This magazine used to be very well respected, even by those who hated the fact that it had pictures of naked women. (I've always suspected that the women who hate the fact that Playboy has naked pictures of women are really more upset at the magazine for trying to make it okay to have a magazine with naked pictures of women.)

The bottom line is that without the pictures of the women, the magazine still has value for any intellectual person.

There is some great fiction, interesting commentaries, funny jokes, and the best interviews of any magazine. Many famous authors have written for Playboy including Woody Allen, Ray Bradbury, Jack Kerouac, Arthur C. Clarke, Ian Fleming, Vladimir Nobokov,David Mamet, John Updike, Truman Capote, and even Albert Brooks just to name a handful. Jules Feiffer was even one of their early cartoonists.

Playboy interviews have included many people who seldom do interviews. There are the famous interviews, like Jimmy Carter or the Beatles, but lets not forget the interviews of such politically important people like Martin Luther King, Malcom X, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein, and almost every political correspondent there is. They have interviewed many famous celebrities who normally would never do interviews like Robert DeNiro and Kevin Spacey. Their interviews have often had a knack of finding important people, just before they became important.
And then there is the porn. If you don't like it, fine, but I dare anyone to say that they can find a classier magazine with naked women. If you think these women are being exploited, just pick up any of the competitors to decide if they are even in the same category as Playboy. The magazine has always tried to show a strong appreciation for women, far more than just titilation.

If I have any complaints, it would be that each year, for the last five or so, Playboy has gone down in quality regarding their respectability level. I shouldn't complain too much though, since so have most news sources, the media, and network TV as well.

They also have a very good gift subscription program running. You can get someone a Playboy subscription as a gift, and it will be at a discount. It will also come with a card stating whom the gift is from, and at renewal time, the gift giver will get a notice offering to renew it, before the receiver of the magazine gets one. This is very convenient.

Each issue costs $6 at the newstands, but a yearly subscription will cut that price in half. I have never seen them have any special deals like some of the newer magazines where you can order them for much less if you buy three years or more worth. Buying a subscription may also be the way to go, since it seems to have gotten much harder finding it on your average magazine rack.

It is well worth finding.


Recommended: Yes