Product Details
Paperback: 198 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.54 x 9.23 x 6.11
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; (September 15, 1994)
ISBN: 031211365X
Other Editions: Hardcover | All Editions
Average Customer Review: Based on 2 reviews. Write a review.
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 196,060
(Publishers and authors: improve your sales)
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Perhaps no one has had a greater influence on gay male fashion than
illustrator-cartoonist Tom of Finland. In this volume his unusual and
triumphant life story is told in words and pictures. The pictures, of
course, steal the show, as Tom's bubble-bottomed macho men fight, love,
and punish each other. There's still much to be said about Tom's impact
on American and European gay culture, but this book provides a good
starting point not only for Tom's fans who want to learn about the man
behind the leather-clad images, but also for the uninitiated who've
always wondered where the leather-cap-and-chaps look origintated. Sadly,
with Tom's death the flow of testosterone-packed pictures has stopped,
but volumes like this show that there is still life in his legend.
From Publishers Weekly
Popular gay artist Tom of Finland, born Touko Laaksonen (1920-1991),
drew "big, uncomplicated, physically oriented men." His ultra-manly
hardhats, cops, lumberjacks, leather-clad bikers, cowboys, laborers,
soldiers and sailors are idealized types, rugged, dashing men who seem
ready for pleasure. This straightforward biography whose candor matches
the sexual explicitness of Tom of Finland's art is illustrated with
60 of his drawings and 35 photographs of his friends and family. Hooven,
a Finnish... read more --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable
edition of this title.
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All Customer Reviews
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Who is Tom of Finland?, May 22, 2000
Reviewer: jchristian (see more about me) from Washington, DC
Tom of Finland has become a permanent fixture in gay male popular culture.
He is known for the ultramasculine/butch depictions of men in his artwork,
perhaps in miltary uniform or in leather. The men's hyper-accentuated
masculine bodies have become a paradigm of sorts in gay male culture
to emulate...or to clone. TOM OF FINLAND: HIS LIFE AND TIMES is a biography
of Tom of Finland the artist. It sheds light on his motivations to draw
his men the way he does. It's a quick read, with lots of pictures that
show the evolution of the Tom of Finland man. It would have been great
to see the pictures in color. This book is a very interesting read for
those interested in gay popular culture. It certainly opened my eyes...
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
An engaging biography of the famous erotic artist, August 23, 1998
Reviewer: An Amazon.com Customer
This book examines the life and motivations of the famous and well-loved
erotic artist; Tom of Finland. With many pictures from Tom's comic strip
style early drawings through his evolution as a skilled master of the
homoerotic.
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