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Great reads and increadible documents to a part of history that seldom gets serious attention.

Taschen has taken teamed up with editor Dian Hanson to produce three big books based on three things that interest almost everyone: boobs, legs and penises. Dian is no stranger to adult materal having edited Juggs and Leg Show magazines. Those familiar with the Robert Crumb documentary, Crumb, my remember her as Crumb’s girlfriend. Hanson ueses her knowledge and experience on the subjects to create three great books worth of interviews, facts and incredible photos.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of The Big Book of Breasts and The Big Book of Legs. Each book is almost 400 pages of filled with beautiful photography and information. All three books have a slip cover that removes to reveal a whole lot more. By looking at the covers you get the idea of what is revealed. Starting with The Big Book of Legs, Dian looks at the history of the sexual revolution that began with the bicycle in the 1800’s and progresses to the golden era of legs in the 40’s and 50’s before the decline of legs in the 60’s due to the allowance of more sexually graphic photography.

This is my favorite of the books. The Big Book of Legs is a history of women’s liberation from skirts to pants to nylon’s and heels. The book begins in the Victorian era where legs were forbidden in polite society and moves through the decades exploring how sexuality evolved and the facination with the female leg evolved. From Betty Grable, insuring her leg’s for a million dollars, to Betty Page, dressing up in heels and nylons, Hanson disects the what makes legs so appealing and timeless. Featuring vintage photos from Irving Klaw, Peter Golwand, Bunny Yeager and other classic leg photographers.

The Big Book of Breasts should be called The Big Book of Big Breats as you’ll find no women with anything smaller than a D cup within the pages. Silicon is forbidden from these pages and you’ll find a bounty of buxom women regalling tales of their public careers. Starting with the Bosom-Mania of World War II and continues up to present day. The longest of The Big Books of books, The Big Book of Brearts features interivew with Candy Barr, Jennie Lee, Tempest Storm, Linda West, Sylvia McFarland and the Guinness World Record holder for the World’s largest Natural Breats, Norma Stitz, among others.

Like The Big Book of Legs, each page is filled with provocative photos and features nine original interviews, including the first interviews with Tempest Storm and Uschi Digard in over a decade and the last interview with Candy Barr before her death in 2005. It’s a stroll down mammary lane (sorry for the bad pun) that fans of exploitation films will want to check out. 

I wasn’t able to get my hands on a copy of The Big Penis Book but from what I’ve read, it’s very similar to The Big Book of Breasts. With over 400 photos to make you feel inadaquate, you’ll see spectacular versions of the male member that will mentally scar you and make you marvel in wonder at the same time. Featuring photos for John Holmes and a bevy of men that are more tripod than human, this book is the ying to The Big Book of Breasts yang.

Overall, The Big Book of Legs and The Big Book of Breasts are great reads and increadible documents to a part of history that seldom gets serious attention. Thanks to Dian Hanson boobs, breasts and penises get the respect they deserve. I highly recommend checking out the Taschen website to get these and other great books to add to your collection. They also exerts from the books you can look at before purchasing.

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