Description
Collector's Note – Why This Issue Matters
This October 1959 issue of Playboy is distinguished by a genuinely notable editorial achievement for the magazine at this stage of its history: securing photo pictorials of two established, working Hollywood actresses, Kim Novak and Elaine Stewart, rather than relying solely on its standard roster of professional pin-up and glamour models. By 1959, Kim Novak had become one of the era's most prominent leading ladies, having starred opposite James Stewart in two major Alfred Hitchcock and Hollywood productions released just the year before, "Vertigo" and "Bell, Book and Candle," both of which cemented her status as a genuine A-list star of the period. Elaine Stewart, for her part, had built a substantial career as an MGM contract player throughout the 1950s, appearing in prominent studio productions and establishing herself as a recognizable Hollywood name in her own right. Securing pictorial content featuring actresses of this caliber represented a significant departure from Playboy's more typical practice of featuring professional pin-up models or relatively unknown Playmates, and it reflected Hugh Hefner's ongoing ambition to associate the magazine with genuine Hollywood glamour rather than purely with anonymous, if still successful, centerfold photography. This issue's Playmate of the Month, Elaine Reynolds, was featured separately from the Novak and Stewart pictorials, meaning the issue offered readers three distinct women across its photographic content, an unusually substantial roster even by Playboy's already photography-forward standards during this period.
The presence of established stars like Novak and Stewart within Playboy's pages reflects a broader and ongoing negotiation throughout the 1950s and 1960s between mainstream Hollywood and the increasingly influential men's magazine industry. Securing any kind of pictorial content from working, contracted studio actresses required navigating both the actresses' own images and the interests of the studios that employed them, since major studios during this period remained highly protective of their stars' public personas and were often wary of associations with publications like Playboy. That an issue could secure content featuring two such prominent names simultaneously speaks to Playboy's growing cultural cachet by the end of the 1950s, a period when the magazine had moved well beyond its earliest years to become a genuinely significant force within American entertainment media. For readers of the period, seeing recognizable stars from major recent releases within Playboy's pages would have represented a notable and memorable departure from the magazine's typical content, elevating this particular issue's profile among contemporary readers. That crossover between mainstream Hollywood stardom and Playboy's photographic content remains a genuinely significant historical marker for collectors studying the magazine's relationship with the film industry during this era.
Beyond its photographic content, this issue carried a substantial roster of written material reflecting Playboy's continued investment in literary and journalistic quality. Fiction included Herbert Gold's "A Very Good Sidewalk Story" and Richard Matheson's "No Such Thing as a Vampire," the latter contribution notable given Matheson's significant later reputation as one of the defining voices of American speculative and horror fiction, having already begun building the body of work that would eventually include contributions to "The Twilight Zone." The issue also included Ken Purdy's nostalgia piece "The Alky Era," Jules Feiffer's satirical contribution "Needs," and Carl Bakal's article "Playboy Plays the Market," alongside the 1960 Playboy Jazz Poll and a feature depicting cartoonist and author Shel Silverstein's travels in Africa. That combination of established literary voices, including a young Matheson years before his greatest fame, alongside satire, journalism, and Silverstein's distinctive illustrated travel writing, exemplifies the genuinely broad editorial ambition Playboy had developed by the end of the 1950s. This issue's written content stands as substantial evidence of that ambition, independent of its already notable photographic roster.
Taken as a whole, this issue represents a genuinely significant artifact within Playboy's early history, distinguished by its unusual success in securing pictorial content from two prominent, actively working Hollywood actresses alongside a substantial literary roster including an early contribution from Richard Matheson. For collectors specifically focused on Kim Novak or Elaine Stewart, this issue offers a documented and historically significant crossover appearance connecting mainstream 1950s Hollywood stardom directly to Playboy's pages. For collectors of Playboy's literary history, the presence of Matheson's fiction alongside established contributors like Herbert Gold reflects the magazine's continued editorial ambitions during this formative period. This issue stands as a genuinely multifaceted artifact, valuable to collectors across several distinct areas of mid-century American entertainment and publishing history.
About the Publication
Playboy was founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and quickly grew into one of the most influential men's lifestyle magazines of the 20th century, combining photography with fiction, journalism, and cultural commentary aimed at a readership the magazine actively cultivated as sophisticated and culturally engaged. By the end of the 1950s, the magazine had built substantial cultural cachet, allowing it to occasionally secure pictorial content from established, actively working Hollywood actresses in addition to its standard roster of professional models and Playmates. That growing cultural standing reflected Hefner's ongoing strategy of associating the magazine with genuine Hollywood glamour and literary credibility, distinguishing Playboy from competitors relying more narrowly on conventional pin-up photography alone. The magazine's fiction section during this period regularly featured both established literary contributors and rising writers who would later achieve considerably greater fame, exemplified by this issue's inclusion of Richard Matheson years before his most celebrated work. Playboy's audience consisted primarily of young, professionally engaged American men, a readership the magazine's combination of Hollywood glamour, literary ambition, and cultural commentary was specifically designed to reach. Advertising within issues from this period, including prominent placements for major record labels and popular recording artists, reflected products marketed toward that same aspirational male readership. The magazine's growing ability to secure content from mainstream Hollywood stars by the end of the 1950s marked a significant evolution from its earlier years, when such crossover appearances were considerably less common. This issue exemplifies that evolution clearly, standing as a representative example of Playboy's increasing cultural influence as the decade came to a close.
