The Male Ideal: Lon of New York and the Masculine Physique

by Lon Hanagan

Long before Bruce Weber or Herb Ritts picked up a camera, there was a photographer whose images glorified the male nude. But Alonzo Hanagan, better known as Lon of New York, was working during the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789309963
• ISBN13: 9780789309969
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Universe Publishing(NY)
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.6" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

In the Beginning: The Contributions of the Pioneer in Male Photography

Lon of New York (AKA Alonzo James Hanagan) is honored is this very beautifully designed and written book by Reed Massengill. Beginning with a fine foreword by Vince Aletti which summarizes Lon's position of importance in the field of photographing the male physique in a time when such photography was literally burned as pornography, Reed Massengill then takes us on a verbal and visual survey of the rather remarkable gifts of this important artist. The pleasure of the book is not just the subject matter (though that is entertaining in and of itself) but rather in the chance to observe how male posing and male ideals have developed since the last century. Very often the body builders Lon of New York used as models are in the poses usually reserved for competitions. It is his taking those poses and pushing them a step toward art that makes them unique. But credit Reed Massengill, one of our finest photographers of the male nude today, to mix the images so that there is little redundancy of stance: beefcake gives way to innocence and pride in the raw and the spectrum is admirable. This is not only a fine book to read and peruse, but it is also an important documentation for the world of art photography and especially for those many fine artists who are now making the images of the male nude a true art form. Recommended. Grady Harp, October 06

How Great Words Beautify Great Art

I was only expecting the photos to be revealing. But this book is so well written that the shots expose even deeper beauty. Photographic history can be so dry, but in this author's hands you are engaged. No longer are the photos just nude shots, but a dangerous moment captured between a man behind a camera and another very real person in front. Illegal in their day, the prints were an act of daring as well as art - but the extent of the daring and danger are only truly felt after reading the great text. This book is a joy!

Beautiful layout, timeless images

Reed Massengill's book on Lon of New York is superb. The layout and design of the book is beautiful and should serve as a template for other photography books. Massengill's introduction is well written and worth reading to better appreciate the photos reproduced in the book. Massengill's writing style reflects storytelling, not simply factual biographical data, and his approach makes Lon of New York a real person, not some distant figure from the past. The inclusion of personal photos throughout the text helps to bring him to life. The physique photos by Lon are timeless (a trademark applicable to Massengill's own photography); they transcend the time period in which they were photographed to reflect male beauty of any age.

Tender truth

Many books on mid 20th century physique photography have appeared in the past 10 years, but none is as good as this one. I agree with the other reviewers who have characterized this book as the ideal model for this type of book. The life of Lon is portrayed truthfully and lovingly by Reed Massengill. The use of candid photos from Lon's own collection of snapshots and self-portraits of him with his models tells us much about the man. A large portion of Lon's work was lost due to the censorship of the past--a great loss when one looks at the earliest images from the 1930's. Many of these photos are breathtaking portrayals of the male body. At least these few images have been preserved and are here for all of us to see. Hopefully, this book will find it's way into the general market and not be limited to a gay clientele. The only drawback comes from the book design. Some of the images are unecessarily cropped sometimes affecting the integrity of the photographs. Most annoying is the placement of all captions in light, small print perpendicular to the page. One often has to turn the book sideways to read the description and identities of the various models, but at least they are identified. Most other physique photography books have failed miserably in this respect. Why wasn't this book produced in a hardcover edition? It deserved to be presented to the world as the serious book that it is. It is not some light-hearted photographic essay. Still, all these shortcomings are easy to overlook. This is a magnificent book done by a man who clearly cares deeply about the photographer and his work. Bravo!

A model

There have been way too many books about homoerotic photographers that are poorly written, badly researched, incomplete, and unilluminating. Here, finally, is one that is a joy to own, a revelation to read, and invigorating in its approach. Great pictures, which are put in context, a fascinating sketch of an unusual life and unusual career, wonderfully designed. Now, Mr. Massengill, we finally have an excellent model for further investigations of other photographers, or artists, or publishers in the fields of gay history, social history, and aesthetics. By the way, the book is also a lot of fun.