Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream

A definitive, scholarly biography. Gives you a vivid picture of the man and the era/s that made him. Take note that it was published while HH was still alive so the author treads lightly around controversial material. To get a full picture of the man, you'll want to augment with other sources. There is much more and much worse that has come out in later years. Had he lived a few years longer, #MeToo would have been brutal for Hefner.

There are myriad ways to live a life; Hugh Marston Hefner chose one. The people who condemn his choice and criticize him as a human being lack awareness. They are quick to pass judgment, as though their choices for living are the ideal. It is so easy to condemn - to sit in judgment of a fellow human who merely sought to find the things that produced happiness and contentment for himself. His choices may conflict with yours but he never forced anyone to participate in his choices. He had a dream that with hard effort he manifested. He followed what he believed to be true for himself. He never badgered or coerced anyone to participate in his dream. It's pure arrogance from some people who post disparaging reviews on this site vilifying Mr. Hefner for the choices he made for his life. The author Steven Watts sets out to place Hugh Hefner in the context of the last half of the American twentieth century. To do this he has to also describe what preceded those decades in America. He takes us back to Victorian times to reveal the repressive and limiting customs many Americans adopted and passed on to subsequent generations. We then follow Hugh Hefner from his birth in 1926 up to about 2007 where the book ends. It's a long history of not only Mr. Hefner but also of America. Mr. Watts presents a selected history of the culture of America from the late19th century into the early 21st century as he speaks of Hugh Hefner. The main section of the book comprises 454 pages. The notes section occupies another 59 pages. From the notes section one can discern that Mr. Watts did do research. Some of his conclusions, he states, did go against Mr. Hefner's view of things. He makes his point and allows Hugh Hefner to make his. This merely illustrates that much history is about perception. The book is a sweeping panorama of life in America. And among all of the events is one man pursuing his dreams. Mr. Hefner is shown to be a man with a conscience. He stands up for racial equality when that stance was not popular. He fights censorship and advocates first amendment rights of freedom of expression. He challenges laws on the books that imprison people for various sexual acts. He is for individual expression and entrepreneurial endeavors. He speaks out for homosexual rights. And, contrary still to some public perception, supports women's rights and liberation from the sexist environment in which he grew up. He starts a foundation to support his beliefs and to offer assistance to those deserving of help. Over the decades he evolves as a man and a thinker. Whether people embrace it or curse it, there was indeed a sexual revolution in America in the last part of the twentieth century. Two large factors in that revolution were the birth control pill and Playboy magazine. Mr. Hefner had convictions that propelled him to become a significant contributor to the lessening of repression in American society. This book chronicles his activity and the problems he encountered as he stood up for what he believed to be right. Not all men or women are that strong to follow their dreams and beliefs and to fight where necessary to prevail. It takes courage and fortitude to go against a prevailing opinion. To risk everything for what you believe in. Mr. Watts cites many obstacles Mr. Hefner faced as he published his magazine. He provides background on the various historical periods in America as Mr. Hefner moves through them. At the end we emerge with an understanding of what America promises its citizens. It is a land of liberty. You can make dreams come true here. Admittedly, my title line is for attention. It disturbs me to some degree when I read a book and find glaring errors of fact. A lot of life is subjective but there are some things that are easily proven and when an author overlooks them it causes, in me, a slight degree of doubt for everything he is offering. Mr. Watts presents three pages of acknowledgements but apparently none of those people noticed the errors in the manuscript that I easily discovered in reading his book. On page 221 of Mr. Playboy the author states: "By early 1967, at age forty-two ..." But in early 1967 Hugh Hefner was age forty having been born on April 9, 1926. On page 351 the author states: "... brought the Playboy Interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono - it appeared on the newsstands the night the former Beatle was killed in 1981 ..." But John Lennon was (senselessly) murdered on December 8, 1980. (The date of the Playboy magazine in which the interview appeared is January 1981). Following page 118 there is a section of unnumbered pages of photographs. The caption for one of those pictures states: "The youthful editor at his desk during the early days of Playboy in 1954" In the foreground is a stack of magazines with an issue of Playboy on the top. That particular issue is a May 1955 Playboy. Therefore, the author's 1954 date is in error. Small points? Yes, perhaps. I did not do any research for this book and I've never met or talked to Hugh Hefner. These are things I noticed that were erroneous and therefore could contribute to some doubt about other facts in the book I'm unaware of. A few things that I would have liked to have read are more information on the relationship of Mr. Hefner and his first son David. There is little mention of David. Their relationship would provide more insight as to the father Hugh Hefner is. Perhaps in interviews he declined to speak about his son; perhaps the author never asked. Hugh Hefner's father, Glenn, died in 1976; this is not cited. In fact, there is little told about the relationship he had with his father. I have a documentary film where Barbi Benton speaking of the death of Hefner's father says that his father never acknowledged the accomplishments of his son. Mr. Watts references a lot of the editorial staff of Playboy magazine, especially Art Paul, Auguste Spectorsky, and Arthur Kretchmer. But when it comes to the photography department only Vince Tajiri receives some notice. The photography of women has been a defining part of Playboy's history. A few words either from or about some of these talented artists would have helped further explain the success of the magazine. Hefner did not create the photographs but he hired these photographers and edited their work. They interpreted his vision. My criticisms of this book are few. Steven Watts did an excellent job describing a part of American history. It's a broad history with its center being Hugh Hefner. It addresses ambition and materialism and sexual freedom and determination and repression and morality and tradition and rebellion and religion and conviction and dreams and reality and culture and establishment and sexism and affluence and liberation and first amendment and politics and art and discrimination and perception. Hugh Hefner seized life and molded it to what he wanted it to be. Not everyone does that. I think he should be celebrated as a consummate individual. You do not have to agree with all of his choices or even respect him as a person (but I do). Just recognize and applaud the fact that he did not settle. He pursued his dreams and vision and made his life what he wanted it to be. Jack Wegener Savannah, GA

Amazing Book.

