Magazine covers: eyes on stalks

**Sharkhunter** · February 5th, 2016, 11:46 AM

It is fair to say that porn in print is on the decline, largely due the proliferation of all sorts of erotic material on the internet. Sales have plummeted, old and popular titles have deteriorated or disappeared, and those titles that remain can now be found in some silly shrink-wrap, meaning that you cannot even see the covers any more.

Oh, to go back to the good old days, when there would be a plethora of smiling faces, pert tits and shapely bums - expertly toned to pass muster for public display - on display. A feast for the eyes. Compared to today's magazines and their manufactured cover shots - painted-on things, a photoshopped bikini top, stars or dots covering very obvious nipples - the first view of a mag back in the day was what really drew you in. Sometimes, you'd get a raging hardon just by looking at the cover.

When I was a teenager picking up my copy of Shoot or Match magazine, I'd often look upwards to the top shelf... Thinking madly about the pretty girls showing a hint of nipple in a tight and wet blouse, or some sexy-looking gusset. OK, I didn't really know anything about the gusset back when I was thirteen, but what I saw always got things rumbling down there.

As I was a little squirt, that top shelf was a loooong way up I can tell you!

Looking at covers today make me a little sad. There's little of that old-school style there, and no sign of the thought that created many a frisson for a porn buyer back in the day. A well-crafted, well-shot cover that just blew you away.

Like this:

What a wonderful shot this is. A perfect rear-view, the perfectly-defined gusset seam. A photo that shows off so much without showing too much.

Perfect camera work, perfect lighting, the perfect visual draw. I first time I saw this magazine on the top shelf, my eyes were on stalks. I wanted to get that image up close so badly, to share it with just myself. The fantasy remained for a long time, until I finally got hold of the mag a few years later at school, the result of a porn confiscation mission. Once I was alone with the prize I can remember rubbing one out just by looking at the cover. I don't even remember turning to the first page.

They just don't do covers like this anymore.

**Sharkhunter** · February 5th, 2016, 07:58 PM

The mission here for all of you all school mag fans to share your favorite cover- the cover that hit the spot. Or just share your favourite all-time covers.

Here are a few more of mine, and why.

Club International Vol. 18 No. 10

The first porn magazine I had the courage to buy myself. I was not quite eighteen, and had spent at least a year passing through various newsagents and looking up at the top shelf, trying to pluck up the courage. By now I was able to reach up and take it without bringing the whole lot crashing down, and having seen that glorious image of Donna smiling that sweet smile and hiding her nipples with that tiny little swimsuit I thought "fuck it".

I took the mag, walked straight to the counter, and paid the guy who didn't even bat an eyelid. Were it not for Donna, I might have just kept on procrastinating.

Club International Vol. 25 No. 10

Close to exactly seven years after my first mag purchase, I was by now a veteran. Breezing out of shops to buy a porno was no big deal, and sometimes I'd buy two or more at the same time. I walked in to pick up my regular copy of Club, and as my hand made its way nonchalantly to the top shelf my eyes caught the cover - a heavenly image of Claire Cass showing off some fine white gusset, giving me a sexy come hither look over her shoulder.

I couldn't wait to get home and knock one out - by just looking at that cover.

Club International Vol. 27 No. 3

Club International was a fantastic magazine, always delivering high-class models. There were, of course, a good many fantastic covers too. One of the most memorable was sweet blonde Gill, in a lighter than light barely-there pink number. That sweet face and even sweeter body lightly covered in that fine lingerie was enough to get the blood pumping.

I remember aching for a wank, frustrated by the traffic as I looked to get myself naked and ready. It took me less than a couple of minutes to blow my load over Gill's centrefold. Scrawled on the page in handwriting were the words "come on my cunt, boys". Thankfully, I didn't quite do that. I quickly closed the mag as I felt that man-sap rising, and delivered half a dozen jets of warm white sauce on that sexy cover.

**Girlfan** · February 7th, 2016, 12:13 PM

One immediately springs to mind: Knave Vol 12 Number 12 (I think) from 1980.

