I’ve always been a reader so whenever I develop a new skill, passion or interest, I try to find the best books on the subject. Although I’ve read a lot of books about pinup, burlesque and biographies of iconic Hollywood figures, I still have people asking if I have books I’d recommend to those also wanting to read about pinup. So today, I have created a list of the top 8 books I’d recommend to help you understand all things pinup.

1. The Great American Pin-Up by Taschen (and by Charles Martignetto and Louis Melsel)
-An very popular coffee table style book which is very well known and loved.
-Features some incredible visuals of the pinup style as it evolved over time and is really beautifully printed for all the details to be admired.
-This is a brilliant book for pinup references for models, enthusiasts and photographers.

2. Audrey Hepburn; Portraits of an Icon by Terence Pepper and Helen Trompeteller
-This stunning book is filled with images and photos of some of Audrey Hepburns best fashion moments. Although she is not a traditional pinup and more of a Vintage Hollywood Style icon and humanitarian, this book has to be on the list because the sheer amount of images is worth getting your hands on this book.
I sometimes like to find a random page and get inspiration for furture sewing projects and outfits.
This book is also very special to me as it was gifted.

3. Varga The Esquire years a catalogue Raisonne by the Alfred Van Der Marck Editions.
-There’s no way we have a list of pinup books without mentioning one of the most iconic and recognizable pinup artists which is of course, Varga.
This particular book has a stunning array of various pinup art works done by Vargas including a full centerfold.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for outfit or posing references as it’s simply phenomenal.

4. Burlesque and the Art of the Teese by Dita Von Teese
-This is a double book; one half is all about burlesque and the other is all about fetish. There are so many incredible images in both sides of the book that it really is worth checking out.
-There are so many images of Dita Von Teese in this book that aren’t easily found anywhere else so it really helps those who are looking for references in shooting more lingerie, burlesque or fetish content with a vintage tone.

5. The Art of Pin-up. 45th Ed by Taschen (and by Dian Hanson, Louis Meisel, Sarah Jane Blum)
-From the same people that brought you The Great American Pin-Up, comes a more international edition.
-This book contains an incredible deep dive into the history of pinup and includes images and artwork that has been long lost and forgotten including male pinup images .
-There are older editions of this book available which are just as great but I wanted to include the latest one on this list as it’s got even more information and images in it than previous editions.

5. 1000 Pin-Up Girls by Taschen
-Yes another Tachen book but they really are the leaders when it comes to pinup history and art books.
-This particular book is chock full of classical pinup images as well as pinup as it was used in advertisements, in pop culture and covers/art work from retro magazines and print media.
-There’s also little pops of information about some of the models throughout the book but I should point out that is can be read as overtly sexualized, mildly demeaning and can feel a bit gross under modern standards of how we talk about individuals and their bodies.

6. Bunny Yeager’s Pin-Up Girls of the 1950s by Bunny Yeager
-After originally becoming a pinup model herself, Bunny Yeager moved behind the camera during the 1950’s and captured hundreds of unique images of pinup girls from the time. This stunning compilation of images, life work and information is a unique perspective of pinup and pinup lifestyle from the 50’s offered through the lense of someone familiar with both modeling and photography.
 This book is a celebration of all the emancipated young women with beautiful faces and figures who posed for her in the 1950s, just as she embarked on her career as a professional photographer.
-I’d also suggest to check out her other book, Flirts of the Fifties.

7. Queens of Burlesque: Vintage Photographs from the 1940’s and 1950’s by Len Rothe
-Although not pinup specifically, this book is a great deep dive into the icons, style, fashion and history of burlesque.
-A wonderful selection of unique promotional phtoos from aspiring pinup models from the time
-The author has other wonderful books to check out, I’d also suggest The Bare Truth: Stars of Burlesque From the ’40s and ’50s.

8. Bombshell: The Pin-Up Art of John Gladman by John Gladman
-It felt fitting to add at least one modern artist/photographers pinup book so this would be a great place to start. John Gladman really creates some stunning images and although I don’t personally own this book, I’ve seen copies which has gorgeous images in it.
-Seeing modern day women of all walks of life combined into one pinup book shows just how vast the pinup style can be.

Of course there are hundreds of books out there and it’s difficult to wittle it down to only 8. You can never read too much so I wanted to also share some special mentions:

-Gil Elvgren by Taschen
-Modern Vintage Pin-Up: The Photography of Marilee Caruso
-Pin-Up:Good Girls and Bad Girls by Maly Siri

Of course you don’t have to read every single one of these book to become a good pinup. These books will provide you with a wide historical context of the pinup movement and an analysis of key artists, figures and icons and a breakdown of their unique styles. You will also gain an understanding of the social and cultural impact of pinup and an insight into the lives and careers of famous pinup models. Moreover and possibly most importantly, these books will help you gain a wide range of visual inspirations through stunning images in each book. Pinup is something that is forever changing; if reading books isn’t for you there are hundreds of blogs, social media accounts, documentaries, films and other visual media that can help provide you with a history and understanding of pinup.

I wish you all many joyous evenings of reading.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.