Almost an academic book about Playboy magazine and its editor. You fullly understand the personality of Hugh Hefner. Full of detailed info. With interesting essays about what suposed Playboy in western culture. Not a sensationalistic effort, just an in deep work on Playboy universe. Don't expect morbid stories about playmates running naked in the Playboy manor. A serious and excellent work by Mr Watts.

The book is chock full of bits that made this unlike any other biography on Hef I've ever read. The contributions from family and friends as well as the subject made for very good reading. I've already recommended the book twice to friends and I haven't even finished the text.

This book contained a lot of information, and seemed to be reasonably well researched. But it was about as exciting to read as an accountant's spread sheet. Further, the book does not provide the answer to the questions, "What was this guy really like, and what made him tick." I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.

This book is a serious addition to several past books written about Hefner and Playboy. The book is well written by a gentleman who is a college professor and the author of 4 other books, including biographies on Henry Ford and Walt Disney. This author writes well with more than occasional strokes of literary competence. He spends plenty of time fleshing out (sorry) Hefner's personal sex life; thus there is more than a fair amount of material that a number of readers would find interesting on a somewhat high class voyeur basis (no explicit details). So, why 4 stars? Much time is spent discussing the Playboy Magazine philosophy of life as well as political inclinations as they evolved from the magazine's beginning in 1953. The author spends too much time with this, and I think many readers will find themselves bogged down in what was rather boring the first time it was printed in the magazine and still is boring. This would have been a better book if more detail was put forth with regard to Hefner's life and less about Playboy's philosophy. Notwithstanding, on the whole this is a good book that is interesting and well written by a man that appeared to know his subject.

Copyright 2009, this is not a start to finish on the life of Hugh Hefner and Playboy Enterprises. This goes thru the life of Hugh Hefner and Playboy Enterprises, Start to the beginning of "The Girls Next Door". This book has lots of good factual information when it comes to the history of Playboy Enterprises, but I feel it leaves lots of information out in regard to Hugh Hefner. I have read lots of books and watched many documentaries on Hugh and life at the Playboy Mansion, there wasn't the full story here. In saying that when this book was published Hugh was still alive and could control the narrative of his life story. Still great historical facts on Playboy Enterprises itself. Great facts but hard to listen to as an audio book. 1. the time line jumped around. 2. interesting and boring all at the same time. 3. the audio book is 19hrs long! It took me almost 3 months to finish it! That being said it is still an overall good book of historical facts on Playboy Enterprises and some on Mr. Hefner himself. But, I would not rely solely on this book to educate yourself on Playboy and Hugh Hefner. I encourage you to read books by the ex bunnies and girlfriends as well. Happy Reading!

They say there are two sides to every story, but you will only ever find one here. The author, Steven Watts, is a historian and he does an excellent job of providing context as the Playboy publisher's story unfolds. But, time and again, anyone who opposed Hefner or his viewpoints - and there were many, many such people - is depicted as misguided, malicious, downright evil, or even mentally ill. Even when it's clear Hefner might have made a mistake, he's still shown as the victim, or that it was a misunderstanding. In chapter after chapter, the author refuses to budge from his steadfast support of Hugh Hefner. In light of more recent and disgusting revelations about Hefner's personal life in his old age, you get the feeling the publisher might not have been the visionary and saint that fills the pages of this biography.

In Britain, Hefner is considered a fairly minor figure who irritated the conservative establishment by devising a magazine that enabled men to appreciate women in all their natural splendor. Critics sought to ban Playboy, with many accusing it of contributing to a moral degradation of society. This multi-faceted book highlights the cultural significance of a man who initially wanted to live by the constraints of conservative middle-American expectations but realised that simply life was more fun as an individualist, quite ironically taking conservative views of Ayn Rand as an inspiration. Hef's journey is complex and Steven Watts deserves applause assessing this in great detail without ever being judgemental. It is easy to be pious or moralistic about Hefner, but it is astounding to chart the social impact that Playboy has had on our society, particularly attitudes towards sex. This book also illustrates how the social conditions of this post-war period changed to cater for the individual consumerist desires of today. In other words, it was Hugh Hefner who made Playboy, but it was the public who delivered the success. The latter part of the book left me debating if a life of Polygamy has ultimately left Heff happy. We can all make up our own minds about this, but with numerous wives and "playmates" it is hard to say if absolute contentment is his. However perhaps the most striking message is that Playboy was devised at the start of an age where consumerism became king and love unfortunately became a part of that. Heff's own life reveals an early life beset by a lack of self-satisfaction and a strong desire to be a good husband. Like many of us, Heff found that the demands of hard work, ambition and other social pressures meant that he could never actually meet the ideals that he turned away from. Ironically for many men, the dream of the happy long-term marriage and stability is probably now more unrealistic than the polynagamous lounge lizard fantasies that Playboy sold to us in the 1950s. This book is fundamentally a representation of societal change, with the experiences of one man, Hugh Hefner being a micro study of how some of those changes became incorporated into our own lives.

Couldn’t finish it

the book is a little boring, but that's just my opinion.