#476 - Connoisseur, 1 + Masque, 3

Connoisseur, 1
A Selbee [Leonard Burtman] Publication,
1960

a digital replica

Masque, 3
A Selbee [Leonard Burtman] Publication,
1960

a digital replica

Connoisseur 1, Masque 3,
plus bonus material from
Exotique 34, (1959)

optimized for ebook viewing

After the last Exotique magazine in 1959, Mr. Burtman launched Connoisseur and Masque magazines, each of which lasted about four issues. Both of these magazines showed the word "Bizarre" at the top of most odd-numbered pages, which might suggest that Mr. Burtman was in pursuit of the readership of Mr. Coutt's recently defunct Bizarre magazine.

We've seen Connoisseur and Masque advertised in full-sized Selbee magazines of the 1960s. Both were launched around 1960 and are like Exotique in many ways:

• 64 black and white interior pages
• color cover by Gene Bilbrew
• short stories
• Bilbrew illustrations and one Stanton illustration
• photos of models in corsets, stockings, long leather gloves, high-heeled shoes and boots
• articles about rubber and the pleasures of New Orleans

Both Connoisseur 1 and Masque 3 magazines have first-class photography, sultry models, a few illustrations I've never seen before, and conscientious manufacture. Two ebooks are digital replicas, presenting the content page-by-page in the sequence of the original paper. The tonality has been adjusted and most specks have been removed from the photographs, improving the viewing experience. Most of the photography is set in Mr. Burtman's apartment, using his bar as a background.

If you like Exotique, you will like Connoisseur and Masque. Ebook presentation is probably the best way to enjoy them.

Connoisseur 1 and Masque 3, plus bonus material, optimized for ebook viewing
The optimized pictures of Connoisseur 1 and Masque 3 fill about 50 wide ebook pages. Photos of pretty models in stockings, long gloves, high-heeled shoes, corsets and boots are mixed with mostly Gene Bilbrew Illustrations. The optimized technique has each model fill the monitor screen from top to bottom. Tasty details such as corsets and legs are repeated next to the complete image or on the following page.

Exotique 34 provides bonus material for the optimized ebook. I was given a copy with some missing pages, which precludes using it as ebook source material. The photographs and Bilbrew illustrations that remain fill more than 30 ebook pages with lovely ladies in FF stockings, tight corsets and high heels. The result is a unique pinup album, designed to anticipate the curiosity of the viewer and reduce the need for zooming and scrolling.

Three e-books, two digital replicas and one combined optimized version, delivered by download link.