Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground

WINNER: 2018 Foreword INDIES Award The illustrated story of Eric Stanton and the rise of American fetish art, featuring Steve Ditko, Bettie Page, John Willie, Charles Guyette, Irving Klaw, Leonard Burtman, Edward Mishkin, and Gene Bilbrew. With over 400 rare images and personal photos. Includes illustrated Collector’s Guide, plus full Index. BOOK DESCRIPTION: Tracing the rise of commercial fetish art from its shadowy beginnings in the 1940s to its acceptance in the 1970s, this illustrated biography explores the unconventional life and art of Eric Stanton, a pioneering sexual fantasist who helped shape the movement. With more than 400 rare images and interviews with Stanton’s family and closest associates, this biography chronicles the infamous circle of patrons, publishers, and cult icons populating his subterranean world, including Irving Klaw, John Willie, Bettie Page, Steve Ditko, and Gene Bilbrew. It is the untold, secret history of a misunderstood culture, the abuses of government authority, social intolerance, and gangsters. But above all, it is a tale about survival against all odds and an artist who had the courage to stay true to himself.