''Men Only'' is a British magazine title that originated in 1935 as a pocket-sized men's magazine. It became a standard-sized
pin-up
A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion mode ...
soft-core
Softcore pornography or softcore porn, is commercial still photography or film that has a pornographic or erotic component but is less sexually graphic and intrusive than hardcore pornography, defined by a lack of visual sexual penetration. Soft ...
pornographic magazine
Pornographic magazines or erotic magazines, sometimes known as adult, sex or top-shelf magazines, are magazines that contain content of an explicitly sexual nature. Publications of this kind may contain images of attractive naked subjects, as is ...
.
Publication history
1935–1965: Pearson
''Men Only'' was founded in 1935 by C. Arthur Pearson Ltd (at that point an imprint of
George Newnes Ltd
George Newnes Ltd is a British publisher. The company was founded in 1891 by George Newnes (1851–1910), considered a founding father of popular journalism. Newnes published such magazines and periodicals as '' Tit-Bits'', '' The Wide World Mag ...
) as a
pocket magazine
''The Pocket Magazine'' (1895–1901) was an American literary magazine published by the Frederick A. Stokes Company in New York. It was edited by Irving Bacheller from its inception until June 1898, and by Abbot Frederic (a pseudonym for the pu ...
(4½" x 6½"; 115×165 mm). It set out its editorial stall in the first issue: "We don't want women readers. We won't have women readers...." It sought "bright articles on current male topics."
Humour was at the heart of the title, though from the start it carried fiction (including by P. G. Wodehouse), wide-ranging articles, and plates of "art" nudes. Covers were initially text-only, then carried caricatures of famous people until mid-1958, when photographic covers took over; photographers included John Everard and
Joan Craven
Joan Craven (5 November 1897 – 2 July 1979) was an English photographer known for her portraits, artistic studies, advertising, and nudes.
Early life
Joan Mabel Craven was born Mabel Craven on 5 November 1897 in Headingley, Leeds, Yorkshir ...
. It published colour illustrations of models by artists such as
Archie Dickens
Archie Dickens ( christened Archie Bernard Dickins - 1907 – 28 November 2004), son of a bootmaker clicker, was a British greeting card artist and later a pin-up artist who was born in Balham (London) in June 1907.Blas Gallego,
David Wright
David Allen Wright (born December 20, 1982) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the New York Mets. He was drafted by the Mets in 2001 MLB draft and made ...
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'' in the US), on a page labelled ''Let's Join the Ladies''. Cartoons were by illustrators such as Belsky, Antonia Yeoman, Carl Giles,
Frank Hoar
Harold Frank Hoar, FRIBA (13 September 1909 – 3 October 1976) was a British architect, artist, academic and architectural historian. Hoar first came to public prominence when, at the age of 25, he won a competition to design the first ter ...
The Strand Magazine
''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...
'' in 1950, it was castigated by ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econ ...
'' for concentrating its resources on ''
London Opinion
''London Opinion and Today'', often known as ''London Opinion'', was a British magazine published from 1903 until 1954, when it was merged with Pearson's '' Men Only''. It ran weekly from 26 December 1903 to 27 June 1931, and was then published m ...
'' and ''Men Only''. ''Men Only'' had coloured frontispieces and rather trivial main pages. (''Men Only'' absorbed ''London Opinion'' in 1954, at that point relaunching the magazine in a racier style.) The magazine was at the height of its popularity in 1955, with some issues reaching 200 pages in size.
''Men Only'''s publisher Newnes/Pearson became part of
International Publishing Corporation
TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its tit ...
(IPC) in 1959–1960.
Another pocket title, Hulton's ''
Lilliput Lilliput may refer to:
Geography
* Lilliput (townland), a townland in County Westmeath, Ireland
* Lilliput, Dorset, a district in the town of Poole in Dorset, United Kingdom
* Lilliput Glacier, the smallest named glacier in the Sierra Nevada of C ...
'', was better known, but ''Men Only'' took over ''Lilliput'' in 1960. All these titles were affected by the growth of television; it also lost readers to titles such as Haymarket's ''Man About Town'' (later ''Town'') and ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
''. In response, in 1963 ''Men Only'' adopted a larger format and more pin-ups — but also reduced its frequency to bimonthly.
1965–1971: City Magazines
IPC sold ''Men Only'' to
City Magazines
City Magazines was a British publisher of weekly comics and men's magazines that operated from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. The company's most notable publications were comics magazines based on licensed television properties, including '' TV ...
in 1965 — at that point City Magazines was already publishing the pin-up magazines ''
Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival ...
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...
''."Men Only," Magforum Archived at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Apr. 20, 2021. The magazine returned to a monthly schedule, but was still mainly in black-and-white with a colour pin-up centre spread. Cartoonists published in ''Men Only'' during this period included Ian Miller, Paul Sample, and
Pete Dredge
Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to:
People
* Pete (given name)
* Pete (nickname)
* Pete (surname)
Fictional characters
* Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe
* Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a charact ...
.
1971–present: Paul Raymond Publications/Blue Media Publishing Group
In 1971, Paul Raymond, who ran nightclubs in London's Soho district, acquired ''Men Only'' "Porn baron Raymond dies aged 82," ''BBC NEWS'' (3 March 2008). and relaunched it as the start of a top-shelf publishing empire, increasing its circulation to 400,000 copies a month. It was the main competitor to Fisk Publishing's ''
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...
'' as well as US magazines such as ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'' and '' Penthouse'' during the 1970s and 1980s (Raymond latterly took over ''Mayfair'' in 1990).
Early issues of Paul Raymond's ''Men Only'' often included serious articles and interviews, though since the 1980s these have largely been omitted. Photographers from the early years included Fred Enke, R. B. Kane,
Harrison Marks
George Harrison Marks (6 August 1926 – 27 June 1997) was an English glamour photographer and director of nudist, and later, pornographic films.
Personal life
Born in Tottenham, Middlesex in 1926, Marks was 17 when he married his first wife, ...
Anette Dawn
Anett Bocsi (born May 9, 1978), known by her stage name Anette Dawn, is a Hungarian call girl, make-up artist, ceramist, model and former pornographic actress. She rose to prominence for her career as a model and adult film actress that she made ...
, Linsey Dawn McKenzie, and Bobbi Eden. Over the years, models featured in ''Men Only'' have also appeared in different photoshoots in Paul Raymond's '' Club International'' (a title bought from
IPC Magazines
TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its ti ...
). Centerfold models were called ''Men Only Girl'' or ''Men Only Miss''.
In September 2012, Paul Chapin purchased the Paul Raymond Publications stable of magazines, including ''Men Only'', ''
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...
'', and '' Club International'' on behalf of Blue Media Publishing Group. Blue Publishing, however, entered
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...
a year later.
The publishers of ''Men Only'' also publish ''Club International'', '' Escort'', ''Mayfair'', '' Men's World'' and '' Razzle''. Their magazines are available in most newsagents, although some larger retailers require a modesty bag to protect minors from seeing nudity on the cover.
''Men Only'' is also sold in digital format at the main Paul Raymond website. Digital sales initially took place via the Paul Raymond digital newsstand from 2013 until that website closed.
References
Sources
* Robbins, Fred (1975). "Men Only Interview with
Lynne Frederick
Lynne Frederick (25 July 1954 – 27 April 1994) was an English actress, film producer, and fashion model. In a career spanning ten years, she made over thirty appearances in film and television productions. Known for her classic English rose b ...