The Male Ideal : Lon of New York and the Male Physique

Rating:
Summary: My Friend Lon
Review: A wonderful photo book with Lon's images sorted by decade and reproduced with absolute beauty. Not enough Johnny Kemper but there never is. Unlike the Janssen book which had a picture of Lon that wasn't, this has some beautiful shots of him. An absolute must for those who loved Alonzo James Hanagan. The book was assembled by an aspiring author who, during the last months of Lon's life, rented a room in Lon's vast apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan.

Rating:
Summary: AT LAST
Review: At last a book on this major east coast physique photographer Lon Of New York. This well written book arranges the photographer's work decade by decade so we can we see the development of his unique style and talent over the years, from the 40's to his last session in the 90's. Not from the usual German publisher that we have seen for many other nude male studies, better and without the expected mispellings

Rating:
Summary: Tender truth
Review: Many books on mid 20th century physique photography have appeared in the past 10 years, but none is as good as this one. I agree with the other reviewers who have characterized this book as the ideal model for this type of book. The life of Lon is portrayed truthfully and lovingly by Reed Massengill. The use of candid photos from Lon's own collection of snapshots and self-portraits of him with his models tells us much about the man. A large portion of Lon's work was lost due to the censorship of the past--a great loss when one looks at the earliest images from the 1930's. Many of these photos are breathtaking portrayals of the male body. At least these few images have been preserved and are here for all of us to see. Hopefully, this book will find it's way into the general market and not be limited to a gay clientele. The only drawback comes from the book design. Some of the images are unecessarily cropped sometimes affecting the integrity of the photographs. Most annoying is the placement of all captions in light, small print perpendicular to the page. One often has to turn the book sideways to read the description and identities of the various models, but at least they are identified. Most other physique photography books have failed miserably in this respect. Why wasn't this book produced in a hardcover edition? It deserved to be presented to the world as the serious book that it is. It is not some light-hearted photographic essay. Still, all these shortcomings are easy to overlook. This is a magnificent book done by a man who clearly cares deeply about the photographer and his work. Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful layout, timeless images
Review: Reed Massengill's book on Lon of New York is superb. The layout and design of the book is beautiful and should serve as a template for other photography books. Massengill's introduction is well written and worth reading to better appreciate the photos reproduced in the book. Massengill's writing style reflects storytelling, not simply factual biographical data, and his approach makes Lon of New York a real person, not some distant figure from the past. The inclusion of personal photos throughout the text helps to bring him to life. The physique photos by Lon are timeless (a trademark applicable to Massengill's own photography); they transcend the time period in which they were photographed to reflect male beauty of any age.

Rating:
Summary: A model
Review: There have been way too many books about homoerotic photographers that are poorly written, badly researched, incomplete, and unilluminating. Here, finally, is one that is a joy to own, a revelation to read, and invigorating in its approach. Great pictures, which are put in context, a fascinating sketch of an unusual life and unusual career, wonderfully designed. Now, Mr. Massengill, we finally have an excellent model for further investigations of other photographers, or artists, or publishers in the fields of gay history, social history, and aesthetics. By the way, the book is also a lot of fun.