Bob Mizer: “American Photography of the Male Nude”

The legendary Athletic Model Guild didn't invent the physique photograph; depictions of the male physique in all its naked, muscular glory extend back through German physical culture manuals and turn-of-the-century bodybuilding stars (hello, Sandow) all the way back to the inception of the medium. More than anyone else, though, Bob Mizer was responsible for developing the genre as it's most familiar to us today, and you can see his influence in contemporary examples as disparate as A&F ads and porn movies. (OK, so maybe those examples aren't really that disparate. But still.) Janssen pays tribute to AMG's founding genius with the publication the latest volume of their "American Photography of the Male Nude" series, which highlights Mizer's work from his founding of the studio in 1944 through its heydey in the 50s and 60s; you'll have to wait until January until it's released here in the US, but you can check out our exclusive preview gallery of images from the book right now. Some things are just too good to have to wait for.

· "American Photography of the Male Nude, Volume 7: Bob Mizer" Preview Gallery (Fleshbot)
· Preorder: "American Photography of the Male Nude, Volume 7: Bob Mizer" (Amazon)
· Athletic Model Guild (athleticmodelguild.com)
· Janssen Publishing (janssenbooks.co.za)