The Pirelli Calendar, 1964-1997

Book excerpt: Devised by Pirelli's London offices as an advertising tool, the Calendar was launched in 1963 in the United Kingdom as a special gift reserved for a privileged shortlist of customers, tire sellers, and garage owners. Although the idea was a takeoff on other automobile and product manufacturers' erotic pinup calendars, the subtlety of the Pirelli images, the close observation of trends in ideals of beauty, and the quality and creativity of Pirelli's photographers have made the limited-edition Calendar a paradigm of the genre and a coveted collector's item. This long-awaited volume contains all 24 Calendars published since 1964 - including the 1997 edition photographed by Richard Avedon - for a total of 264 full-color Calendar images. Twenty different photographers such as Sarah Moon, Joyce Tenneson, Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, and Norman Parkinson have captured international ideals of human and natural beauty in Majorca, the Bahamas, Big Sur, Morocco, and in the studio. Notable outtakes from Calendars over the years are also revealed, providing a complete account of the thoughts behind the selection process and the intentions of the Calendar editors.