek columns, Roman headdresses, rear projection, and famously, his mother’s glassware, for theatrical Hollywood effect. In 1957 he published a catalog featuring all his men, titled 1000 Model Directory. In 1968 a second 1000 Model Directory followed, with the men photographed in the intervening years. The little 98-page books became instant collectibles, but the photos were so small, 12 to a page, that they were as frustrating to view as they were titillating.”

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50 .) Culo by Mazzucco by Raphael Mazzucco

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Waterstones

“The World Is No Longer Flat

Culo is an art, fashion, and pop-culture movement that defies all national, cultural, and linguistic boundaries. No matter if you were raised to call it derriere, tush, rear end, or booty, culo is the new epicenter of female sexuality, desire, and empowerment.

Over the past decade, some of the world’s most celebrated women have subtly shifted our long-held ideals of physical perfection toward a shape that is more authentic and bold. While culo has long been venerated in certain cultures, it is now becoming the object of worldwide mainstream admiration. This emerging global love affair with culo is as much about the blending of African, Latin, European, and Asian beauty as it is about celebrating the female form’s most coveted asset. “

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49 .) Femalia by Joani Blank

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• The Book Shop

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48 .) Forbidden Erotica by TASCHEN

Lists It Appears On:

• Foyles
• Waterstones

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47 .) Heaven by Frank de Mulder

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Waterstones

Frank De Mulder is synonymous with erotic photography of the highest caliber. Known as a leader in his field, he endeavors to connect us with each model’s unique personality. All his images are both highly original and sensually compelling. This season marks the publication of the fourth book of his critically acclaimed and internationally renowned nude photography. Entitled Heaven, those who browse these pages will certainly enter a fantastical realm. Thoroughly charged with eroticism, these works have a sophistication few others approach. Each composition is complex, combining a daring spirit with a nuanced sensibility. As you’d expect from De Mulder, the settings are exotic, the models are some of the most stunning in the world, with narratives intriguing and provocative.

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46 .) Helmut Newton: Sumo by Helmut Newton

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Popsugar

“SUMO was a titanic book in every respect: it broke records for weight, dimensions, and resale price.

Helmut Newton (1920–2004) always demonstrated a healthy disdain for easy or predictable solutions. SUMO—a bold and unprecedented publishing venture—was an irresistible project. The idea of a spectacular compendium of images, a book with the dimensions of a private exhibition, reproduced to exceptional page size and to state-of-the-art origination and printing standards, emerged from an open, exploratory dialogue between photographer and publisher.

With the physically commanding SUMO weighing in—boxed and shrink-wrapped—at 35.4 kilos, Newton created a landmark book that stood head and shoulders above anything previously attempted, both in terms of conceptual extravagance and technical specifications.
“

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45 .) Heroics 2 by Paul Freeman

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Bookwitty

A collection of over one hundred and eighty fine art nude photographic portraits of men captured in the classical tradition of mythologised heroism and the sometimes grandiose and dramatic poses that entailed, shot in an array of contemporary, post-modernist, neo-classic and painterly environments, in both colour and warm toned black and white, reminiscent of the influences being evoked and in the tradition of fine art film photography

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44 .) Lee Frielander The Nudes: A Second Look by Lee Friedlander

Lists It Appears On:

• Complex
• Waterstones

Lee Friedlander’s exploration of one of photography’s most enduring genres began almost by chance, in the late 1970s, when a teacher colleague at Rice University in Houston lined up a regular schedule of nude models for his students. Almost immediately, Friedlander found that he preferred to photograph the models at their homes, and ingeniously deployed household objects such as bedside lamps, potted plants and sofa fabrics to play off against the angular poses of the models and the emphatic framing of the overall composition. Friedlander’s nudes show every blemish, every contour that makes each body unique, while his flash often serves to counter this realism with a softening effect that often recedes the body’s shadow right up to its outline. With the publication of Friedlander’s nude portraits of Madonna (prints of which fetch huge sums), the series became among the photographer’s best known work, and eventually saw publication in 1991, from Jonathan Cape. Lee Friedlander: The Nudes significantly expands on the Cape edition (itself long out of print), with a total of 84 nudes, plus a new layout and design by Katy Homans and new separations by Thomas Palmer.

