In this seductive album of vintage erotica, stunning reproductions of vintage postcards from 1902–1937 pay homage to the great fantasy classics. All styles of fetishism—dressed up in thigh-high boots or in a particularly spectacular garter belt—vie for the reader’s attention. The conquest of a demure secretary is played out in four scenes on a series of cards. Even the much-parodied French maid shows her saucy side, not to be outdone by a bevy of sassy dominatrices. Men with women, women with women, and various versions of the ménage à trois find their way between the sheets... of this album. Four original racy tales from celebrated contemporary French authors accompany the postcards. Beautifully printed on off-set paper, the book includes a ribbon marker, just in case the reader gets carried away on his or her own fantasy. Sexy and classy, Erotic French Postcards makes a beautiful—and suggestive—gift.

Long before pin-ups, Playboy, or the Internet, enterprising Parisians at the turn of the 20th-century turned the relatively new invention of the camera toward the female nude. Artfully posed with classical architecture or in flirtatious dishabille with stockings and lingerie, the winking models embody the erotic fantasies of a repressed society. Some of the women shown are demure and shy, wearing a slip or low-cut blouse-a great tease in an age when showing an ankle was scandalous. Their daring glimpses of decolletage carry a particular charge, so rare in today's world of overexposure. These cards were sold, often in packets, at street kiosks and under tabac counters, hush-hush but nevertheless ubiquitous. As foreigners flooded the city in the early part of the 20th-century, the cards became cherished souvenirs that were secretly collected and shared among men abroad. This is when the phrase -French postcards- became a euphemistic code for erotic nude images. These lovely ladies evoke a campy nostalgia that celebrates a healthy, voluptuous ideal of sensual feminine beauty. More retro than raunchy, French Postcards has the saucy fun of a naughty valentine, sure to charm and entertain a friend or lover.

Fifty years before Bettie Page became a pinup icon, another beauty was equally celebrated in Europe. Her name was Fernande. While Bettie adorned the pages of men's magazines, Fernande's medium was artistic erotic postcards, which were all the rage at the time. Little is known about the lovely Fernande, not even her last name. Though she is largely forgotten today, her postcards are still collected worldwide by an ardent following. This story follows Fernande's rise to fame, tying together the facts and speculations about the Parisian beauty. Included for your enjoyment is a selection of Miss Fernande's most memorable photographs.

An evocative, gorgeous four-season look at cooking in Maine, with 100 recipes No one can bring small-town America to life better than a native. Erin French grew up in Freedom, Maine (population 719), helping her father at the griddle in his diner. An entirely self-taught cook who used cookbooks to form her culinary education, she now helms her restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, in a historic mill in the same town, creating meals that draw locals and visitors from around the world to a dining room that feels like an extension of her home kitchen. The food has been called “brilliant in its simplicity and honesty” by Food & Wine, and it is exactly this pure approach that makes Erin’s cooking so appealing—and so easy to embrace at home. This stunning giftable package features a vellum jacket over a printed cover.

Examines postcards as images that are carriers of text, and textual correspondence that circulate images across boundaries of class, gender, nationality and race. Discusses issues concerning the concrete practices of production, consumption, collection and appropriation.