New Book: Stacked Decks: The Art and History of Erotic Playing Cards
As a child, breaking into my folks’ secret porn cabinet (with no locks, mind you), I remember stumbling onto my first set . . . a deck of nudie playing cards piqued my girlish curiosity, and I haven’t stopped peeking since. If you’ve ever wondered about the origin of playing decks like these, then we’ve got the book for you! Erotic art card decks, hand-picked from vintage pornographic art collector Mark Lee Rotenberg’s personal stash, feature yummy honeys from around the world, dating from circa 1835 to the early 1970s. This collection features bathing beauties with soapy nipples, fun little shots of girls with pasties, sky-clad coquettes, lesbian play, teasingly light bondage photographs, and sensual softcore Renaissance artwork, all condensed down to the size of a cigarette case (which was convenient, since many of these were packaged along with cigarettes). The book also details a fascinating historical glimpse into the underground — and once illegal — distribution of these decks. My favorites include: the French nude playing cards, an endearing Strip Tease deck, the smolderingly lush Le Florentin, and the nude in quirky wolf-masks or holding stuffed animals. As the chronology of the artwork unfolds, each new photo-card set is progressively racier, more taboo and more exotic for their day. Va-va-voom! An arousing, fun coffee table viewing book.
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