Though the photos in this book are worth a look, the writing is the worst kind of Gender Studies drivel available. For example: "The crossfire to which males are subjected these days - in the form of protests and questioning of gender identity and depiction of a general contemporary male perplexity and confusion - constitutes one of the most frequent and popular ploys of media communications and of fashion, which is, so to speak, the reified, objectified version of that communication transformed into tangible, salable products." Such writing is exclusive to fields of study that have very little to offer except puffy, bombastic prose... which is, so to speak, a way of saying that this emperor has no clothes.

As I student of gender, I was happy to find this book. From images of Batman to Armani, the authors pull together what it means to be manly in our era and the one before. Pictures are spread through out and fit perfectly. It's a fun book just to fip through. Once you start reading the articles are intelligent and well connected. There's nothing else like this on the market and is well worth the price.

Maybe I expected too much, but promised more than delivered. Informative, but felt as though could have been more so. Still, for this niche, it's probably the only game in town. Worth a go if you can make the time