Mayfair Magazine - "It's the Quality of the Editorial".

Foxbark · May 19th, 2008, 11:02 AM

Greetings Friends,
The old cliche' used to be that men used to purchase porno mags not for the 'dirty pictures' but, inexplicably, for the quality of the articles contained therein.
Of course, the above line was bullsh*t (notwithstanding the fact that Playboy (soft enough to be on open display at the cake-stand of the proverbial Vicarage Tea Party always had 'literary' pretensions), but in the case of the late, great Mayfair magazine (as in the the 'Fisk' years of 1965-1990 before Paul Raymond turned it into a pornographic also-ran) this was actually true.
As I came sexually of age in the late 70s to early 80s (a long process as it happened) and transferred the main allegiance of my mind from steam engines, warships, soldiery and all the other 'boy's stuff', I found Mayfair a most delightful read.Not only where the women featured all gloriously 'adult' in the 70s sense of silk stockings, bouffant hair, jewellery and soft-focus and satin bed-sheets, but the articles in that magazine were top-rated and agreed with my mind-obsessions of the day - learned articles about the Vikings, the siege of Constaninople jostle in postion with similar write-ups on traction engines railway locomotives and 'Jowett Jupiters' (an obscure british car of the 1920s).
A most interesting read and wank fodder - the 'quest' section was excellent, somehow the mag carried off the atmosphere of being 'quintessentially English' in the sense of cigars and brandy after dinner.
As a teenager Mayfair (for its high-classness) and Escort (for its 'Benny Hill' fat arse obsession) were my eagerly anticipated monthly purchases.
Oh, and a 'wee dram of the hard stuff' in the the shape of a nasty Sullivan Playbirds or Whitehouse did wonders in the trousers dept.

**Bovon** · May 19th, 2008, 08:58 PM

FB - That my friend is a first-class post. You will find that many others on VEF hold similar views. Er, possibly why VEF was started in the first place?

spectacles · June 25th, 2008, 05:14 PM

Stroll on FB
Mayfair was entry level stuff and safe enough that you could keep it under the bed without your Mum having a fit and threatening to turf you out in the street.

It was also entry level for the models. You would see a girl in Mayfair, all soft focus and next she'd be in Men Only or Club with her legs open and all on show then a couple of months later in Whitehouse or Lovebirds held open and posing with other girls. If you were really lucky they'd appear in Euro mags Like CC or R@£$x. For those of us growing up in the eighties the early part was a golden age as almost all our favourites, Andrea Clarke, Stacey Owen,Louise Hodges and Nicky Pearce appeared on a regular basis and all of a sudden with VHS they were making H/Core films as well -magic. Heady days and Mayfair was at the centre of it all.

**Jeepster1973** · June 27th, 2008, 09:28 AM

Agree with the views expressed above. I have a soft spot for Mayfair from the 70's. Yes, you definitely could read the articles. I remember one on the short-lived steam submarines which was excellent and Quest was always worth a read.

guernica · July 3rd, 2010, 05:12 PM

I agree, Mayfair would be worth collecting just for the actual articles and not for the girls.

Gentle Giant · April 25th, 2012, 12:49 AM

...it's where I first read about the Elephant Man, John Meyrick, and the Doble steam car, among many other diverse topics.
I so regret giving away that box full of 70s and 80s Mayfairs when we moved.

**haroldeye** · April 25th, 2012, 09:43 AM

Jowett Jupiter - 50's not 20's my mates elder brother had one.

The short stories were brilliant too. I have 15 years worth of Mayfair sitting in the Garage and I should sell them but before I do I need to scan the stories and articles. I can get the photos off the net but the writte3n stuff is so good.

isambard1803 · April 25th, 2012, 11:34 AM

Mayfair was fun. It avoided the absurdly overblown "Playboy philosophy" crap of Hefner, but the "Eagle for grown-ups" stuff, like the splendid drawings of traction engines and locos, with the tales of military derring-do, ceratinly complemented the naughty pictures.

Regarding the latter, I don't exactly agree with spectacles about "entry level" for the girls. It wasn't uncommon for Mayfair to publish sets in which further pictures exist in which the girls show more, or for pics to be cropped so as to be less revealing. (A good example of the former is the set of "Madeline Blake" by "John Patrick Burgess", actually Marlene Mourreau photographed by Jean-Pierre Bourgeois, where I think some of the missing pics from the Mayfair set are available on her thread.)

**haroldeye** · April 25th, 2012, 04:29 PM

What I can't understand is why Sullivan bought it and then made it like all his other titles. He had a winning formula and just ruined it overnight.

**Staffsyeoman** · April 25th, 2012, 07:04 PM

Sullivan? It was Paul Raymond who bought and ruined it, with all the identikit East European models.

