Ben’s Books

Ben’s Books are all about the pictures!

There are many different titles, but essentially, they all have very similar content - there are no details about the models or any silly blurb at all; just pictures, often set out in a fairly random way. Some of the earlier books do give some technical data about each of the picture sets, with regard to the setting of the camera and the type of lighting used, as a guide for the amateur photographer - supposedly to help them to obtain the highest standards of artistic photography. These books have no dates of any kind, making them quite difficult to catalogue.

As a direct comparison to the ToCo series of books that were popular at the same time, they certainly have more content and generally used a better-quality paper in their production, which makes the pictures crisper and of higher quality throughout. They were though, quite a bit more expensive than some of the other popular titles. I would like to think, and I am sure they did too, that these books were a bit more for the connoisseur of pin up photography, something to collect rather than just to be passed around at work.

The content was also more risqué, with much more in the way of topless shots and some full nudity - with, of course, the obligatory airbrushing taking place in a way not dissimilar to QT and Kamera. For me though, the books would have been greatly improved if we had been given the models’ names. It just adds something extra, but that’s only my point of view. However, it is interesting to note that some of the girls that we have become familiar with in the ToCo series of books did pop up from time to time in Ben’s Books – often in racier poses than those used by ToCo.

I have worked hard to catalogue these books as best I can, but most of the models still remain unknown to me. Where I have spotted a familiar face, I have noted it against that book. It would be great as usual to hear from anyone about anything to do with any of the Ben’s Books titles - even down to spotting a face that you may well be able to put a name to; it all adds to the bigger picture. As more and more of us shuffle off, or just become too old to care, that knowledge will be lost forever. Please do get into contact with me if you think you have anything to offer.

I do not have a full collection of any of the Ben’s Books titles, but over time I will make available the books that I do have as eBooks for us all to enjoy again. To the right is a list of the titles that I am aware of; it is, I am sure, not comprehensive but a start.