Rating: 
Summary: One of Britain's greatest exports, ever.
Review: I love this book so much, I cannot describe it in words that would do it justice. All I can say is that anyone with taste and a sense of what is beautiful in life will buy this book as soon as humanly possible.
Rating: 
Summary: Purity Magnified
Review: As a single Father of a wonderfull Daughter.... I feel " The Age Of Innocence " will one day show her that the blossoming into womanhood and the feelings of awkwardness and isolation will take a back seat to the reality of the magic and miracles of womanhood. So many images of many, many different types of girls will also atest to the fact, no Single standard of beauty is acceptable. That all women have the spark of magic and that the dreams of any girl are as valid as the next.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant masterwork
Review: This book is a fascinating study of the budding female form. Only those with prurient intentions themselves can be offended by it. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: Pornography Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
Review: Others have spoken more eloquently about this book than I ever could. I can add only the subject line above.If this book strikes you as somehow pornographic instead of breathtakingly beautiful, look inside yourself.
Rating:
Summary: A book that should be shared between mothers and daughters
Review: I find it interesting and in some ways disturbing how few (openly at least) female viewpoints are expressed among the reviews of this book. Indeed, some of reviews make it appear that there are quite a few males out there who believe females are a sexual "tabula rasa" on which they can write their judgements of what constitutes morally appropriate behavior. This book must be understood not simply as art, but as a psychological statement, namely that sexuality exists within each of us from infancy on and parents and society deny that at their own risk. When I was the age of the girls in this book there was no one with the courage to come forward and openly depict the flowering of female sexuality. I lived with confusion and shame about my body and my desires, hurtful feelings that lasted until I was well into my adulthood. I came across this book in a store one day while looking for something else. I spotted the title and I vaguely remembered a news story about some people wanting to ban it, so I thought I would look at it out of curiosity. The images in it were so beautiful I almost started to cry right there, it was as though I found vindication for the very core of my being. After taking it home, I decided to share it with my nine-year old daughter with whom I had just recently had "The Talk". It was wonderful being able to show her how her body would change and how she would be beautiful even as she changed from a girl into a woman. It is true there are already books out there that are supposed to address the issue, but so often they take a clinical approach that is scary in its own right. The artistry of this book, combined with the photographer's selection of natural-looking girls (you will not find made-up or coiffed girls in the pages of this book), will, in my opinion, help any girl appreciate her changing body. Mothers, share this book with your daughters, it will help make so clear the many changes they are going through and how they are positive. No girl should ever have to feel shame of her own body and this book is an important step.
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Summary: A provocative erotic masterpiece...
Review: A question that anyone approaching this book with an eye to criticizing it as 'obscene' should ask themself is, "Can the human body be obscene in and of itself?" The only way this book can be attacked as obscene is if one answers "Yes," to that question. But if the answer is yes, then all depictions of nudes must be obscene regardless of age, something most people outside of the Victorian Era would strongly disagree with. If the answer is "No," then one must ask why someone turning 18 magically transforms a nude image of them from obscene to artistic? The only way to avoid these paradoxes is to embrace this book for what it is: a beautiful and deeply erotic examination of girls on the cusp of maturity. (A subject which is sadly taboo in Anglo-American society.) Many people would probably characterize such an assessment as sick or disturbed, but before doing so they should examine this book honestly and with an open mind. Can any man(excluding gay men logically)say to himself that he feels no desire or arousal looking at these images? And can any woman say to herself that she did not want to be desired when she was that age? I think that one would be hard pressed to find someone who would answer no. That said, it is time that American society began understanding something which most of the rest of the world already does: Eroticism develops as a continuum, not a series of lock-steps. This book is an important step to the realization that sexuality does not simply appear fully-formed at 18, but is a progression over a number of years prior to that. A society which realizes that is on the road to a better understanding of what constitutes healthy sexuality and where the real patholgies lie. Read this book, buy it if you like it, and, if you enjoy deep discussions about human nature with your dinner guests, proudly display it. I do not believe you will regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasing to the eyes? Yes. Pornographic? Not one bit.
Review: This is definitely the prettiest book I have ever seen. One of the best books to come out of Great Britain ever, and surely one of the world's finest photo-art books. This is not pornographic in any way; those who think it is do not know the true definition of the term. This book is a celebration of youth and beauty as experienced by these young girls. If you appreciate what is truly beautiful in our world, then you will purchase this book. If you don't, you will surely be missing out. The portrait on page eighty-one is worth the price of the book alone.The quotations accompanying the photographs are thought provoking, and, in this reviewer's case, educating---I am now reading Ulysses as a result of this book! So, you may even improve your literary skills as a result of this book. Any way you look at it, this book is a real treasure, and congratulations to David Hamilton on a job well done.
Rating:
Summary: Pursuit of beauty
Review: Some people seem to have a hard time distinguishing between pornography and the portrayal of beauty. The former is the wanton exposition of human bodies in sexual situations. Hamilton's work in nothing of the sort. His photographs explore an area that is much shunned: the pubescent female. His depictions of beutiful girls in natural settings is only one of the many different perceptions of beauty; a celebration of the natural marvel that is the female form. His photos capture the essence of young girls discovering their sensualities as they enter adult life. There is no lewdness, no lascivious material in this book. This is a wonderful book for those who appreciate good art and beauty in its many forms. The female body should be rejoiced and glorified, never exploited. Mr. Hamilton does just that.
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Summary: PhotoGraphy- that's all it is
Review: I have recently been witness to many negative comments about this book. Some people have said it was a child pornography and others have said it is extremely distasteful. Some even criticized the author. This is completely unfair to Hamilton. It is not a new thing to assume that the nude body is art and should be looked at and appreciated. Why shouldn't it be? The body is art and it is interesting to see how Hamilton poses his subjects and to see their facial expressions and what background he uses. So what if they are young girls in thier pre-teens and such? Should we deprive ourselves of witnessing true beauty just because some people put it in the same categorey as child pornography? It is definetly not. All beauty should be witnessed and that's just what this is-- true beauty. It should be looked at and appreciated. No one is being hurt by this. It is even an honor for these girls to be a part of this book and in no way should it be abolished. This is a wonderful art book if you will and the pictures of these girls and extrodinary, vivid, imaginative, fulfulling, and worthwhile. And anyone who has a problem with merely seeing the female form develop into maturity should simply not look at the book. But for everyone else, enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Seven
Review: Although this book is depicted as being art, I fear it is not. The poses of the girls are explicitly sexual, not erotic. What is even more alarming are the phrases being shown beneath each picture. Phrases such as: "Ne tochez pas" and "Not until or unless I say so!" express the desire to have sex with a little girl. There is nothing wrong in being shown naked. The problem comes when others say or influence the way you will pose, and even worse, they will decide what "you think", like it is being shown in the phrases underneath each picture in this book. The photographies are excellent but the way Hamilton displays "erotism" is in doubt.
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