Product Description
With a special introduction by Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City, this is a unique selection of the author's best short stories and extracts from his novels, chosen by Clive and accompanied by a personal commentary which reveals the man behind the art.Huge in scope, this unique collection examines the work of a man who has taken us further than any other writer of modern fiction: from the fantastic lands of The Fugue (Weaveworld) and the Dominions (Imajica) to the uncharted waters of the dream sea, Quiddity (The Great and Secret Show and Everville). His peerless imagination has only been matched by both his storytelling -- from the groundbreaking series of short stories, the Books of Blood, which served as a wake-up call to a floundering horror industry, to the grand metaphysical vision of Galilee -- and his ability to create memorable characters such as Will Rabjohns (Sacrament), Shadwell the salesman (Weaveworld) and Judith (Imajica).A unique project by a unique author, The Essential Clive Barker will appeal both to long-time fans of his work, and anyone with an interest in great fiction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A complete rip-off
There are many things wrong with The Essential Clive Barker. For starters, the title is simply incorrect. This book does not give you an overview -or even a hint for that matter- of what Clive Barker is all about. At best it gives you a set of teasers that hopefully will entice you to read the full novels. But why not start by picking up a real novel and explore the craftsmanship of the author yourself. Indeed, a concise version of The Essential Clive Barker should read: close this book, go to the bookstore, buy Imajica and enjoy. If you have never read any of his books, this collection is only going to annoy you to death. Right at the moment you are really getting into the flow of a story, it breaks off and leaves you to crave for more.

So if beginners are not supposed to buy this book, should the avid Clive Barker fan invest some dough in it? Why should he? Any self-respecting fan will own all Clive's books anyway. Ah, but there's a catch, indeed. The Departed, a short story that previously only appeared in The New York Times, gets its book premiere in this tombstone of a collection. Sounds like a rip-off? Well, it definitely is. The only real extra's are Clive Barker's explanations for why he selected these particular stories, but these short interludes do not give you any better insights into the stories themselves. This book was clearly only published because the publishers needed some quick money. Just read the real stuff, you won't regret it. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1998, TASCHEN introduced the world to the masterful art of Touko Laaksonen with The Art of Pleasure. Prior to that, Laaksonen, better known as Tom of Finland, enjoyed an intense cult following in the international gay community but was largely unknown to the broader audience. The Art of Pleasure gave Tom well-deserved recognition and increased his following exponentially; Tom of Finland XXL will fix him forever in the realm of fine art.

With dimensions of 29 by 40.5cm and 704 pages, Tom of Finland XXL contains nearly 1000 images, covering 6 decades of the artist's career. The work was gathered from all known collections across the US and Europe with the help of the Tom of Finland Foundation and features many drawings, paintings and preparatory sketches that have never been reproduced in any book. Other images have only been seen out of context and will be presented here in the sequential order Tom intended for full artistic appreciation and erotic impact. This elegant oversized volume will showcase the full range of Tom's talent, from sensitive portraits to frank sexual pleasure to tender expressions of love to Tom's haunting tributes to young men struck down by the AIDS epidemic.

Completing this collector's edition are eight specially-commissioned essays on Tom's social and personal impact by Camille Paglia, John Waters, Armistead Maupin, Todd Oldham, and others, plus a scholarly analysis of individual drawings by art historian Edward Lucie-Smith. For the man or woman who thinks bigger is better, Tom of Finland XXL is certain to satisfy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Ultimate Tom
"Tom of Finland XXL" is the ultimate collection of the world's most iconic gay erotic artist.At nearly 15 pounds, it is a wondrous collection of his work.The book, due to size and weight, should be viewed on a table, bed, or couch due to it's enormous size and weight in order to prevent damage to the binding.Unlike the original printing of "Tom of Finland The Art of Pleasure"(oddly light in weight and the edges of the cheap paper have browned over the last few years), the paper quality and binding of Tom of Finland XXL istop quality."Tom of Finland XXL" will make a significant contribution to any lover of Tom's work.It is beautiful and quite a bargain at Amazon.com.

great reproductions
Others may complain about some small pictures in the book - what should be mentioned is the exquisite quality of the larger reproductions, the bulk. Every pencil stroke can be seen!
I've only received the book yesterday, but a quick look through reveals some oddities in the text. Why devote a chapter to 'Tom's women' when they are really insignificant.
Why not devote an article on piracy of Tom's work, the illegal albums, which bothered Tom. Armistead Maupin's article on one fetish is the only light-hearted article.
It is a book by American authors, so Tom became famous because be became famous in the U.S. There is one mention of 'a Swedish publisher', unnamed. In fact it was Michael Holm of Revolt Press who was instrumental in making Tom famous in Europe, and those Kake albums were originally a European thing also.
The book, it says, is printed in Italy, all 20 lbs of it. Why we should pay more for it in Europe than in America, is beyond me.
Now, eventually you want it in your bookcase. It's way too large!

XXL FUN
Brand spanking new and in excellent shape.
Actually arrived earlier than expected!!
Smoothe.

Tuoko Laaksonen honored in the realm of fine art - Finally!
Tuoko Laaksonen (1920 - 1991) may have enjoyed worldwide fame as Tom of Finland during his lifetime, his fame due largely to an extensive following of those who praised his courage to paint and draw what he wanted to paint and draw rather than keeping his talent for figurative work in the dark corners of only certain bookstores. Now, thanks in large part to this very fine tome edited by Dian Hanson, the general public can appreciate the fact that not only did he appeal to a specific audience; he can now be seen as an exceptionally gifted draughtsman and artist.

