Thanks for these great early reviews!
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Authors Scott McGillivray and Ron Suresha have compiled a collection of photographs by famous and not so famous photographers who focus on furry men, and in addition to realtime representation on film they have also gathered artists and illustrators who have fun with the concept of hair and bear. The book is divided into chapters, opening with FUR: THE LOVE OF HAIR in which hair as a body aspect is thoroughly discussed along with a history of the first appearance of hair as a puber[t]al lad and the progress to either loving it or shaving it. In HAIRY AS A BEAR the labels and secrets and categorizations of men who love hair is discussed and in FUR AS FETISH the more libidinous aspect of hair attraction is shared. FUR AS FASHION AND ART is self explanatory with many examples of artists who deem the hairier the model, the more artistic and desirable the image. FAMOUS AND FAMILIAR FUR is a chapter devoted to the actors, TV celebrities, porn stars, and sports figures who proudly display body fur. In THE POLITICS OF FUR is a very informative chapter on the development of appreciation and division of admiration among gay men as to the importance of hair as an indicator of manliness. And finally FURRY FACES AND PHYSIQUES examines beards, mustaches etc as an aspect of fur love that is not to be ignored.
The artwork in this oversized book (not unlike most of the men models herein!) is top quality photography and illustration. Interesting to note that the emphasis on hair seems to be joined with the beefy look in physique: beer bellies abound and most of the models appear to have just stepped off construction jobs. There is plenty of piercing and tattooing hiding in the fur and one aspect of the feeling of the book is that in addition to the eroticism captured there is an overriding sense of fun and entertainment.
So whether or not the reader is a furrier devotee or one who prefers the furless physique, this is a book full of entertainment and a solid dollop of genuine sociological information. Grady Harp, May 12
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“Fur: The Love of Hair” by Ron Suresha and Scott McGillivray— Hibernation is Over
Reviews by Amos Lassen • May 7, 2012
There was a time, and I remember it well, when a hairy man was a symbol of masculinity and for many of us this is still true today. I always have said, “Give me a man who looks like a man” because a smooth body does nothing for me. We are circling back to that again and hairy chests are returning to what we call “in style”. Facial hair has also regained its rightful place and while there are some that eschew this, they can eschew it alone. Suresha and McGillivray have produced this volume as a successor to their highly successful “Hair” from a couple of years ago and they have done themselves and the hairy community proud. Here we get wonderful photographs and text about men who are proud of their hair and who willingly share it with us (woof). As the motto says, “To love hair is human, to fur-give is divine.” This is a coffee table book for those who love hair and it proudly sits on my coffee table.
The very fact that the term, “manscape” has entered our vocabulary is a bit offensive to me. Why alter what we have? Is there even a need to do so (and besides some of these smooth guys are hard to hold onto and just slide away). The book contains wonderful images, both iconic and contemporary, of our hairy brothers and some of the finest Bear artists are represented here as well as lesser known portrayers and this book will have your mouth watering and your hormones raging. The text is clever and fun and one of the exciting things about this book is that it is universal with representation from Japan, Australia, France, Peru, Italy, Argentina Mexico, Germany, Canada, as well as the United States.
We get, through the text, a great deal of information about how hair is perceived in the LGBT community and I found the book irresistible. A word about the authors—Suresha is a well known writer who has devoted himself to writing about the bear community. He is a three time Lambda Literary Award finalist Gillivray was editor, designer and associate publisher of “Bear” Magazine from 1998-2002 and of “100% Beef” Magazine from 2002-2012. These men know hair.