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43 .) Les Francaises by Sonia Sieff

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

“Sonia Sieff presents a collection of nudes ranging from alluring actresses to It girls.

With Paris and its interiors as a frequent backdrop, Sonia Sieff gives readers an intimate portrait of some of France’s most recognizable faces. From fashion models to writers and ballet dancers, Sieff captures the distinct personality of each while also depicting a unique sense of place. Beautifully staged and artfully shot, this book goes beyond Sieff’s previous commercial work that has gained attention from the public eye and focuses on her fascination with the female form.

With more than 150 stunning photographs of Sieff’s subjects in Paris, in their homes, on the shores of Normandy, and in the gardens of Champagne, Les Francaises exhibits Sieff’s undeniable ability to capture the beauty of the female form while at once offering an intimate glimpse into the world these women inhabit. With work reminiscent of her father Jeanloup Sieff’s pioneering fashion photography, this book will appeal to lovers of provocative fashion, art, and photography.”

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42 .) Naked Fashion Girls by Mike Dowson

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

Mike Dowson’s photography is simply a case of capturing the moment. He distances himself from any kind of staging and stylisation. This has given him a style again – perhaps unintended – the style of “laissez faire”. His photographs of pretty girls appear fresh, unconsumed, spontaneous, tasteful and very erotic. Dowson’s models must always convey the feeling of availability, the petty bourgeois may call them tarts. However, these girls are no such thing, they are just young, being themselves and showing their lust for life. Mike Dowson thinks that women who display their sexual presence openly are much more erotic than those who come over as aloof and distant. His photography is the same – simply open and thus more erotic.

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41 .) Outback Bushmen by Paul Freeman

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Depository
• Booktopia

Photographer Paul Freeman brings us the fourth book in his exquisite Outback series which studies the raw and sensual masculinity of naked men in bushland and rural settings.

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40 .) Painted Nudes by Saul Leiter

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Waterstones

“Saul Leiter’s prolific career as a photographer spans seventy years. Since the publication of Early Color in 2006, his work has found widespread acclaim, leading to a series of exhibitions throughout Europe and the US, including a 2012 retrospective at Deichtorhallen in Hamburg.

But Leiter was more than a great photographer; he was—and always had been—a prolific painter, though this side of his creative life has received far less attention. One strand among his paintings is noticeable: the art of painting over prints of nudes that he himself photographed and printed. Painted Nudes is the first and only book dedicated to this rich and unique part of Leiter’s oeuvre. It features over eighty color reproductions of Leiter’s painted photographs—intimate, small-scale pieces that merge Leiter’s two foremost artistic passions and showcase his remarkable sense of color and composition.”

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39 .) Private Nudes by Leonardo Glauso

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

Italian fashion photographer Leonardo Glauso has captured these natural beauties. A cross between a n:u:d:e fashion shoot and private snapshots. Beautiful, s:e:x:y – simply e:r:o:t:i:c. Glauso’s photography sways far from moral norms, his models stand for freedom of s:e:x:u:a:l expression. In short: stylishly independent, e:r:o:t:i:c, unbelievably beautiful, loaded with sensuality

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38 .) Psychedelic Sex by Taschen

Lists It Appears On:

• Cool Material
• Filthy

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37 .) Pussy Portraits by Frannie Adams

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Bookwitty

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36 .) Pussy Power by Anton Volkov

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Depository
• Waterstones

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35 .) Senza Parole by Marc Lagrange