May 19th, 2008, 11:02 AM	#1
Foxbark Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 275 Thanks: 372 Thanked 2,021 Times in 259 Posts	Mayfair Magazine - "It's the Quality of the Editorial". Greetings Friends, The old cliche' used to be that men used to purchase porno mags not for the 'dirty pictures' but, inexplicably, for the quality of the articles contained therein. Of course, the above line was bullsh*t (notwithstanding the fact that Playboy (soft enough to be on open display at the cake-stand of the proverbial Vicarage Tea Party always had 'literary' pretensions), but in the case of the late, great Mayfair magazine (as in the the 'Fisk' years of 1965-1990 before Paul Raymond turned it into a pornographic also-ran) this was actually true. As I came sexually of age in the late 70s to early 80s (a long process as it happened) and transferred the main allegiance of my mind from steam engines, warships, soldiery and all the other 'boy's stuff', I found Mayfair a most delightful read.Not only where the women featured all gloriously 'adult' in the 70s sense of silk stockings, bouffant hair, jewellery and soft-focus and satin bed-sheets, but the articles in that magazine were top-rated and agreed with my mind-obsessions of the day - learned articles about the Vikings, the siege of Constaninople jostle in postion with similar write-ups on traction engines railway locomotives and 'Jowett Jupiters' (an obscure british car of the 1920s). A most interesting read and wank fodder - the 'quest' section was excellent, somehow the mag carried off the atmosphere of being 'quintessentially English' in the sense of cigars and brandy after dinner. As a teenager Mayfair (for its high-classness) and Escort (for its 'Benny Hill' fat arse obsession) were my eagerly anticipated monthly purchases. Oh, and a 'wee dram of the hard stuff' in the the shape of a nasty Sullivan Playbirds or Whitehouse did wonders in the trousers dept.

June 25th, 2008, 05:14 PM	#3
spectacles Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 78 Thanks: 499 Thanked 802 Times in 71 Posts	Stroll on FB Mayfair was entry level stuff and safe enough that you could keep it under the bed without your Mum having a fit and threatening to turf you out in the street. It was also entry level for the models. You would see a girl in Mayfair, all soft focus and next she'd be in Men Only or Club with her legs open and all on show then a couple of months later in Whitehouse or Lovebirds held open and posing with other girls. If you were really lucky they'd appear in Euro mags Like CC or R@£$x. For those of us growing up in the eighties the early part was a golden age as almost all our favourites, Andrea Clarke, Stacey Owen,Louise Hodges and Nicky Pearce appeared on a regular basis and all of a sudden with VHS they were making H/Core films as well -magic. Heady days and Mayfair was at the centre of it all. Last edited by Greenman; June 25th, 2008 at 05:52 PM..

July 3rd, 2010, 05:12 PM	#5
guernica Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: London Posts: 55 Thanks: 140 Thanked 295 Times in 47 Posts	I agree, Mayfair would be worth collecting just for the actual articles and not for the girls. __________________ "Time is of the essence and I don't have much essence left." - Graham Hill

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May 19th, 2008, 08:58 PM	#2
Bovon Vintage Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 509 Thanks: 392 Thanked 20,670 Times in 580 Posts	FB - That my friend is a first-class post. You will find that many others on VEF hold similar views. Er, possibly why VEF was started in the first place?

June 27th, 2008, 09:28 AM	#4
Jeepster1973 Vintage Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 886 Thanks: 20,595 Thanked 9,133 Times in 884 Posts	Agree with the views expressed above. I have a soft spot for Mayfair from the 70's. Yes, you definitely could read the articles. I remember one on the short-lived steam submarines which was excellent and Quest was always worth a read.

April 25th, 2012, 12:49 AM	#6
Gentle Giant Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 49 Thanks: 331 Thanked 943 Times in 46 Posts	...it's where I first read about the Elephant Man, John Meyrick, and the Doble steam car, among many other diverse topics. I so regret giving away that box full of 70s and 80s Mayfairs when we moved.

April 25th, 2012, 09:43 AM	#7
haroldeye Moderator Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Halfwitistan Posts: 5,715 Thanks: 113,487 Thanked 59,962 Times in 5,707 Posts	Jowett Jupiter - 50's not 20's my mates elder brother had one. The short stories were brilliant too. I have 15 years worth of Mayfair sitting in the Garage and I should sell them but before I do I need to scan the stories and articles. I can get the photos off the net but the writte3n stuff is so good.

April 25th, 2012, 11:34 AM	#8
isambard1803 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 122 Thanks: 2,926 Thanked 826 Times in 106 Posts	Mayfair was fun. It avoided the absurdly overblown "Playboy philosophy" crap of Hefner, but the "Eagle for grown-ups" stuff, like the splendid drawings of traction engines and locos, with the tales of military derring-do, ceratinly complemented the naughty pictures. Regarding the latter, I don't exactly agree with spectacles about "entry level" for the girls. It wasn't uncommon for Mayfair to publish sets in which further pictures exist in which the girls show more, or for pics to be cropped so as to be less revealing. (A good example of the former is the set of "Madeline Blake" by "John Patrick Burgess", actually Marlene Mourreau photographed by Jean-Pierre Bourgeois, where I think some of the missing pics from the Mayfair set are available on her thread.)

April 25th, 2012, 04:29 PM	#9
haroldeye Moderator Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Halfwitistan Posts: 5,715 Thanks: 113,487 Thanked 59,962 Times in 5,707 Posts	What I can't understand is why Sullivan bought it and then made it like all his other titles. He had a winning formula and just ruined it overnight.

April 25th, 2012, 07:04 PM	#10
Staffsyeoman Vintage Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 2,268 Thanks: 34,177 Thanked 26,750 Times in 2,159 Posts	Sullivan? It was Paul Raymond who bought and ruined it, with all the identikit East European models.