As far as I remember, it's one of only perhaps two copies of Knave I ever bought - and I bought it purely on the strength of the cover! I'd only been buying magazines for about six months (I was just over 18), and saw this on the magazine top shelf in, of all places, a Morrison's supermarket (they sold one or two "adult mags back then). That picture of the girl on the cover just got me somehow - I had to see the fur behind that fur if you take my meaning. Later that day I made a sortie to a newsagent I knew was quiet, and the ideal place to discreetly buy magazines (no way would I have queued up at a supermarket till to buy a men's mag!), and bought it. I remember being distinctly underwhelmed by the contents, and not really impressed by Knave in general - though I did buy quite a few copies of sister publication Fiesta over the years.
I didn't know it at the time, but my future wife - who I would not even meet for a good 14 years after this one was published - actually appeared in either (or maybe both) Fiesta and Knave (not this issue) in the very late 70s/very early 80s during her 18 month career as a glamour model (part time, she was an impecunious student at a Northern university at the time). I won't identify her further, and she is not at all well known, and wants to forget she ever did it, so don't ask for an ID. It's something she regrets doing, even though she only appeared in a magazine about four times total.

**Girlfan** · February 8th, 2016, 09:53 AM

This is Club Vol 24 Number 3.

I can actually remember buying this one, which must have been in about 1995 or so. I'd gone into the newsagents on the way to work (early-ish, about 7.00AM probably), never intending to but a magazine. As usual, whilst I was selecting my daily paper, the eyes wandered upwards to the top shelf, and this one leapt out at me. I had to buy it there and then. It was a bit frustrating, as I had to wait until I got home that night before I could have a look at the magazine and, er, well, you know.....
In fact, the nine or so hours anticipation added spice to the magazine, and I enjoyed it all the more!

**Girlfan** · February 9th, 2016, 03:08 PM

And another one that caught my eye:
the legendary Andrea Clarke from the days when the cover of Club had a bit of class:

This was another magazine that I had to buy when I first saw it on the top shelf all those years ago.

**Historian** · February 21st, 2016, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharkhunter

Club International Vol. 25 No. 10

I walked in to pick up my regular copy of Club, and as my hand made its way nonchalantly to the top shelf my eyes caught the cover - a heavenly image of Claire Cass showing off some fine white gusset, giving me a sexy come hither look over her shoulder.

Claire Cass was a bit of an obsession of mine in the late 90s, I always thought she was absolutely stunning- at one point in about 1996/97, Mayfair featured her every single month, although oddly enough, I don't think she ever got to be the cover girl as such- they went through a period of having the main cover pic, a strip of headshots of all the girls in that issue across the bottom of the page, and a couple of smaller secondary pics from features in that month's mag.

It was those smaller pics where Claire tended to turn up on the cover, and in a few cases it was those that encouraged me to buy the mag even more than the main cover pic. I've always been partial to a bit of dressing-up and roleplay fun with my partners, and around that time Mayfair did a series of themed shoots of Claire stripping out of various 'classic' sexy outfits (IIRC they may have done a readers' vote to decide the themes of the shoots?)

31/11, Nov 1996: It might well have been Claudia in her red undies that first caught my eye,
but when I saw the smaller pic of Claire in her nurse's uniform, there was no way I was leaving that newsagents without a copy, and I'm pretty sure I was at home and producing a very healthy sperm sample for Nurse Claire within the hour...

32/2 Feb 1997:- As I said, Mayfair did a series of these shoots with Claire, and featured one every month over the winter of 1996/7, and this was another favourite (and given his comments about Louise Payne's 'bride' cover shot from 1993 a few posts back, I suspect it might hit a spot for Girlfan as well). To be honest, as nice as Tina looks as the cover girl, by this stage, when I scanned the top shelf, I suspect I was looking for the side pic of Claire more than the main cover pic, and even though the pic isn't remotely revealing, the sight of Claire in a wedding dress was irresistible- the shoot itself was an absolute classic, which has inspired many a good wank over the years

To be honest, I'm surprised that they never seem to have featured Claire as their main covergirl during that period- the shot of her on 31/11 dressed up as a nurse and flashing her undies and stockingtops would have made a cracking main cover pic in it's own right, which I'm sure would have had plenty of guys reaching for the top shelf to buy a copy...

