pollen in print 1955-1959

POLLEN IN PRINT 1955-1959, edited by Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle, is the latest release from the acclaimed Men’s Adventure Library, chronologically collecting the complete men’s adventure magazine (aka MAM) illustrations by the great SAMSON POLLEN, artist behind the wildly popular books POLLEN’S WOMEN and POLLEN’S ACTION. While those earlier collections presented original artwork drawn from the cream of the artist’s personal holdings, POLLEN IN PRINT steps out of one archive and into another, digging into the astonishing vintage magazine collection of the books’ co-editor Robert Deis, to assemble a complete chronological presentation of Pollen’s work as it was first seen in the printed pages of the magazines the work was created for.

A prolific MAM illustrator from the magazines’ start in the 1950s until their passing from American newsstands in the 1970s, POLLEN IN PRINT’s complete, chronological presentation of Pollen’s contributions serves as its own visual history, illuminating both Pollen’s growth as an artist, as well as the magazines’ (and their readers’) shifting focus and changing interests across three decades.

The revelations to be gleaned from this complete, chronological approach are significant-both in terms of bringing to light ＂lost＂ or long-unseen works, as well as at last being able to truly and accurately chart Pollen’s progress and evolution as an artist and illustrator.