Girls Naked - 100 of Them

BUYING
I had to order this book from Amazon.com because I couldn't find it at my local (Houston) book store (I'm not sure if that is due to the fact that they were out or just not carrying it.) I paid about $26 for the book before shipping and such.

SIZE
As far as the physical goes, it is hardback and the binding look good so it isn't going to be losing it's pages anytime soon. The book is relatively small in terms of photo books and I really do believe that it effects both the size and the spacing of the photo's themselves. On most of the 190 pages there are multiple photos or photos and text which left it a bit cramped and overwhelming. They are visible, but not living up to the potential in terms of detail. It has a directory sort of feel to it.

QUALITY
There is a brief forward by Clifford Thurlow. It is concise but a fair opening to the book. And then it is on to the models. As you already know there are 100 of them and there are anywhere from 1-5 photos of each of them. While they are listed alphabetically, there are no page numbers or indexes so best of luck finding something quickly.

The photo quality is impeccable and he was very good about putting these girls in different settings. He made a very strong attempt at presenting photos that were cozy and familiar but I think that most of the time it was run-of-the-mill. The composition of the majority of the photos was very elementary, very 'Playboy-esque'. Not that there is anything wrong with Playboy, I just don't call it art. There was nothing innovative about the content of '100 Naked Girls.'

Being an artist myself, and having work on nudes, I really believe that there was little to nothing that set this work apart as art in exception of the sheer beauty of each and every woman in it. There is absolutely NO arguing with the fact that this work both capture and admires beauty. Page after page of ravishing beauty but still a very limited view of what is attractive. Not to mention the fact that 80% of these girls looked like children. Between that, the subtle creepiness of the title and the attempt at 'intimacy,' this book frequently crossed the comfort line for me. Photo of 'girls' playing, bathing, cuddled up with stuffed toys - the action of children, not woman.

OVERALL
Don't get me wrong. I understand that this book was meant to be art. It was meant to be a tasteful collection celebrating stunning female beauty. I just believe that it fell short of that goal, way short. And while I'm always down for female nudes, I would not recommend this book to anyone except a fan of Herge.