Bel Ami - Paradise Found (Hardback) - Common Unknown Binding

love the models, prefer them posed alone, each in his own pose

I have been a Howard Roffman fan for all of the years that he's been doing his craft. I think I have his entire catalog. This book is now number 18. I would compare this with Private Moments (1st edition), except the book is larger in size and allows you to see more of the boys. If you enjoy the Bel Ami twinks, you'll definitely enjoy the variety and poses in the book. It is a very sensual and erotic look at the boys in South Africa.

I actually bought this book for a friend, who wanted to give it to someone else as a present. That being said, I looked at the pictures, and they didn't do that much for me. The guys were to young and didn't arouse me that much. The quality of the photography is, however, outstanding. If you like "twinks," you might enjoy this book.

I think this is #17 in my collection of Howard Roffman photo books, not counting the many calendars of his I have bought over the years, so it's obvious I am a big fan. This latest one featuring the beautiful and carefree boys of Bel Ami is simply stunning. Huge coffee table size book packed with more than 150 full page (some spread over two pages) glorious color photos. Just wonderful shots of the Bel Ami boys enjoying fun and games, being with each other, having romantic moments and even enjoying each others erections, all done with style and taste and a heavy dose of eroticism. A high watermark for both Roffman and publisher Bruno Gmunder.

"While the boys of Bel Ami dedicate themselves to a stunning performance--as can be seen and admired in the label's many movies--Roffman follows them with his camera. He captures their funny and sexy moments; he watches them in their quiet and in their frisky minutes. You can tell that over the years of cooperation between the Bel Ami boys and their photographer a certain kind of intimateness has grown; the pictures are even more spontaneous and outgoing than in the first two books--they are all about enjoying the good life. And though Roffman sticks to his distinctive and moving style his new pictures are more sexually charged than all his work before. PARADISE FOUND contains intimate pictures of adolescent men. A splendid paradise--with no Eve in sight."(Review from Bent magazine)

I purchased the book after reading the write up review about it. After receiving the book and browsing through it I was very disappointed to find that the photo subjects were just naked young men, possibly one of them was over eighteen, or seemed to be, the rest were quite older. Definitely they are not adolescent boys as described in the review, neither are the shots natural. The young men, although maybe not prompted by the photographer, are posing, aware that they are being photographed. The description is as I say - misleading. Aesthetically, the best photo is in fact the one on the front cover. If you like naked young men consciously posing for camera then it's a fine book. If you like looking at naked adolescent boys you will be extremely disgruntled to find that you have been duped and misled by the write-up.

Love it