Spanning more than a century of photography and film, Hard to Imagine is the first visual chronicle of the evolution of gay male image culture, from the canonical works of "art" photography and cinema to the private and often highly explicit productions of amateurs. This comprehensive work explores a vast, eclectic tradition in its totality, analyzing the aesthetics of the visual imagery, its production, circulation, and consumption, and broad social and legal implications.

Spanning more than a century of photography and film, Hard to Imagine is the first visual chronicle of the evolution of gay male image culture, from the canonical works of "art" photography and cinema to the private and often highly explicit productions of amateurs.

About the Author
Thomas Waugh is professor of film studies at Concordia University, Montreal, and editor of Show Us Life: Towards a History and Aesthetics of Committed Documentary. His articles on the history of homoerotic film and photography have appeared in the Village Voice, Cineaction!, JUMP CUT, The Body Politic, and other publications.

Reviews
In this vast and valuable study, Waugh has accumulated the most comprehensive study of gay erotic film and photography that will probably ever be undertaken. Library Journal



Book Information
ISBN 9780231099981
Author Thomas Waugh
Format Hardback
Page Count 488
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press