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“For decades my memory has left me with lurid and sultry images of illustrated covers of men’s magazines. As a child I was totally possessed by this intriguing artwork, but now in the age of political correctism, Feral House has committed the unspeakable. They brought the socially incompatible flotsam back to us in a wonderful book, It’s a Man’s World.”
— Robert Williams

“…This glossy book’s considerable appeal is in the lurid visuals, of which there are plenty… Bursting the seams with full-color images of adventurous men facing cannibal savages, evil Nazis and busty women in chains (or doing the chaining)…”
— Bay Area Reporter

“The buttoned-down image of 1950s America comes undressed … in the pages of It’s a Man’s World … a red-blooded celebration of unbridled virility… A panorama of vintage covers and magazine layouts as well as acerbic insightful narratives from Parfrey and his contributors … a sprawling, well-endowed retrospective of a lost mid-20th century culture.”
— Spin

“Lurid, full-color cover paintings rich with hot nympho babes in peril, manly men in combat and action, action, action… An admirable addition to the Feral House catalogue… Incredible.”
— Fairfield County Weekly

“This awesome deluxe 290 pg. book reproduces 100s of beautifully drawn full color covers that make old horror comic covers seem tame… exciting, imaginative, sexy, surreal, nightmarish, in many cases unbelievably demented… Articles about and by some of the best artists and the memories of former men’s magazine editor Bruce Jay Friedman are also fascinating. The price is a bargain, so buy a copy!”
— Psychotronic

“Remarkable.”
— Edmonton Journal

“Exquisite creatures of pulp addiction: Sex. Power. War. Publishers of men’s magazines have always striven to appeal to the basest of male instincts, particularly after WWII, as soldiers struggled to adapt to a new society booming with suburban sprawl. Consequently, executives funneled hundreds of men’s adventure magazines into newsstands, where the rags found their own boom in the consumer frenzy of postwar America. It’s a Man’s World is the most impressive study of these pulps to date.”
— Orlando Weekly

“…visually stunning and unmistakably alluring… It’s a Man’s World is an amazing time capsule of the rugged world of men’s fiction.”
— Java’s Bachelor Pad

“Parfrey and design editor Hedi El Kholti both deserve praise.”
— Reason

“Sometimes sexy, sometimes violent, sometimes shocking, these striking color images of cover art and interior illustrations fully capture the heyday of American male popular culture, showcasing the heady violence and sensual sex drive that distinguished the hot-selling and sometimes disreputable periodical publications. An insightful text provides context and insight making It’s a Man’s World a truly remarkable and very highly recommended showcase of 20th century American popular culture.”
— Midwest Book Review

“Adam Parfrey presents not only an astonishing collection of lurid ‘adventure magazine’ covers but an equally impressive assortment of stories about the industry… Packed with full-color illustrations, this is a look at pop culture that will provide hours of reading and viewing amazement.”
— Playtime

“Lavishly illustrated.”
— Boston Globe

“Parfrey has put together an impressive collection of covers and illustrations from that long-gone stream of magazines like Adam, Mr., Swagger, For Men Only and Man’s Life that once crowded the tawdrier newsstands… The book is fun…”
— LA Weekly (Holiday Gift Books guide)

“It’s a Man’s World has both charm and strength.”
— Rain Taxi

“Beautifully designed hardback coffee-table book, its big glossy pages the perfect medium to show off each mag’s striking cover illustrations and lurid colours… Only a dyed-in-the-wool misery could deny the brilliance of the artwork on display.”
— Maxim

“One of ‘100 Best Things in the World’”
— GQ

“Outstanding… Thanks to this book, the golden era of these charming, ridiculous publications have the testament they deserve.”
— Bizarre

“It’s a Man’s World is a beautifully illustrated book about men’s adventure magazines in the early ’50s through the late ’70s… (The illustrations) are phenomenal… Anyone interested in writing, history, comics or art should definitely check this book out.”
— SLUG Magazine

“(A) kaleidoscopic ode to these popular periodicals and their pinups for gentlemen… Parfrey has gathered more than 500 such images and supplemented them with commentary by and about many of the best writers, illustrators, editors, and publishers in the biz.”
— The Advocate

“An astounding survey of the psyche of the American male.”
— Dazed and Confused

“Alternately called ‘adventure magazines’ and ‘armpit slicks,’ publications like True West, American Manhood and Challenge for Men enjoyed their heyday from the early 1950s through the early ’70s. With their campy cover paintings of men at war, hunks on horseback and buxom women, these magazines gave blue-collar workers “warnings, how-to’s, and comforting memories of wartime.” For Parfrey, they’re worth looking at today because “they tell us so much about American working-class fears, desires and wet dreams.” Parfrey intersperses this collection of full-color reproductions with essays by contributors on subjects ranging from exotica and “the sadistic burlesque” to the Cold War. The essays will be helpful to readers trying to make sense out of such images as UFOs closing their clamp-like hands around fretting females with their shirts unbuttoned (from Peril: The All Man’s Magazine), and a burly, shirtless man straddling a flagpole flying a torn American flag (from Climax: Exciting Stories for Men).”
— Publishers Weekly