My favorite books on nudism, from social reformists to sexploitation filmmakers, with a heavy dose of vintage nostalgia

Why am I passionate about this?

I look after the Pamela Green Archive which has grown from safeguarding Pamela's life and legacy to documenting and preserving material relating to the glamour industry and nudism in Briton from the 1920s to the late 60s. The Archive is engaged in acquiring, managing, and conserving various collections, which are made available through multiple channels. We also conduct research for scholars, historians, the press, and the media. Contributions, such as memorabilia, photographs, and film, are welcome. If you have stuff in a box collecting dust that you don't know what to do with, get in touch.


I wrote...

Nudist Camp Follies - Volume I: An Intimate Look at the Natural and Free Atmosphere in Sun Clubs

By Yahya El-Droubie, Colin Gordon (illustrator), Stephen Glass (photographer)

Book cover of Nudist Camp Follies - Volume I: An Intimate Look at the Natural and Free Atmosphere in Sun Clubs

What is my book about?

A nostalgic look at naturism in 1950s Britain, illustrated with rare photographs by Stephen Glass. Take an enthralling trip down memory lane, where the problems of modern life were set aside in the seclusion of a naturist resort. It is a fascinating depiction of a very British arcadia that is unashamed and unabashed.

Many of these pictures were taken just outside London, between Watford and St. Albans. The book features well-known models such as Pamela Green and Lee Sothern.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Cinema au Naturel: A History of Nudist Film

Yahya El-Droubie Why did I love this book?

Welcome to the quirky world of nudist films. Well researched: broad, deep, and up-to-date. An informative and revealing book that offers a fascinating perspective on one of cinema's overlooked and marginal genres. It is only let down by the fact it is Anglo-centric; nevertheless, it is by far the best book on the subject.

By Mark Storey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cinema au Naturel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The quirky world of nudist films is revealed. Cinema au Naturel brings to life many long-forgotten films such as Elysia: Valley of the Nude, The Monster of Camp Sunshine, and Take Off Your Clothes and Live! In his account of the history of nudist film, Mark Storey, introduces readers to the best and the worst of these cinematic portrayals of clothes-free life.


Book cover of Naked as Nature Intended: The Epic Tale of a Nudist Picture

Yahya El-Droubie Why did I love this book?

The cinematic tale of Harrison Marks' nudist feature Naked as Nature Intended, the iconic British him that brought us Pamela Green in her birthday suit. The book features behind-the-scenes exclusives and never-before-seen photographs by Douglas Webb DFM, who was the front gunner on the last plane back from the legendary Dambusters Raid [a.k.a. Operation Chastise] during World War II.

By Pamela Green, Douglas Webb (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Naked as Nature Intended as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Released in 1961, Naked as Nature Intended created a sensation. Queues formed around the block and police were called in to manage the crowds. It stayed on the big screen for over 17 months. The film was directed by the notorious George Harrison Marks and starred Pamela Green, Britain's answer to Bettie Page. Pamela Green was best-known for her short but striking role in Michael Powell's Peeping Tom.


The plot involves Pamela Green and a few other young women taking a holiday. Their destination? A nudist camp. Perfectly legal but totally scandalous at the time. Naked as Nature Intended represents…


Book cover of Nudism in a Cold Climate: The Visual Culture of Naturists in Mid-20th Century Britain

Yahya El-Droubie Why did I love this book?

Well researched and well-written overview of the nudist movement in the UK from its inception till the 1970s. A fascinating glimpse behind British veils of propriety. Richly illustrated and long overdue. Great to see overlooked photographers such as Stephen Glass, Jean Straker, and Eva Grant get some welcome coverage.

By Annebella Pollen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Nudism in a Cold Climate as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A fascinating glimpse into an experimental British nudist culture that radically challenged and transformed conventional attitudes to bodies and their representations

This richly illustrated volume examines the idiosyncratic phenomenon of social nudism in mid-20th-century Britain, an island nation fabled for its lack of sunshine and its reserved social attitudes.
Structured across three interrelated phases, readers first encounter the movement at its genesis in the 1920s, when nudism was synonymous with vegetarianism, intellectualism and utopianism. That nascent culture proliferated in the postwar era, with a widening landscape of amateur clubs and governing organizations alongside high-circulation publications and censorship-challenging photographers. Finally, Annebella…


Book cover of A Brief History of Nakedness

Yahya El-Droubie Why did I love this book?

A fascinating look at the spiritual, cultural, and political implications of getting naked in public, from witchcraft to the art installations of Spencer Tunick. I found it to be an informative and fun read. People take their clothes off for various reasons, such as finding God, performing magic, and protesting against injustice. Lady Godiva's naked protest against taxation to  Breasts not Bombs, this book covers it all – or rather uncovers.

By Philip Carr-Gomm,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Brief History of Nakedness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Confrontations with naked human bodies can provoke powerful, and often contradictory, impressions and feelings. Just as they might either thrill or revolt, they can signal innocence or sexiness, frankness or madness, a oneness with nature or a separation from society. Advertisers and the media are very aware of the complex and highly subjective associations that most of us have towards nakedness, and use images incessantly to compete for our attention. Yet mystics have embraced nudity to get closer to God or to some other remote power, while political activists have discovered that baring all is one of the most effective…


Book cover of Naked Britain

Yahya El-Droubie Why did I love this book?

The book does an excellent job capturing the everyday lives of members of the Diogenes Sun Club in Chalfont, St. Peter, near London. A joyful look at the liberation that comes with being naked. The pics may inspire you to give it a try and rethink your views of the human body.

By Amelia Allen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Naked Britain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


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Book cover of The Hunt for the Peggy C: A World War II Maritime Thriller

John Winn Miller

New book alert!

What is my book about?

The Hunt for the Peggy C is best described as Casablanca meets Das Boot. It is about an American smuggler who struggles to rescue a Jewish family on his rusty cargo ship, outraging his mutinous crew of misfits and provoking a hair-raising chase by a brutal Nazi U-boat captain bent on revenge.

During the nerve-wracking 3,000-mile escape, Rogers falls in love with the family’s eldest daughter, Miriam, a sweet medical student with a militant streak. Everything seems hopeless when Jake is badly wounded, and Miriam must prove she’s as tough as her rhetoric to put down a mutiny by some of Jake’s fed-up crew–just as the U-boat closes in for the kill.

The Hunt for the Peggy C: A World War II Maritime Thriller

By John Winn Miller,

What is this book about?

John Winn Miller's THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C, a semifinalist in the Clive Cussler Adventure Writers Competition, captures the breathless suspense of early World War II in the North Atlantic. Captain Jake Rogers, experienced in running his tramp steamer through U-boat-infested waters to transport vital supplies and contraband to the highest bidder, takes on his most dangerous cargo yet after witnessing the oppression of Jews in Amsterdam: a Jewish family fleeing Nazi persecution.

The normally aloof Rogers finds himself drawn in by the family's warmth and faith, but he can't afford to let his guard down when Oberleutnant Viktor…


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