My Buddy: World War II Laid Bare by (August 1, 2014) Hardcover Hardcover – January 1, 1605

Possibly the gold standard in WWII memory book of mixed gay and straight interest, this is one of the most complete collections of "off-duty" photos of soldiers and sailors of many nations in wartime currently available. Aside from the excellent photos themselves, the most notable aspects of the publication is the selection of excerpts from earlier texts from pop tunes ("My Buddy") to pointedly gay texts used for only veiled erotic context if at all ("Coming Out Under Fire") to famous man memoirs (Gore Vidal) to set up and organize the collections of depictions. One of the most extensive of these, an "Introduction" (some introduction! It starts 61 pages into the text!) by one Scotty Bowers, an at one time baby faced 18 year old marine closet case now in his 80's (see his own more salacious post-war gay Hollywood memoir, "Full Service") whose detailed memoir of the context of the photos would raise the book head and shoulders over the competition were it not for his too frequent "me thinks the lady doth protest too much" insistence that there was no homosexual activity or even subtext in his beloved Marine Corps. - an insistence all too often belied by the photos themselves and his own narration. CAN one "even rub another guy's cock" (Bowers' words) with no thought of homosexual overtones? A couple illiterate Amazon commentators have objected to the multi-lingual text of this excellent Taschen release claiming it was frustrating that they could not follow ALL the text. Had they bothered to look a little closer, even without significant linguistic skill, they would have noticed that the multi-lingual texts are merely REPEATING in French and German (for the aid of other nations' readers where Taschen markets) the same texts first given in English. ALL the photo captions (where given) are in English. The list price is on the high side, but thanks to the web, few buyers who care to be as fair to their purses as to their eyes and intellects need actually pay full price. Given the basic publication costs today, the $41 that I paid was entirely reasonable.

There are more than a few homo-erotic depictions in this coffee table collection of WWI "RnR."Sailors lived in close quarters and were essentially immodest. The frontal-nude photos are an amazing collection of "pre-modest" American Men who were proud owners...and it shows!(The circumcision-laden offspring [Baby Boomer Boys] would not have NEARLY as much casual exposure... while exaggerating their modesty.)

This book is chock full of soldiers bare-assed or frontally naked. The men in the photos are shown in the shower, at a beach, on their bunks, etc. It is casual nudity of men living and working together. There are several pictures of naked men at play, such as one man sitting on another's shoulders in a lake. These are men, who were comfortable with one another without homophobia coming into play. It was innocent camaraderie without it being sexual. A lot of men would not like the thought of one guy's bare balls resting on his shoulder. These are average guys in the army caught exposing themselves in real-life situations. Not all of the guys are hunks, but they are all beautiful.

This book was very interesting. It was great reading about how the men coped with all the mayhem in their lives. This is a slice of how things were back then. A different perspective on men and war. Times were much simpler back then. People could be people without being labeled. Many lifelong friendships developed among these men who had been thrust together in the mists of war.

Absolutely incredible book. The photos, the text all transport the viewer to a far distant time and give you an entirely new take on what it was like during the quiet times between fighting. The male bonding, the brotherhood of the soldiers, is beautiful depicted in this priceless collection of photos. It is historic, it is artistic, it is sociological, it is simply so many things wrapped up in one beautifully produced book that will occupy a place of honor on my bookshelf.

Even though the text is multi-lingual the pictures in this beautifully crafted book speak a universal language. The fun,frivolity and companionship of bare Laid buddies captures an intimate spontaneity of men with men in the most dire circumstances. These photographs are beautiful on many levels remember photos my father had from world war two-like these-they spoke of a dimension only the participants could fully understand.

Interesting historical pictures from World War II I enjoyed this book very much

A strange book, intently claiming the guys are all straight, but a gay atmosphere is pervasive. The author don't seem sure whether they're writing history or marketing nudes. The result is odd but interesting. The book is very heavy, with a binding that emulates the embossed leather albums marketed during World War II.

Beautifully produced this is a gorgeous book which is, to be honest, mostly about the pictures. The text is a bit thin and variable. One for the coffee table.

I am amazed and moved by this "buddy" book. Another side to modern day warfare.

perfect in every way - thank you

Excellent product + smooth transaction = Happy customer.

Fascinating book a real eye opener into the intimacy of these brave men from our past!