**paul_granjon** · February 21st, 2016, 12:55 PM

I was 14 and wandering through the town centre when I saw this on the top shelf of a newsagent.

I was completely dumbstruck and mesmerised, but the magazine was out of reach, in every sense.

This image was seared into my brain, where it remained for decades as the ultimate, unattainable erotic image. In my mind, it acquired mythic status as it seemed almost certain that I would never be able to track it down.

Even after the advent of the internet, I still struggled in vain to find my Holy Grail of horniness. Was it Men Only? Knave? Penthouse? All I could remember was that picture. I spent many a fruitless hour scouring this fine forum, but to no avail.

Eventually, I found it on Creamcheese. O happy day. It was even more intensely arousing than I remembered it.

**Sharkhunter** · February 21st, 2016, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul_granjon

I was 14 and wandering through the town centre when I saw this on the top shelf of a newsagent.

I was completely dumbstruck and mesmerised, but the magazine was out of reach, in every sense.

I was never a Knave collector, but when I picked up a stash a few years ago there were a number of issues from the 1970s and 1980s. After taking my picks, I put the rest up on eBid. I vaguely recall this one... Alas, it has long been sold.

**caboosier** · February 22nd, 2016, 05:24 PM

I was a young reader of National Lampoon,
a magazine that satirized pop culture and
also contained cartoons.
My young mind was blown when
I saw this advertisement in its pages.
I remember, I was sitting in the living room with
my mother when I came to this page.
Or, should I say, almost came.

[my scan 22Feb2016]

[my scan 22Feb2016]
I went down to my favourite book and magazine store,
but this issue hadn't yet reached the stands.
Such anticipation and frustration!
I suppose I was able to buy it the next week.
Not my first copy of Penthouse, probably my second.

I was already developing a lust for rear ends,
but Sandi Greco got me hooked on plump buttocks,
dark areolae, furry cunts, nylon/stockings and pouty lips, too.

**Sharkhunter** · February 21st, 2016, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Historian

To be honest, I'm surprised that they never seem to have featured Claire as their main covergirl during that period- the shot of her on 31/11 dressed up as a nurse and flashing her undies and stockingtops would have made a cracking main cover pic in it's own right, which I'm sure would have had plenty of guys reaching for the top shelf to buy a copy...

Couldn't agree more.

I too loved Miss Cass, and am setting about re-creating a new mini collection of Mayfair where she featured as the regular girl. The magazine with her in the nurse's uniform is one of my favourites, and although I bought it for the Claudia cover (and photoshoot) that set is really memorable.

I liked that spell when they did the mini gallery on the cover... You could then see what the content was without having to leaf through the magazine - a boon in those newsagents with big signs saying "no browsing".