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Waterstones

It takes enviable skill and dedication to achieve mastery in the arts. Yet even more remarkable is the artist who widens his scope to venture beyond his already widely acclaimed signature style. Few would dare to even consider such a risk… However, in Senza Parole, Marc Lagrange is audacious enough to make that thrilling leap as he boldly showcases a broad array of distinctive approaches–everything from starkly straight nude studies–in the honorable tradition of Helmut Newton–to Lagrange’s more typically intricate and exotic compositions. The photographer’s devoted followers will still find the dream-like eroticism he is known for, yet, in this work, each photograph is one of a kind, with Lagrange’s hallmark of technical perfection. As one would expect from Lagrange, each tableau is carefully configured with not a single detail left to chance.

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34 .) Sex & Cigarettes by DANIELLA MIDENGE

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Bookwitty

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33 .) Strictly Bondage by Victor Lightworship

Lists It Appears On:

• Complex
• Waterstones

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32 .) Suicidegirls by Missy Suicide

Lists It Appears On:

• Waterstones
• Complex

Sexy, subversive, and seriously bad ass, the SuicideGirls bring their unique brand to comics! Caught in a near-future defined by its rigid conformity and persecution of women, the SuicideGirls are the last hope for freedom. Can they take down the techno-religious cult, Way*of*Life, or will they die trying?

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31 .) Sweet Beauties by Mark Novak

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

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30 .) The Art of Eric Stanton

Lists It Appears On:

• Popsugar
• The Rumpus

Eric Stanton (1926-1999) has been called “the Rembrandt of Pulp-Culture” and it’s not hard to see why—he is perhaps the brightest star of his genre. His imaginative, detailed full-color comic strip narratives picture buxom, leggy femmes fatales having their way with tied-up, handcuffed, or simply awestruck men. Stanton’s imagery is either an empowerment of female sexuality or a caricature of female-domination fantasy—depending on whom you ask—but there is no doubt that in Stanton’s world, women rule the land.

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29 .) The Art of Pin-Up

Lists It Appears On:

• Cool Material
• Popsugar

Formidably sized, The Art of Pin-up is an impressive book that will be coveted by casual fans as well as hardcore pin-up collectors. The top 10 artists are profiled in depth. Each chapter opens with a tipped-in reproduction of an original calendar or magazine cover by that artist. The reproduction quality of the paintings, pastels, and preparatory sketches that follow—largely sourced from the original art— invites the viewer to trace the brush strokes, while the exquisite period calendars, vintage prints, and original model photos document the artists’ creative process. Much of these ephemera were photographed on-site at the historic Brown & Bigelow Company, home to the world’s largest archive of vintage pin-up calendars.

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28 .) The Ballad of Sexual Dependency by Nan Goldin

Lists It Appears On:

• Complex
• Foyles

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27 .) The Four Dreams of Miss X by Agent Provocateur

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Waterstones

This astounding collaboration between designer lingerie house Agent Provocateur and Kate Moss breaks new ground. These genius innovators in haute couture commissioned the director of Leaving Las Vegas and Timecode to portray Moss in her first acting role, resulting in four unique online films: Shadows, Scale, Exhibitionist, and Narcissus—The Four Dreams of Miss X. Shot in night vision, these films are intensely intimate: a beautiful woman’s private dream experiences. Each film is released periodically over the year, with teasers to whet the appetite for the next episode.

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26 .) The Little Big Penis Book by Dian Hanson

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

“The fascinating phallus: Even more impressive, squeezed into a small package

After the bust out success of The Big Book of Breasts, TASCHEN presented the perfect companion, The Big Penis Book. Now comes The Little Big Penis Book, with all the photos and interviews of its big brother, in a more portable, and affordable, edition.

When it comes to pleasure, size doesn’t matter; as we all know it’s quality, not quantity, that counts. But let’s admit it: a big penis is undeniably compelling. Big shoulders, big lapels, and big hair may come and go, but the big penis never goes out of fashion. With those possessing more than 8 inches (20 cm) making up less than 2% of the world’s population, this rare accessory will always fascinate.

