Everyone knows the old cliché about reading Playboy for the articles, but apparently some people actually do that. That's the only explanation for the publication of "The New Bedside Playboy," a 496-page tome filled with essays, stories and interviews pulled from the pages of the magazine over it's 53-year history. That's 496 pages without any nude pictures mind you, so it's perfect for anyone who believes that the magazine really is about finding "the right hi-fi gear, the right Bordeaux and the right literary references" and not about seeing naked boobies. Others might think there's no point without the photos, but it could make for a nice trip down the sexual revolution memory lane, and you can even prop it up next to your modem and tell people that you have to download those pictures to go with all those words.

· "The New Bedside Playboy": Review (nytimes.com)
· Order: The New Bedside Playboy: A Half Century of Amusement, Diversion & Entertainment (Amazon)

Previously: Taschen's "Big Book Of Breasts", "Love Hotels: The Hidden Fantasy Rooms of Japan", TV Watch: "Naked Happy Girls", Dr. Sketchy's Rainy Day Coloring Book Release Party

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