February 5th, 2016, 11:46 AM	#1
Sharkhunter Gusset Man & Jizzmaster Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Wanking, but not the city in China Posts: 2,037 Thanks: 5,197 Thanked 34,660 Times in 2,021 Posts	Magazine covers: eyes on stalks It is fair to say that porn in print is on the decline, largely due the proliferation of all sorts of erotic material on the internet. Sales have plummeted, old and popular titles have deteriorated or disappeared, and those titles that remain can now be found in some silly shrink-wrap, meaning that you cannot even see the covers any more. Oh, to go back to the good old days, when there would be a plethora of smiling faces, pert tits and shapely bums - expertly toned to pass muster for public display - on display. A feast for the eyes. Compared to today's magazines and their manufactured cover shots - painted-on things, a photoshopped bikini top, stars or dots covering very obvious nipples - the first view of a mag back in the day was what really drew you in. Sometimes, you'd get a raging hardon just by looking at the cover. When I was a teenager picking up my copy of Shoot or Match magazine, I'd often look upwards to the top shelf... Thinking madly about the pretty girls showing a hint of nipple in a tight and wet blouse, or some sexy-looking gusset. OK, I didn't really know anything about the gusset back when I was thirteen, but what I saw always got things rumbling down there. As I was a little squirt, that top shelf was a loooong way up I can tell you! Looking at covers today make me a little sad. There's little of that old-school style there, and no sign of the thought that created many a frisson for a porn buyer back in the day. A well-crafted, well-shot cover that just blew you away. Like this: What a wonderful shot this is. A perfect rear-view, the perfectly-defined gusset seam. A photo that shows off so much without showing too much. Perfect camera work, perfect lighting, the perfect visual draw. I first time I saw this magazine on the top shelf, my eyes were on stalks. I wanted to get that image up close so badly, to share it with just myself. The fantasy remained for a long time, until I finally got hold of the mag a few years later at school, the result of a porn confiscation mission. Once I was alone with the prize I can remember rubbing one out just by looking at the cover. I don't even remember turning to the first page. They just don't do covers like this anymore. __________________ "Birth Control Tip #2431: Shoot your load in a girl's mouth or on her face instead of inside her sweet bits. Result: no expensive burden, stretch marks or saggy tits". To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

February 5th, 2016, 07:58 PM	#2
Sharkhunter Gusset Man & Jizzmaster Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Wanking, but not the city in China Posts: 2,037 Thanks: 5,197 Thanked 34,660 Times in 2,021 Posts	The mission here for all of you all school mag fans to share your favorite cover- the cover that hit the spot. Or just share your favourite all-time covers. Here are a few more of mine, and why. Club International Vol. 18 No. 10 The first porn magazine I had the courage to buy myself. I was not quite eighteen, and had spent at least a year passing through various newsagents and looking up at the top shelf, trying to pluck up the courage. By now I was able to reach up and take it without bringing the whole lot crashing down, and having seen that glorious image of Donna smiling that sweet smile and hiding her nipples with that tiny little swimsuit I thought "fuck it". I took the mag, walked straight to the counter, and paid the guy who didn't even bat an eyelid. Were it not for Donna, I might have just kept on procrastinating. Club International Vol. 25 No. 10 Close to exactly seven years after my first mag purchase, I was by now a veteran. Breezing out of shops to buy a porno was no big deal, and sometimes I'd buy two or more at the same time. I walked in to pick up my regular copy of Club, and as my hand made its way nonchalantly to the top shelf my eyes caught the cover - a heavenly image of Claire Cass showing off some fine white gusset, giving me a sexy come hither look over her shoulder. I couldn't wait to get home and knock one out - by just looking at that cover. Club International Vol. 27 No. 3 Club International was a fantastic magazine, always delivering high-class models. There were, of course, a good many fantastic covers too. One of the most memorable was sweet blonde Gill, in a lighter than light barely-there pink number. That sweet face and even sweeter body lightly covered in that fine lingerie was enough to get the blood pumping. I remember aching for a wank, frustrated by the traffic as I looked to get myself naked and ready. It took me less than a couple of minutes to blow my load over Gill's centrefold. Scrawled on the page in handwriting were the words "come on my cunt, boys". Thankfully, I didn't quite do that. I quickly closed the mag as I felt that man-sap rising, and delivered half a dozen jets of warm white sauce on that sexy cover. __________________ "Birth Control Tip #2431: Shoot your load in a girl's mouth or on her face instead of inside her sweet bits. Result: no expensive burden, stretch marks or saggy tits". To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