In The Little Big Penis Book we explore the centuries-old enthrallment with the large phallus, a fascination common to men and women alike. The book is profusely illustrated with over 400 historic photos of spectacular male endowments, including rare photos of the legendary John Holmes. The majority of the photographs are from the 1970s, when the sexual revolution first freed photographers to depict the male entirely nude. Photographers include Bob Mizer of Athletic Model Guild, David Hurles of Old Reliable, Colt, Falcon, Sierra Domino, Third World, and Champion Studios, with each of these iconic photographers interviewed or profiled, along with information about each of their models. And if this isn’t enough, the book closes with a special, extra-big, extra-long anticipated surprise!”

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25 .) Tom of Finland by Dian Hanson

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Depository
• The Rumpus

“Mustaches and muscles: Back to the days when men were men and sex was carefree

In 1965, Tom of Finland began flirting with the idea of an ongoing character for his panel stories, the ultimate Tom’s Man. He tried out a blond named Vicky—a common male name in Finland—followed by a Tarzan-inspired Jack. Then in 1968 Tom settled on Kake, a dark-haired, mustached leatherman who often wore a tight white T-shirt bearing the motto “Fucker.” Kake lived up to this moniker, a sort of post-Stonewall, hyper-masculine Johnny Appleseedtraveling the world on his motorcycle to spread the seeds of liberated, mutually satisfying, ecstatically explicit gay sex. Tom lived out many of his most personal fantasies through Kake, and Kake’s international fans made him the template for what came to be known as the gay clone look of the 1970s.”

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24 .) Vanessa Del Rio by Hanson Dian

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Filthy

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23 .) X-rated Adult Movie Posters Of The 1960s And 1970s by Peter Doggett

Lists It Appears On:

• Foyles
• Waterstones

“This magnificent book is the new, expanded, complete edition of Nourmand and Marsh’s cult bestseller, with text by renowned writer Peter Doggett. The 1960s and ’70s were the Golden Age of the X-rated movie. For the first time, these films were shown in mainstream cinemas to a fashionable, young crowd. The “porno chic” movement around films like Deep Throat (1972), The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976) and Debbie Does Dallas (1978) gave skin flicks an air of credibility that had never existed before. Johnny Carson and Bob Hope talked about Deep Throat on TV, and respected artists became involved in promotional campaigns for adult films.
Of all film genres, the X-rated movie is possibly the one that lends itself best to the use of posters as a promotional medium. Screaming taglines, provocative titles and scantily clad bodies are all elements that can be used to great advantage in poster form. Even though many of the adult movies of the ‘60s and ‘70s have faded into cinematic history, their posters remain an inspiration for graphic designers. And today they are wonderful, joyful period pieces that evoke the temptations and taboos of a bygone age of suspender belts, stockings and eye-popping, gravity-defying brassieres.”

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22 .) Bettie Page by Petra Mason

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Depository
• Cool Material
• Waterstones

A treasure trove of never-before-seen playfully erotic photos of legendary pinup girl and style icon Bettie Page, from cult pinup photographer Bunny Yeager. Bunny Yeager has long been credited for capturing Bettie Page’s true nature—her flirtatious and playfully erotic side—in classic pinup images that continue to influence photography and fashion today. This collection, culled from Yeager’s extensive archive, features her most iconic shots of the legendary Bettie as well as never-before-seen images, including many nudes, which by all reports is how Bettie was most comfortable. Yeager was a young pinup photographer in 1955 when she hit the jackpot with her shot of Bettie scantily clad in a Santa hat, which sold instantly to the fledgling Playboy magazine. It was the beginning of a long collaboration between the two women, and Yeager’s photographs of Bettie have now been featured on more magazine covers than those of her contemporary, Marilyn Monroe.

