Mr. Playboy

Spans from Hefner's childhood to the launch of Playboy magazine and the expansion of the Playboy empire to the presentPuts Hefner's life and work into the cultural context of American life from the mid-twentieth-century onwardsContains over 50 B/W and color photos, including an actual fold-out centerfold

Steven Watts is Professor of History at the University of Missouri. He is the author of five books, including The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century and The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life.

Acknowledgments. Introduction: The Boy Next Door. PART I BEGINNINGS. 1 A Boy at Play. 2 Boot Camp, College, and Kinsey. 3 The Tie That Binds. PART II ASCENT. 4 How to Win Friends and Titillate People. 5 Hedonism, Inc.. 6 The Pursuit of Happiness. 7 An Abundant Life. 8 Living the Fantasy. PART III TRIUMPH. 9 The Philosopher King. 10 The Happiness Explosion. 11 Make Love, Not War. 12 What Do Women Want? 13 Down the Rabbit Hole. 14 Disneyland for Adults. PART IV MALAISE. 15 A Hutch Divided. 16 The Dark Decade. 17 The Party's Over. 18 Strange Bedfellows. PART V RESURGENCE. 19 The Bride Wore Clothes. 20 All in the Family. 21 Back in the Game. Epilogue: Playboy Nation. Notes. Index.