February 7th, 2016, 12:13 PM	#3
Girlfan Vintage Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: England, 'Up North! Posts: 2,297 Thanks: 65,934 Thanked 80,762 Times in 2,314 Posts	One immediately springs to mind: Knave Vol 12 Number 12 (I think) from 1980. As far as I remember, it's one of only perhaps two copies of Knave I ever bought - and I bought it purely on the strength of the cover! I'd only been buying magazines for about six months (I was just over 18), and saw this on the magazine top shelf in, of all places, a Morrison's supermarket (they sold one or two "adult mags back then). That picture of the girl on the cover just got me somehow - I had to see the fur behind that fur if you take my meaning. Later that day I made a sortie to a newsagent I knew was quiet, and the ideal place to discreetly buy magazines (no way would I have queued up at a supermarket till to buy a men's mag!), and bought it. I remember being distinctly underwhelmed by the contents, and not really impressed by Knave in general - though I did buy quite a few copies of sister publication Fiesta over the years. I didn't know it at the time, but my future wife - who I would not even meet for a good 14 years after this one was published - actually appeared in either (or maybe both) Fiesta and Knave (not this issue) in the very late 70s/very early 80s during her 18 month career as a glamour model (part time, she was an impecunious student at a Northern university at the time). I won't identify her further, and she is not at all well known, and wants to forget she ever did it, so don't ask for an ID. It's something she regrets doing, even though she only appeared in a magazine about four times total. __________________ Girlfan

February 8th, 2016, 09:53 AM	#4
Girlfan Vintage Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: England, 'Up North! Posts: 2,297 Thanks: 65,934 Thanked 80,762 Times in 2,314 Posts	This is Club Vol 24 Number 3. I can actually remember buying this one, which must have been in about 1995 or so. I'd gone into the newsagents on the way to work (early-ish, about 7.00AM probably), never intending to but a magazine. As usual, whilst I was selecting my daily paper, the eyes wandered upwards to the top shelf, and this one leapt out at me. I had to buy it there and then. It was a bit frustrating, as I had to wait until I got home that night before I could have a look at the magazine and, er, well, you know..... In fact, the nine or so hours anticipation added spice to the magazine, and I enjoyed it all the more! __________________ Girlfan

February 9th, 2016, 03:08 PM	#5
Girlfan Vintage Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: England, 'Up North! Posts: 2,297 Thanks: 65,934 Thanked 80,762 Times in 2,314 Posts	And another one that caught my eye: the legendary Andrea Clarke from the days when the cover of Club had a bit of class: This was another magazine that I had to buy when I first saw it on the top shelf all those years ago. __________________ Girlfan

February 21st, 2016, 12:55 PM	#7
paul_granjon Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,511 Thanks: 20,932 Thanked 68,171 Times in 1,506 Posts	I was 14 and wandering through the town centre when I saw this on the top shelf of a newsagent. I was completely dumbstruck and mesmerised, but the magazine was out of reach, in every sense. This image was seared into my brain, where it remained for decades as the ultimate, unattainable erotic image. In my mind, it acquired mythic status as it seemed almost certain that I would never be able to track it down. Even after the advent of the internet, I still struggled in vain to find my Holy Grail of horniness. Was it Men Only? Knave? Penthouse? All I could remember was that picture. I spent many a fruitless hour scouring this fine forum, but to no avail. Eventually, I found it on Creamcheese. O happy day. It was even more intensely arousing than I remembered it.

February 22nd, 2016, 05:24 PM	#9
caboosier Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: The Golden Horseshoe Posts: 2,324 Thanks: 55,271 Thanked 78,560 Times in 2,837 Posts	Advertisements work! I was a young reader of National Lampoon, a magazine that satirized pop culture and also contained cartoons. My young mind was blown when I saw this advertisement in its pages. I remember, I was sitting in the living room with my mother when I came to this page. Or, should I say, almost came. [my scan 22Feb2016] [my scan 22Feb2016] I went down to my favourite book and magazine store, but this issue hadn't yet reached the stands. Such anticipation and frustration! I suppose I was able to buy it the next week. Not my first copy of Penthouse, probably my second. I was already developing a lust for rear ends, but Sandi Greco got me hooked on plump buttocks, dark areolae, furry cunts, nylon/stockings and pouty lips, too. Last edited by caboosier; February 22nd, 2016 at 05:44 PM..