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21 .) Burlesque & The Art Of The Teese by Dita Von Teese

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

“On one side, Dita Von Teese shares the beauty of the burlesque world, with bubblegum dreams and show tunes to strip to. Flip over for fantasies in fetish with dramatic costumes and the allure of submission.

Burlesque and the Art of the Teese
“”I advocate glamour. Every day. Every minute.””

I’m a good dancer and a nice girl, but I’m a great showgirl. I sell, in a word, magic. Burlesque is a world of illusion and dreams and of course, the striptease. Whether I am bathing in my martini glass, riding my sparkling carousel horse, or emerging from my giant gold powder compact, I live out my most glamorous fantasies by bringing nostalgic imagery to life.

Let me show you my world of gorgeous pin-ups, tantalizing stripteases, and femmes fatales. I’ll give you a glimpse into my life, but a lady never reveals all.”

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20 .) Dancers After Dark by Jordan Matter

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Bookwitty
• Foyles

“Dancers After Dark is an amazing celebration of the human body and the human spirit, as dancers, photographed nude and at night, strike poses of fearless beauty.

Without a permit or a plan, Jordan Matter led hundreds of the most exciting dancers in the world out of their comfort zones—not to mention their clothes—to explore the most compelling reaches of beauty and the human form. After all the risk and daring, the result is extraordinary: 300 dancers, 400 locations, more than 150 stunning photographs. And no clothes, no arrests, no regrets.”

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19 .) Diamonds and Pearls by Marc Lagrange

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Complex
• Cool Material

“Belgian photographer Marc Lagrange has quickly

gained a reputation as one of the most original and talented erotic photographers around. Taking a distinctive approach to setting voluptuous scenes, Lagrange meticulously composes timeless settings–with each location and prop carefully chosen to enhance the romantic and revealing mood. Building trust and chemistry with his models, Lagrange is daring but never crosses into mere titillation. The tension is palpable and a sense of mystery pervades each elaborate vignette.

Combining the glamour of classic Hollywood with the sensibility of an Old Master painting, all his alluring heroines seem at ease and approachable–yet just tantalizingly out of reach.”

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18 .) Forever Butt by Jop Van Bennekom

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Depository
• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

Pocket-sized, pink and super gay, the first issue of BUTT magazine arrived in the spring of 2001, sweeping aside the clichés of the mainstream homo press. Ever since, BUTT has maintained its independence, resisting clean-cut commercialism in favor of frank Q&As, revealing photography and a delightfully direct take on sex between men. Just by being its horny, happy self, BUTT has attracted contributions from the world’s best writers and photographers. Meanwhile, frequent BUTT parties and the CLUB BUTT social network have mobilized an international army of loyal friends and fans in sexy solidarity.

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17 .) Holiday by Henrik Purienne

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Foyles
• Waterstones

Henrik Purienne’s photography has the unmistakable mixture of ethereal natural and physical beauty, with a warm and often exotic ambience. All of this is interwoven with domestic and voyeuristic sexual imagery, which converge at a point between provocation and profundity. Most often the backdrop is a sunny domestic situation, engendering tender and nostalgic connotations; we can see and feel the heat through his images. Purienne’s portraits, both personal and commercial, show the features and gaze of his subjects in a light that reveals flaws and blemishes. It shows the natural untouched beauty of the people he portrays. With Holiday, his second volume of photography, Purienne presents a series of holiday outings with friends and girlfriends captured between his native South Africa, the Mediterranean, and his new home, Los Angeles. Shot exclusively in his trademark 35 mm format, Purienne’s images often include imperfections that belie the sophistication of his technique, resulting in images at once reminiscent of the past and the future.