Key Highlights Inside
- Photo pictorials featuring Hollywood actresses Kim Novak and Elaine Stewart. Novak had recently starred in "Vertigo" and "Bell, Book and Candle," both released in 1958. Stewart was an established MGM contract actress with a substantial studio career throughout the 1950s.
- A separate centerfold feature of Elaine Reynolds, this issue's Playmate of the Month. Her feature was distinct from the Novak and Stewart pictorials elsewhere in the issue. This gave the issue an unusually substantial photographic roster across three separate women.
- Fiction by Richard Matheson, titled "No Such Thing as a Vampire." Matheson would go on to considerable fame as a defining voice in American speculative and horror fiction. This issue represents a notable early-career appearance for a writer who later achieved significant literary distinction.
- Fiction by Herbert Gold, titled "A Very Good Sidewalk Story." Gold was an established contributor to Playboy's fiction pages during this period. His inclusion reinforces this issue's substantial literary content.
- A travel feature depicting cartoonist and author Shel Silverstein's experiences in Africa. Silverstein was a recurring and distinctive contributor to Playboy during this era. His illustrated travel writing added a unique visual and narrative element to the issue.
- Additional content including Jules Feiffer's satire "Needs," Ken Purdy's nostalgia piece "The Alky Era," and Carl Bakal's article "Playboy Plays the Market." These features reflect the magazine's broader editorial range beyond fiction and photography. The issue also included the 1960 Playboy Jazz Poll.
- Advertising content including a prominent placement for Columbia Records, featuring artists such as Johnny Mathis, Duke Ellington, and Johnny Cash. These pages offer useful secondary context for researchers studying period music and consumer culture. Specific additional advertisers appearing in this issue are not detailed in available records.
Condition & Rarity
This issue shows wear consistent with its age, including edge wear, some marks, and occasional rips to the binding, characteristics collectors should generally expect from a periodical that has survived over six decades since its original newsstand distribution. It is a copy issued without an accompanying label, a variant collectors often value for its unobstructed cover presentation, since the absence of a mailing label or subscription marking typically allows the full cover to be viewed without interruption. Early Playboy issues from the 1950s are generally scarce in well-preserved condition, given the magazine's disposable newsstand origins and the tendency for centerfolds and inserted pictorial pages to be removed or damaged over decades of handling. Issues featuring content connected to major Hollywood stars, such as this one's Kim Novak and Elaine Stewart pictorials, often see additional collector demand beyond the general scarcity of early Playboy issues as a category, since crossover appearances by established actresses remain a specifically sought-after subcategory among collectors. A plastic protective covering, when present, functions as a stabilizing measure intended to preserve a copy's current condition rather than a factor that changes its underlying grade. Collectors evaluating any surviving copy of this issue should examine the spine and staple integrity closely, since these are often the first areas to show age-related stress in periodicals of this vintage and paper stock. Given the combination of this issue's significant Hollywood-crossover content and its established literary roster, a surviving copy showing this level of honest wear still represents a meaningful find for collectors of early Playboy history.
Looking for More Issues Like This?
Early Playboy issues featuring content connected to major, actively working Hollywood stars, particularly one as notable as this issue's pairing of Kim Novak and Elaine Stewart, are genuinely sought after by collectors given how rarely established studio actresses appeared in the magazine's pages during this period. The added presence of an early Richard Matheson fiction contribution further distinguishes this issue within Playboy's broader early literary history. For those drawn to this particular issue, our Playboy collection is an excellent place to continue browsing, since it gathers other surviving issues from across the magazine's long publishing history, including further examples of Hollywood crossover content and early literary contributions. That collection offers a broader look at how Playboy's relationship with mainstream Hollywood and literary culture evolved across different decades. Collectors with a specific interest in Kim Novak, Elaine Stewart, or Richard Matheson's early career may find related material of interest scattered throughout that same collection. Beyond the publication itself, our 1959 magazines collection offers useful context for the broader publishing landscape of the same year, spanning titles well outside Playboy alone. Browsing by year can be especially valuable for researchers interested in a specific cultural moment rather than one particular magazine. Given how sought-after Hollywood-crossover issues like this one tend to be among collectors once discovered, we'd encourage anyone interested in this period to browse both collections at their own pace. There is always more of this history available than a single issue can represent on its own. We hope these collections help round out whatever corner of Playboy's early history you're most drawn to.