Tuoko Laaksonen, also known as Tom of Finland (1920-1991), was an iconic and provocative artist who rose to cult status in the international gay community and beyond for his work celebrating gay archetypes and masculinity during a time when being gay was taboo. Created in partnership with the Tom of Finland Estate, Tom of Finland: The Official Life and Work of a Gay Hero is a beautifully detailed visual biography full of never or rarely seen documents from his archive. The text was completed just a few months before the death of the artist and was fully approved by him--making this book the only 100% approved biography of this gay legend responsible for creating the muscled, mustachioed gay archetype of the 1960s and '70s. With an extensive biography, and suggestive photos and illustrations, Tom of Finland: The Official Life and Work of a Gay Hero brings to life the icon whose erotic illustrations of men influenced many artists, including Robert Mapplethorpe and Bruce Weber.

A retrospective of the artist's work.

All 26 episodes of the Kake comic serial have been collected in one volume--a reflection of a time when gay men were men, sex was carefree, and everyone wore a big, thick, mustache.

This volume is a historic retrospective of the steamy illustrations published in US magazines from the 1950s to 1990s. Although they were freely available, their often closeted readers put them under their mattresses. Stroke rediscovers these treasures and puts them together with vividly told stories and previously unpublished material. The book was composed by Hunter O'Hanian, director of the Leslie-Lohman Museum, and artist legend Robert W. Richards. It features works of over thirty artists, among other luminaries such as Tom of Finland, Harry Bush, Michael Kirwan, and George Quaintance.