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16 .) Little Book of Butts by Dian Hanson

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Depository
• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

How can we pack so much big booty into such a tiny and inexpensive package? Sorry, but it’s a trade secret we can’t divulge, except to say that shoehorns and spandex were involved. The original Big Butt Book featured a great cross-section of delectable rears from the 1950s to the present day. Here, in the Little Book of Butts, since life is such an ironic deal, we decided to pare the original content down to just the biggest and the best, in-your-face phatties to which the great Sir Mix-A-Lot alluded when penning, “My anaconda don’t want none, unless you’ve got buns, hun.” Then we added in about 30 new photos, just to be generous. Now in these 150 plus photos you’ll see the big and the bountiful, then the bigger and more bountiful, in black and white and in color. The models may be largely anonymous, but their curves are legendary, and now that they’re collected in a discrete little package affordable by all in these financially trying times, why hold back? Your badonkadonk is calling.

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15 .) Madonna by M. Schreiber

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Foyles
• Waterstones

Martin H. M. Schreiber rose to international prominence when his shots of a nude, pre-fame Madonna appeared in the September 1985 issue of Playboy magazine. While he is proud of the shots, Schreiber regrets not having had the chance to do a one-on-one shoot with Madonna. ‘I was taking pictures from behind my students, it wasn’t as if I had a private session and could get her to do what I wanted her to do.’ It was February 1979 when a quiet, shy young woman walked into Martin’s studio to serve as a model for his photography class. The ‘dancer’, as she modestly described herself, was Madonna Ciccone. She arrived in New York in 1978 having bought a one-way ticket from Michigan, with only $35 in her pocket. Life modeling for art classes was a way of making a living. Little did Martin know at the time that this more or less chance encounter would lead to one of the most memorable photo shoots of all time.After the huge success of Martin H.M. Schreiber’s Madonna Nudes in the 1990s the new edition Madonna Nudes + features many recently discovered and never published photos of Madonna besides a selection of the best images published in Madonna Nudes 1979 edition.

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14 .) Pics or it Didn’t Happen by Arvida Bystrom

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Foyles
• Waterstones

Featuring photographs that have been banned from Instagram, this generously illustrated book explores modern censorship. Instagram’s user guidelines prohibit posting “violent, nude, partially nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful, pornographic, or sexually suggestive photos.” Unsurprisingly, these policies have been a source of tension and debate for many creatives who use the social media platform as a means of self-expression. Having received many takedown notices themselves, artists Arvida Byström and Molly Soda put out an open call asking avid Instagrammers to submit their own censored images. The result is this collection of pictures from well-known and emerging IG users including Petra Collins, Rupi Kaur, Amalia Ulman, Lina Scheynius, Harley Weir, and dozens more. The book features a wide range of subject matter, from body image and sexual relationships to menstruation and nude selfies. Pushing the boundaries of social media guidelines and social mores, this book reveals a fascinating picture of 21st century society’s complex views on the image of the human body and censorship.

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13 .) Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds by Chronicle Books

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

Following the remarkable success of last year’s limited deluxe edition, we’re pleased to present The Complete Centerfolds in a new compact package. The content remains the same—every Centerfold from every issue. That’s over 600 beauties. We’ve also added the Centerfolds from 2007 to make this Playboy’s most complete photographic volume to date. Hefner introduces the book and literary luminaries including Paul Theroux, Jay McInerney, and Daphne Merkin comment on the social mores and cultural climate of each decade. This chronological collection provides an unparalleled view of our evolving appreciation of the female form: from the fifties fantasy of voluptuous blondes to the tawny beach girls of the seventies to the groomed and toned women of today. The Complete Centerfolds is a breathtaking tour de force.

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12 .) Robert Mapplethorpe – The Archive by Frances Terpak

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Foyles
• Waterstones

“Celebrated photographer Robert Mapplethorpe challenged the limits of censorship and conformity, combining technical and formal mastery with unexpected, often provocative content that secured his place in history. Mapplethorpe’s artistic vision helped shape the social and cultural fabric of the 1970s and ’80s and, following his death in 1989 from AIDS, informed the political landscape of the 1990s. His photographic works continue to resonate with audiences all over the world.

