Playboy August 1968 August 1968 Magazine Back Issue

3 PLAYBILL
9 DEAR PLAYBOY
19 PLAYBOY AFTER HOURS
45 PLAYBOY INTERVIEW: WILLIAM SLOANE COFFIN—candid conversation
56 THE YOUNG MAN WHO READ BRILLIANT BOOKS—fiction STEPHEN DIXON
60 DREAM CARS—modern living
70 THE GUTSMUT GAME—article.. WILLIAM IVERSEN
72 MORE SILVERSTEIN AMONG THE HIPPIES—humor SHEL SILVERSTEIN
79 BANKING BY THE NUMBERS—article JOSEPH WECHSBERG
80 STAR-SPANGLED AND STARRY-EYED—playboy's playmate of the month, Gale Olson
88 PLAYBOY'S PARTY JOKES—humor
91 SUPERSHIRT!—attire ROBERT L. GREEN
95 THE ANTINE BAY MAGENTA—fiction KEN W. PURDY
96 CLEARLY CONTEMPORARY—accouterments
100 DEEP THINKERS—article FREDRIC C. APPEL
103 EXPLORING A NEW CITY—travel LEN DEIGHTON
105 THE TROUBLE WITH MACHINES—fiction RON GOULART
106 BLOWOUT—satire HARVEY KURTZMAN
113 DONE WITH MIRRORS—ribald classic
115 HANG ONE ON—accouterments
116 WET AND WILD—pictorial
130 ON THE SCENE—personalities

• Covergirl Aino Korva (Nude) photographed by Mario Casilli
• Playmate of the Month is Gale Olson photographed by Ron Vogel
• An Interview With Yale's Antidraft Chaplain William Sloane Coffin
• Eight Pages Of Detroit Dream Cars
• Carroll Baker In Her Steamiest Movie Sequence Yet
• Plus Ken W. Purdy, Joseph Wechsberg, William Iversen and Shel Silverstein

Playboy's original title was to be "Stag Party," but an unrelated outdoor magazine, Stag, contacted Hefner and informed him that they would legally protect their trademark if he were to launch his magazine with that name. Hefner and co-founder and executive vice president Eldon Sellers met to discuss the problem and to seek a new name. Sellers, whose mother had worked for the short-lived Playboy Automobile Company in Chicago, suggested the name "Playboy".

The first issue, published in December 1953, did not carry a date, as Hugh Hefner was unsure whether there would be a second issue. The first centerfold was Marilyn Monroe, although the picture used had originally been taken for a calendar, rather than for Playboy. The first issue was an immediate sensation; it sold out within a matter of weeks. Known circulation was 53,991 (Source: Playboy Collector's Association Playboy Magazine Price Guide). The cover price was 50¢. Copies of the first issue in Mint to Near Mint condition fetched over $8,000 in 2007.

The famous logo, depicting the stylized profile of a rabbit wearing a tuxedo bow tie, was designed by art designer Art Paul for the magazine's second issue and has appeared on every issue since; a running joke in the magazine involves hiding the logo somewhere in the cover art or photograph. Hefner said that he chose the rabbit as a mascot for its "humorous sexual connotation", and because the image was "frisky and playful".

An urban legend started about Hefner and the Playmates of the Month because of markings on the front covers of the magazine. From 1955 to 1979 (except for a six month gap in 1976), the "P" in Playboy had a number of stars printed in or around the letter. The legend stated that this was either a rating that Hefner gave to the Playmate according to how attractive she was, the number of times that Hefner had slept with her, or how good she was in bed. The stars, which ranged in number between zero and twelve, actually indicated the domestic or international advertising region for that printing.

Since reaching its peak in the 1970s, Playboy has seen a decline in circulation and cultural relevance because of increased competition in the field it founded — first from Penthouse, Oui, and Gallery in the 1970s; later from pornographic videos; and more recently from lad mags such as Maxim, FHM, and Stuff. In response Playboy has attempted to re-assert its hold on the 18–35 male demographic it once controlled through slight changes to its content and focusing on issues and personalities more appropriate to its audience—such as hip-hop artists being featured in the Playboy Interview.

Christie Hefner, a daughter of Hugh Hefner, became the CEO of Playboy in 1988 and is now also the Chairman of the Board.

The magazine celebrated its 50th Anniversary with the January 2004 issue. Celebrations were held at Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, and Moscow during the year to commemorate this event.

Circulation
The best-selling Playboy edition was the November 1972 edition, which sold 7,161,561 copies. One-fourth of all American college men were buying the magazine every month. It is interesting to note that although this issue is available in abundance, it is very difficult for collectors to find this issue in excellent condition. The black ink on the cover wore off easily and it is difficult to find this issue with a bright clean crisp black color. A Near Mint copy of this issue is a hard find.

Perhaps coincidentally, a cropped image of the issue's centerfold (which featured Lena Soderberg) became a standard image for testing image processing algorithms. It is known simply as the "Lenna" (also "Lena") image in that field.

Today, Playboy is still the largest selling men's magazine selling about two million copies a month in the U.S.