PlayboyRessenyes

ISFDB 21579. OCLC 319846. LCCN 70147943.

I checked this out because it includes a story by Marion Hargrove (who is partially responsible for me collecting all this WWII humor). I only read one other (The Christmas Carol Caper - it was seasonal), which was also mildly amusing. It's sort of like The New Yorker lite for the man in smoking jacket and loafers.

Note: although it doesn't explicitly say that it is, this seems to be largely a revised and expanded edition of the earlier Playboy's Book of Limericks. There are around 650 limericks in that old book, and around 675 in this one. Of those, about 45 from the old book have been removed, and about 70 new ones added. The rest are the same - with some rewrites here and there. It's interesting to guess at the reasons for the deletions - certainly changes in cultural/societal norms account for some, and I think a few of the others got dropped because the rhyming was a bit crap.

An example of one of the rewrites may throw light on changes in gender politics (or at least the editors of Playboy's approach thereto) between 1972 and 2005:

FROM THE OLDER BOOK:
Despite Betty Friedan's fierce cry,
There are some rights we men must deny.
I think you'll allow, sirs,
That feminine trousers
Need not be equipped with a fly.

FROM THIS NEWER EDITION:
Said Betty Friedan with a cry,
"There are rights we won't be denied.
I think you'll allow, sirs,
That feminine trousers
Should all come equipped with a fly."

(Just a shame that the scansion and rhyme have suffered a bit in the update.)

As some of you know, I'm a huge fan of classic SF short stories. The ones from the days of What If, the concise ones, that emphasized science and technology and ideas over characters and *L*iterary pretensions.

This book was just about perfect for me. There are lots of stories I've read before in other collections, but that's ok, as they're worth reading again. And the Notes that introduce the author & story get old and have nothing worth reading, but they're easily skipped or skimmed.

Best story, though not actually really representative, was Double Take, by [a:Jack Finney|6944|Jack Finney|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1243650090p2/6944.jpg], written before his famous [b:Time and Again|688562|Time and Again|Jack Finney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1177233217s/688562.jpg|6887879].

I think you'd like it too, just on the basis you've read this review to the end and are considering doing so.

My beat-up mm pb avl for free to any US member - I'd really like to get it into the hands of at least one more reader. :)

Have you heard the "joke" Playboy? I read it for the articles!

It's true. The interviews, in particular, are outstanding. As someone who subscribed to Playboy for years, I'd hoped that compilations of the interviews existed somewhere and finding that they did, they did not disappoint.

Honestly, I didn't give five stars because I doubt these were THE best comedian interviews. Only one woman? One or two that were kind of meh? Still, worth reading.

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2476065.html

This is a collection of thirteen sf stories by eleven authors (Clarke and Bradbury are in there twice) published in Playboy between 1958 and 1971. Given the dates and authors, there's not much beyond the usual two-fisted action story here, though they are almost all decent efforts in that genre. The two standout pieces are the title story by Arthur C. Clarke, which I remember once hearing him read on a borrowed audiotape, and the final story which is also the only really New Wave one in the collection, J.G. Ballard's "Souvenir", better known as "The Drowned Giant". I think I only paid a pound or so for this so I can't really complain.½

I saw this book pictured in a blog and the cover was so appealing, I just had to have it. The stories, however, are a mixed bag. A handful are quite good, a few middling, and a few sort of inexplicable. It is interesting that most of them share a common tone, not surprising since they were all published in the same place and many of them I'm sure were selected by the same editor. My individual reviews follow.

Weird Show by Herbert Gold *** - Story of a traveling magician/apeman, his assistant/mistress, and the boy who throws macaroni from the balcony--fun, but not surprising.

A Recluse and His Guest by Tennessee Williams **** - Atmospheric, mysterious, and sad tale of a traveling woman and a recluse who gives her shelter; this one is about human nature and is strangely disturbing.

I Do Not Like Thee, Dr. Feldman by Henry Slesar *** - Slesar always spins a good tale, and this one about a doctor feeling threatened by another guest at a resort is strange indeed.

Accidents of a Country Road by Roger Dionne *** - I'm not quite sure what to make of this one, but it draws you in and leaves you with an uneasy feeling when you're done.

By Appointment Only by Richard Matheson **** - Be careful what barber shop you patronize. As always, Matheson is a master.

A Day in the Life Of by Frank M. Robinson ***1/2 - Nice time capsule of 1960s or early 1970s hipsterdom, and its downside.

Softly Walks the Beetle by John Collier **1/2 - Any Collier story is worth reading; however, this one, despite creating a nice atmosphere, doesn't offer anything original.

The Convert by Ken Purdy * - Too trivial to deserve more than one star

Double Exposure by John Reese *1/2 - A nice story up to the ending, which is just something no author should be able to get away with. No subtlety at all. Why was this even published?

The Machine in Ward Eleven by Charles Willeford ***1/2 - Like most of Willeford's work, it takes a cockeyed approach to everything, and it is just as enjoyable.

The Academy by David Ely ***1/2 - A father considers whether a military school is right for his troublesome son; very well done, if not earthshaking.

The Party by William F. Nolan **** - Like every bad party you wish you had attended. Nolan can write.

Nasty by Fredric Brown **1/2 - I think I saw the end of this one coming. Suitable for Playboy, certainly, but not one of Brown's better stories.

I'm Yours by Charles Schafhauser ***1/2 - Original, and truly horrifying

The Taste of Fear by Hugh G. Foster ** - This starts off as an interesting tale of an alternate Hollywood, but whatever effect the author is trying to achieve--well, let's just say he falls far short. Is the ending really supposed to be a shock?

Xong of Xuwan by Ray Russell ****1/2 - The best story in the book, and that's not unexpected when the author is Russell. This is a curious tale of a girl all alone in the world with a typewriter whose 's' doesn't work. Very affecting.

another collection with just half of it worth wading through, and two worth READING. Those two were the title story by Mike and the Ian Fleming novelette, as it were, with James Bond. JDM fell on his sword with the little fluff he produced. Still, all in all, glad I have it for Mike's piece added to my collection.½

Something to pass the time

Back when PLayboy was just a publisher without today's connotations. This is a middle of the road collection of stories, 50's and 60's B movie fodder at best, plenty of bug eyed monsters, but an enjoyable read anyway.

plenty of slightly bawdy humor. What passed for racy in 1970 seems almost quaint today because of the change in standards of decency as well as the change in the relationship between the sexes. Nevertheless, the jokes are still amusing.½