Throughout his career, Mapplethorpe preserved studio files and art from every period and vein of his production, including student work, jewelry, sculptures, and commercial assignments. The resulting archive is fascinating and astonishing. With over 400 illustrations, this volume surveys a virtually unknown resource that sheds new light on the artist’s motivations, connections, business acumen, and talent as a curator and collector.”

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11 .) The Big Book of Breasts by Dian Hanson

Lists It Appears On:

• Esquire
• The Book Shop
• Waterstones

A definitive coffee table book on the topic of (large) breasts, and exhaustively so. It has some of the earliest known photos and spans photo history all the way to the present.

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10 .) The Last Days of Summer by Akila Berjaoui

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Foyles
• Waterstones

In this book, photographer Akila Berjaoui shows how her love for the beach is inextricably linked with her artistic vision. Akila Berjaoui’s incredibly sensual photographs often feature sand, sun, water—or a combination of all three. In her first book, this highly sought-after fashion photographer, armed with her favorite old analogue cameras, takes us to breathtaking seaside locations, from her hometown of Sydney, Australia, to the bathing hotspots of Italy, France, and Brazil, to name just a few. Much in the tradition of Slim Arons, Bruce Weber, Peter Beard, Claude Nori, and Juergen Teller—all of whom she regards as influences on her work—Berjaoui’s photos harken back to the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s with their soft colors and sultry joie de vivre. As a woman, Berjaoui is able to draw out her female subjects with a sense of kinship, rather than voyeurism. One of the world’s most in-demand photographers, Akila Berjaoui is destined to make a name for herself in the field of travel, beauty, and lifestyle photography.

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9 .) The Mammoth Book of Erotic Women in Photographs by Maxim Jakubowski

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• The Book Shop
• Waterstones

Presents the selections of the images of the world’s erotica photographers, including Eric Kroll, Charles Gatewood, Petter Hegre, Chas Ray Krider, Emma Delves-Broughton, Larry Utley, Juan Carlos Rivas, Craig Morey and Grielle Rigon.

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8 .) Araki, Tokyo Lucky Hole by Nobuyoshi Araki

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Bookwitty
• Foyles
• Waterstones

“It started in 1978 with an ordinary coffee shop near Kyoto. Word spread that the waitresses wore no panties under their miniskirts. Similar establishments popped up across the country. Men waited in line outside to pay three times the usual coffee price just to be served by a panty-free young woman.

Within a few years, a new craze took hold: the no-panties “massage” parlor. Increasingly bizarre services followed, from fondling clients through holes in coffins to commuter-train fetishists. One particularly popular destination was a Tokyo club called “Lucky Hole” where clients stood on one side of a plywood partition, a hostess on the other. In between them was a hole big enough for a certain part of the male anatomy.

Taking the Lucky Hole as his title, Nobuyoshi Araki captures Japan’s sex industry in full flower, documenting in more than 800 photos the pleasure-seekers and providers of Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood before the February 1985 New Amusement Business Control and Improvement Act put a stop to many of the country’s sex locales. Through mirrored walls, bed sheets, the bondage and the orgies, this is the last word on an age of bacchanalia, infused with moments of humor, precise poetry, and questioning interjections.”

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7 .) Lesbians for Men by Dian Hanson

Lists It Appears On:

• Bookwitty
• Foyles
• The Book Shop
• Waterstones

“Straight men have always had a thing for lesbians, or more correctly, for essentially straight women willing to do other women for their viewing pleasure. When a man sees two women together there’s no jealousy that another man’s getting the woman he can’t, as with heterosexual porn, just the joy of everything he likes times two, and the unshakable fantasy that women that wild would surely invite him to join in.

Yes, it’s unrealistic, but that doesn’t make it any less popular, and photographers have been documenting these faux lesbian couplings for over 100 years. Lesbians for Men is the first photo book to acknowledge such photos are created to fuel male fantasy, to explore the reasons, and to trace their origins back to 1890, and forward to the present day.”

