SEXCATS - Christopher R. Mealie
Goliath Books

About ten years ago (maybe more?), I was at car boot sale in North London when I stumbled across a tawdry, tatty paperback book entitled Kinky Cats. I snapped it up immediately. It's a collection of British bondage and fetish photographs from the Sixties with accompanying 'amusing' captions. At just 50p it was a bargain. As a lurid visual record of erotica from an era gone by it's priceless.

Last year, Christopher R. Mealie collected together a treasure trove of titillating black and white pin-up pics from the Fifties and Sixties and the result is Sexcats. This hardback book is similar to the aforementioned Kinky Cats car boot eye-opener, except that you can now thankfully find this Goliath publication in most bookshops or purchase it online. Inside, there are over 330 snapshots of curvaceous American cuties posing provocatively for the camera. Like Irving Klaw's celebrated shots of Bettie Page, these illicit 'girlie pics' were clandestinely sold by the thousands to eager guys denied the chance to see the opposite sex naked or even partially naked. Sexcats affords us a glimpse into the past, when such innocent pics were treated as taboo by a repressed society. There's nothing leery about this pornucopia of pussycats, in fact, it's perfect chatting matter for the coffee table while you sip naughtily-named cocktails with open-minded female friends!

Many of the models featured appear positively proud to be showing off their assets (ahem). And, satisfyingly, all of them have natural, non-silicone enhanced breasts. Occasionally, they have slightly ridiculous expressions but that just adds to the innocent charm of the collection. Many of them are partially clothed in the kind of retro lingerie that nowadays fascinates male and female devotees all over the globe: French knickers, stockings and suspenders, fishnets, garters, long gloves, lace-up boots and see-thru nighties. Towards the end of the book some set-ups feature bondage and mild SM play. The supposedly serious but slightly amused looks on many of the models faces is testament that none of these shots were in any way shot while under duress. Despite the book's title, there are only a few actual pussy shots.

My only complaint is that they didn't choose to use the wild-looking blonde who poses with a bewildered looking black cat on page eighteen for the cover shot. After all, she's fully clothed in a basque, black stockings and boots, so there's no concern about offending anyone and the inclusion of the real feline is purr-fect. Or am I missing something?

RON JOHANNSON

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