Laaksonen/Tom of Finland restricted his output to figurative works that highlighted massively macho males in all manner of situations.While his work is erotically charged it always retains a brilliant sense of humor and parody: he celebrated his audience by saying it is not only OK to enjoy these works, it is also OK to see the humor in the distortion of fantasies.Many of these works in this exhaustive volume are well known, having been reproduced many times in literature and in galleries, but for the connoisseur there are unpublished works here, many of which show a more tender side to the artist.Hanson has the good idea of presenting these works of art in chronological order - another way of examining public acceptance of the artist's works - and the chapters covering sixty years of his output are arranged by decades, the Forties through the Eighties.Another fortunate aspect of this massive book is the decision to include essays and commentaries by such important writers as Edward Lucie-Smith, Armistead Maupin, John Waters, Todd Oldham and Camille Paglia.

This is a long awaited volume that places an underground artist in the same echelon with other contemporary figurative painters.It is a beautifully produced, edited, written and illustrated homage to an artist who is now recognized for his talent not only as an artist, but also as a spokesman for human rights!Grady Harp, November 09

the best book ever
I PURCHASED THIS FOR A CHRISTMAS PRESENTITS AWSOME......THE BEST EVERTHE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE SO GREAT THEY DEPICT THE BEST OF THE ARTIST.........FANTASTIC WORK............... RICCO ... Read more

Product Description
A record in words and photographs of the history of the Gay Rights Movement discusses its origins, the growth of AIDS and intensified homophobia, efforts to participate in social institutions, and gay youth and the future. 40,000 first printing. TV tie-in. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An eclectic, serious coffee-table volume
A mix of politics and history, this volume comprises four essays, along with 15 shorter, first-person pieces by activists who recall key moments of the struggle for gay and lesbian rights and visibility.Published as companion piece to a documentary on the lesbian and gay movement since 1969, the book is more informal, more eclectic, and better illustrated than an academic study, but more serious and substantial than the usual coffee-table volume. The voices it highlights tend to be those associated with "gay liberation" and big-city street activism, but the richness and authenticity of those voices make this book a valuable chronicle. ... Read more

Product Description
A fabulous montage of word and image, this book is the first-ever to chronicle the origin and evolution of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender culture. Capturing the international center of the gay experience as never before, Gay by the Bay features over 200 photos of historical memorabilia, 80 in full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Invaluable Reference
This well researched book is also quite entertaining. While I bought it for its scholorship, it also serves as a nice "coffee table" book. Guests in my home enjoy thumbing through its many illustrations. This is a MUST HAVE.

Buy this book!!!
As a long time gay resident of San Francisco, I was thrilled when this historical pictoral tome came out way back then.
I bought the book and have it sitting proudly on my coffee table - after all these years.
It has great text and even more wonderful photos of personalities and memorabilia from decades of historical gay & lesbian San Francisco. Van Buslkirk and Stryker know their stuff and I appreciate all the research and the historical facts that come out in this masterfully produced work.
The photos are well reporduced and there is even the great reprodcution of the hilarious 1982 SURRENDER DIANE campaign posterfrom Sister Boom Boom's historical SF supervisorial run against then and unpoular Mayor Diane Feinstein. Classic.BUY THIS BOOK.

Index of book fails to support research value: Mapplethorpe
This book works as an entertainment, but as a research book it trips itself by not indexing everyone and everything mentioned in the body of the text. For example, check out the "Robert Mapplethorpe and Jack Fritscher" connection --as well as San Francisco's own Gay-Bay "Drummer" magazine itself-- all on page 134, and then try to find these two people and that singular magazine in the index. This is just one instance of sloppy indexing and sloppier scholarship that mars this volume,and the integrity of the editors--at least to this anal-retentive buyer of historical books. The two editors seem asleep at the wheel, relying on researchers who lack an overview. They should have paid attention. Armistead Maupin in his superficial introduction takes the usual cheap, gay potshot at Judaism and Christianity for the woes suffered by lesbigay culture, when he could have done so much more with the opportunity of the two pages to theorize/talk about the actual Gay-Bay culture itself. Obviously, his name is exploited as an advertising device for a kind of cover "endorsement". ... Read more

Product Description
This is nonfiction commentary. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Michael Tolliver Lives, Tales of the City, the Night Listener, Significant Others, Babycakes, Maybe the Moon, Further Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Sure of You. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: Michael Tolliver Lives is a 2007 novel by Armistead Maupin. The novel represents Maupin's return to the Tales of the City characters some eighteen years after the sixth book in the series was published. As well as further developing familiar characters, it explores the differences between the San Francisco of the 1980s, bearing the brunt of the developing AIDS crisis, and the city in the first decade of the new millennium. The realities of aging, both distressing and graceful, is a major theme of the book as well as the generation gap between gays from the 1970s and gays from the 2000s. In a departure from the third-person style of the original Tales sequence, Michael Tolliver Lives is narrated in the first person by the title character. In the book's opening pages, Michael encounters a half-remembered old flame, prompting him to reflect on his status as a survivor of both the HIV epidemic (which killed many of his peers in the 1980s and 1990s but is now a more treatable chronic illness thanks in part to better medication) and of a San Francisco that has transformed due in large part to the dot com boom. Characters from the original series include Anna Madrigal, the one-time landlady of 28 Barbary Lane; Brian Hawkins and his now-adult daughter Shawna, a pansexual aspiring writer; and Brian's ex-wife Mary Ann Singleton. New characters include Michael's much younger partner Ben and his transgendered co-worker Jake Greenleaf. Much of the plot's tension derives from the impending death of Michael's elderly mother in...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=10933147 ... Read more