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Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
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XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits Hardcover – Bargain Price, October 1, 2004

by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (Author), Gore Vidal (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 76 ratings
Now in paperback, a provocative look at today+s leading porn stars combined with insightful, offbeat and amusing texts by an all-star literary lineup. XXX, by renowned photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, features cleverly paired portraits (one clothed and one nude) of the top stars in pornographic film. A cross section of straight and gay men and women is represented, from porn legends to rising stars. Performers in the book include celebrities like Jenna Jameson (the leading porn star of our time), Ron Jeremy and Nina Hartley, as well as fast-rising names like Sunrise Adams, Belladonna and Chad Hunt. The book also features short essays on the intersection of pornography and culture by a wide range of distinguished writers, including Salman Rushdie, Francine du Plessix Gray, John Malkovich, Nancy Friday, and John Waters. XXX is a landmark artistic work that will contribute to the ongoing debate about the pornification of the culture at large.
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  1. Print length
    144 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bulfinch
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    12.16 x 10.26 x 0.69 inches
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000LP5IOC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bulfinch; First Edition (October 1, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.75 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.16 x 10.26 x 0.69 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 76 ratings

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Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
76 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book interesting, with informative stories and stunning images that present a unique artistic portrait of a lifestyle. They appreciate the self-written bios of the subjects.

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18 customers mention "Interest"15 positive3 negative

Customers find the book interesting, with informative stories that make it fun to read.

"...Finding that some of the performers quotes were both compelling and oddly insightful in ways that seem to defy their profession was humbling...." Read more

"...In leafing through the book's images, I felt a connection with its subjects, not so much as objects of sex, but more as human beings who derive..." Read more

"...Maja -- are sympathetic, unpatronizing, and, I'd be willing to bet, definitive. A wow." Read more

"...Coffee table book? Probably not. But, it is a good book for the artsy book shelf in your home office...." Read more

13 customers mention "Photography"13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the photography in the book, with stunning images that present a unique artistic perspective on a lifestyle.

"...The honesty of both the words and the portraits is so unabashedly real it is easy to regard this book as both art and a window into a part of..." Read more

"...an informed view of the industry and, as importantly, such an aesthetic presentation...." Read more

"...Porn stars without their clothes on. But it's done tastefully so it's art and that's cool. Coffee table book? Probably not...." Read more

"...the cover caught my eye and the photos of the female performers are beautiful (with the exception of a couple:Nina Hartley,please retire)..." Read more

4 customers mention "Bios"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the bios in the book, with one noting they are self-written by the subjects, and another highlighting their diverse and highly personal nature.

"...and women contained in its pages in uniformly respectful and highly personal ways...." Read more

"It is interesting. It has a few articles and self written bios of the subjects. On one page they are in street clothes...." Read more

"...The essays are very diverse and I can honestly say I read it for the articles. [grin] I want his octabox and large-format camera, though...." Read more

"...The bios are certianly good but invidual commentary lacks entertainment because if you dont look at the adult flim industry as human beings...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Richard A. Tucker
    5.0 out of 5 stars honesty this rare deserves credit
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Buying this book was something I had to do after viewing the documentary. The honesty of both the words and the portraits is so unabashedly real it is easy to regard this book as both art and a window into a part of society many have mistakenly avoided. They did so as if it would lessen them by admitting they enjoyed it or were uncomfortable with it. Sometimes our attitudes towards sex have odd ways of making something beautiful and freeing seem tawdry and just plain bad.
    This book goes a long way to dispelling the reluctance people have to talk openly about sex and it's role in our lives both as entertainment and as the act itself.
    Finding that some of the performers quotes were both compelling and oddly insightful in ways that seem to defy their profession was humbling. The world of pornographic films does not really define these people. It's their job, and most seem to enjoy it, but their views from family to religion and politics makes it clear that most of these performers have been underestimated, some in a very big way.
    The portraits are also very revealing in that their nudity is not as titillating as when they're on film. The images of them clothed are in some ways more revealing then when their naked. The subjects' nude photos have a way of demystifying their sexuality, bringing their humanity to the fore but certainly did not make any of them seem vulnerable. They are very comfortable in their skin and it shows. The honesty of these portraits reveals the people and their words are not as surprising as they should seem to be. What's surprising instead is the revelation that for so many years it didn't seem like anyone cared what their take on this life was so long as we were entertained.
    I'm glad someone gave them such a wonderful forum.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Robert Byrd
    5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    I'm an avid collector of photography books and recently added this one to my somewhat extensive collection. Surprisingly, none of the other reviews I read mentioned what I think is most important about this work - its success in humanizing the men and women contained in its pages in uniformly respectful and highly personal ways. In leafing through the book's images, I felt a connection with its subjects, not so much as objects of sex, but more as human beings who derive their livelihood from the sex industry. There's a major difference between the two and Greenfield seems to have captured it. I, for one, have never subscribed to the Andrea Dworkin school of thought that porn is by definition a very bad thing that ultimately results in violence against women (and psychological damage to men well, as some people believe). Perhaps some unsavory individuals make it bad, and some performers enter it for the wrong reasons, but this book reveals that more than a few people are unashamed of their involvement in it and are really quite proud of who they are. Bravo to Greenfield for revealing this fact through his images. I think his book goes a long way in educating us to the fact that there are always shades of gray to every argument!
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Brian D'Amato
    5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a package
    Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    Full disclosure obliges me to mention that I know Timothy and that I'm listed in the acknowledgements for this book. But even if I were a stranger and had just picked this up in a store -- instead of ordering it months in advance from Amazon -- I still would have been quite blown away. There have been (a few) serious treatments of the porn world before, but none that combine such a dazzling array of essayists with such an informed view of the industry and, as importantly, such an aesthetic presentation. The portraits, especially -- with the same poses clothed and unclothed, a la Goya's Maja -- are sympathetic, unpatronizing, and, I'd be willing to bet, definitive. A wow.
    68 people found this helpful
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  • S. Jeffries
    3.0 out of 5 stars It shrinks when its cold
    Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    It's a "before and after" style book. Porn stars with their clothes on. Porn stars without their clothes on. But it's done tastefully so it's art and that's cool. Coffee table book? Probably not. But, it is a good book for the artsy book shelf in your home office. When you are working from home and you glance up from your company-issued-tiny-screened-laptop computer and see the spine of this book on your shelf, you think, "yeah, I've got a book of tasteful nudes on my shelf. I'm so awesome, I don't have to go into work today..." And you're snapped right back into reality as the buzzer from the dryer starts to wail reminding you that you are doing laundry on the company dime!
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • mrsofa
    5.0 out of 5 stars One for when the vicar visits your home
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Great book with superb photography. It's not porn but it is adult, and it's bizarre to see a porn star of both sexes naked then as you would see them in the street.

    I leave this on the coffee table for visitors to get horrified by. If they still don't like it after i've explained the premise, they're not the sort of people I want visiting my home.

    Recommended!
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  • Laurence of Vancouver
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Good book
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  • Moulin Hugo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in France on May 31, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Great
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  • soul boy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2016
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    Excellent book with well photographed pictures
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  • G. Popescu
    4.0 out of 5 stars Male and female...dressed and naked...
    Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Hey,

    This book is pretty straight forward in terms of photos, on one side they're dressed and on one side they're naked. They're standing up and looking straight at the camera, no fancy poses or lighting. It's a pretty raw look at how porn stars look like outside of the movies, and with minimal make up. The text is interesting, especially their thought process and tidbits about the business. The book is almost evenly split with male and female photos, so if you're a fan of both, and want to see how they look like with clothes on in a studio setting then this book's for you.
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