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6 .) Little Book of Pussy by Dian Hanson

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Depository
• Booktopia
• Bookwitty
• Waterstones

“From the time The Big Penis Book was published, readers anticipated The Big Book of Pussy. Granted, perhaps not the same readers, but the seed had been planted and the calls and letters began flowing in. Once they had that long-awaited book, some found themselves overwhelmed by the variety and abundance, as well as the sheer size of the book. As one reviewer wrote, “”let’s give credit to Amazon for…the strength of its packaging. Who wants a 2-ton pussy book being ’exposed’ for the mailman…?””

For those who worry that there can be too much of a good thing, we’ve made a pared down, “”best of”” edition of The Big Book of Pussy, a petite little kitten of a book that puts those in-your-face photos in proper perspective. Now you can follow the evolution of genital exposure with ease, through 100 years of photos with one thing in common: the exhibitionistic pleasure with which the models present their feminine pulchritude. And with over 150 photos – 36 new to this book – of the pet we love to pet, no bothersome text to interrupt the flow, all in a package that won’t stress the mailman’s back, we just may have produced the perfect self-gifter of the year.”

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5 .) Ren Hang by Ren Hang

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Bookwitty
• Foyles
• Waterstones

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4 .) The Big Book of Pussy 3D by Dian Hanson

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• The Book Shop
• Waterstones
• Waterstones

First, The Big Book of Breasts, then The Big Penis Book, The Big Book of Legs, and the weighty Big Butt Book. What could follow but The Big Book of Pussy, an in-depth exploration of the female pudendum, that coveted orifice man spends nine months trying to escape, and a lifetime attempting to reenter? And what could follow that but The Big Book of Pussy 3-D? In 220 pages, featuring 110 black and white photos converted to sublime 3-D by the nerdy little genius Jon Schnitzer and his crew at The Brain Factory, The Big Book of Pussy 3-D doesn’t just contain the same photos from the original volume, but also many never-before-seen photos unique to this edition. And as with the other-body parts 3-D editions, the effects are subtle on the page, but intensely dimensional when you slip on your red and blue anaglyph glasses included with this volume. Fans of the untrimmed wild-caught pussy, take note that hair provides one of the best subjects for 3-D viewing, demanding meticulous hand conversion by the 3-D artist with a full and fluffy viewing pay-off. Text in English, French, and German

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3 .) The Big Butt Book 3D by Dian Hanson

Lists It Appears On:

• Booktopia
• Bookwitty
• Esquire
• Waterstones

The Kama Sutra gives detailed instructions on how to spank it. Contemporary Italians touch it for luck before placing a bet. Americans are having it cosmetically enhanced at rates approaching those for breast enlargement surgery. The female butt, tush, culo, or derrière has always inspired awe, fantasy, and slavish devotion, and now its yours – in state-of-the-art 3-D!

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2 .) The Male Nude by David Leddick

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Depository
• Booktopia
• Bookwitty
• Popsugar
• Waterstones

“The boys are back in town: A short history of male nude photography

While the female nude has long played a conspicuous role in western iconography, the male nude has not always enjoyed such attention, or acceptance. This ode to the male physique celebrates the evolving, at one time illicit, art form from anonymous 19th century erotica through to contemporary work from David Hockney and Duane Michaels.

Through the classic, the playful, and the provocative, it explores the compositions, postures, and role-playing of this often under-explored genre. Esteemed masters such as Herbert List, George Platt Lynes or Robert Mapplethorpe are all there, alongside Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden, famed for his homoerotic images of nude youths in classical postures in Sicily. Further highlights include illustrations from Physique Pictorial, the leading organ of the mid-50s gay scene and a pioneer in gay publishing.”

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1 .) The New Erotic Photography by Dian Hanson

Lists It Appears On:

• Book Depository
• Booktopia
• Bookwitty
• Foyles
• Waterstones

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