Original Collector’s Hardbound Edition of the 50th Anniversary Issue of Playboy Magazine, January 2004

Chicago: Playboy Enterprises, Inc, 2004. First Edition. Playboy Magazine Founder Hugh Hefner’s copy with his bookplate affixed to the front pastedown and a letter of provenance from the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation laid in. This is the last anniversary edition that Hugh Hefner (1926 - 2017) edited and produced during his lifetime, offering his unique perspective as a summing up of the life and impact of the magazine and his career. Hardcover, bound in black cloth with gilt stamping at the spine. The front panel of the dust jacket is identical to the issue’s front (truncated) cover. Mint copy in dust jacket. This issue includes a lengthy and candid interview with Jack Nicholson and articles and fiction by Norman Mailer, David Mamet, Frank Gehry, Hunter S. Thompson, Lauren Weisberger, Chuck Palahniuk, T.C. Boyle, George Plimpton, Scott Turow, Thom Jones, a 20 question interview of Al Franken, and more of what Playboy is known for. The first issue of Playboy was released on October 1, 1953 with Marilyn Monroe as the first centerfold and sold over 50,000 copies. Its final printed issue was released on March 17, 2020, with the magazine now available online. The magazine played an important part in the so-called ‘sexual revolution’ and still remains one of the most recognizable brands in the world. (Inventory #: 22981E)