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16th out of 150 books
—
32 voters
Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin (Expanded Edition)
by
Mel Gordon
“Voluptuous Panic is simultaneously appalling and thrilling, repellent and seductive, grotesque and gorgeous—not a typical coffee table book. It would go better with absinthe drunk from a human skull.”—Gary Meyer, Clean Sheets
When Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin first appeared in the fall of 2000, it inspired wide acclaim and multiple printings. Anticip...more
When Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin first appeared in the fall of 2000, it inspired wide acclaim and multiple printings. Anticip...more
Hardcover, 300 pages
Published
May 1st 2006
by Feral House
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if i wasn’t a lazy bastard, i’d put together a photography book called Fascist Fashion. yeah, that’s right. americans are great at a certain form of propoganda but the real 20th century badasses, the communists and fascists and tyrants and totalitarians and terrorists (in the case of the latter, their 21st counterparts really need to get their shit together. unruly beards and dirty robes and timex watches? Suicide Chic? uh… no), understand the aesthetics and sexuality of power and violence. (ame...more
This is an excellent book if you want to get a sense of the decadent side of Weimar Culture. I don't know of any other book that discusses this side of Germany between the wars in such detail. There is Peter Gay's book which is fine, but it has an entirely different focus. There are lots of pictures. If you have an interest in gender relations, nudism, eroticism in the arts or hedonism, this book will be of interest. Between WW1 and 2, Germany and in particular Berlin, was the sex capital of the...more
This book is awesome, as far as subject matter and photographs. The editing and proofreading, however, leaves much to be desired. Aside from that, as a reference and resource of beautiful and sometimes disturbing photos of one of my favourite time periods and cultures, this book is priceless.
a simple, yet fascinating history of weimar berlin's debauched underground of the 20s & 30s. lots of good photos.
2 likes · like · see review
The real wealth of this glossy book lies in the eclectic collection of perverse erotic photos from Weimar Berlin. This wonderful book also has anecdotes on the Occult, serial killers, the rise of National Socialism, quack doctors, deranged religious/cult leaders, and sex slang lingo. Once again, another lavishly put together book from the sages of forbidden information and history at Feral House.
As a collection of photographs and a document of the period, this book serves as a good introduction. The writing is somewhat lacking. I'd taken some undergraduate courses which focused on the Weimar pre-WWII period in Germany. It wasn't until several years after that, that I ran into this book in my roommate's collection.
I don't feel like I learned very much from the book itself, but the photographs were very nice. And that to have such a nice collection of period photos easy available for the...more
I don't feel like I learned very much from the book itself, but the photographs were very nice. And that to have such a nice collection of period photos easy available for the...more
A book full of rare drawings, paintings, and photographs from the seedy side of Weimar era Berlin. It is extremely well-researched and a great deal of information is to be had on all manner of perversions and questionable activities that were prominent in the time and place.
This book should be great, unfortunately its full of so many factual errors and sensationalism that it's pretty ... pointless.
An outrageously entertaining and informative book. If you only ever buy one book on this subject, this is the one to buy. Superb.
An incredible wealth of information and pictures for those interested in the decadent Berlin of the 1920's.
I enjoyed this book very much (although I found the parts I was not as interested in -- the parts about nudists, sex magic and the occult, and sex crimes -- rather boring). I love the aesthetics of Weimar Berlin, and the pictures plus info are exactly as fascinating (and titillating, obviously) as I'd expected.
A visual delight - brilliantly designed (profanity notwithstanding). And very informative.
Mel shares his rare collection of ephemera from Berlin's glittering frenzies between the big wars of the early 20th century. He brings an encyclopedic interest in documenting various transgressive practices: drug culture, S&M, homo sex, trans-gender roles, racial exoticism. I enjoyed the flow of his arguments: written in a kind of chatty, '90's hipster shorthand that assumes the reader brings a certain degree of subcultural history and knows what it's like to run around all night in the city...more
A fascinating look into sex and kink in pre-Nazi Germany.
Great book, visually.
An amazing book with a collection of photos and drawings of 1920's Weimar Berlin that I have never seen in one place. Great write-ups of what you are looking at with details that are seldom written.
It floors me at the sheer decadence that thrived almost 100 years ago. It would give Las Vegas a run for it's money as Sin City even today.
It floors me at the sheer decadence that thrived almost 100 years ago. It would give Las Vegas a run for it's money as Sin City even today.
In some ways this would be better as a website or coffee table book. While the photos were fascinating, like other reviewers I felt that the proofreading, editing and sometimes even the writing left a bit to be desired. But it's a fun bit of eye candy for anyone interested in this period of German history and/or cabaret culture.
Jul 14, 2009
Evan
marked it as to-read
Just received this in the mail a few days ago. I am so stoked! Review soon.
Great book on Berlin pre-WW2. The images are amazing, essay's are well written, smart and interesting. This is a very difficult book to put down. It discusses the avant garde, sex and the social norms and acceptance of very queer lives.
my favorite bathroom book. erotic underground berlin pre ww2. this book is hard to put down and the photographs are chillingly beautiful. i like sexy things. this is supersexy.
Fascinating primer on a hedonistic time and place. NOT FOR KIDS, but not for strictly prurient eyes either: there's some genuine history here and one that isn't often covered.
all about this right now. all. about. this.
THE REASON I GOT INTO BURLESQUE.
So good that I went and re-bought it when it came out in expanded HC edition.
Jun 16, 2013
Brittanie
marked it as to-read
Jun 11, 2013
Emily Freitag
marked it as to-read
Jun 07, 2013
Maddie Mcintyre
marked it as to-read
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Jul 17, 2008 03:23pm
Jul 17, 2008 04:02pm