LOS ANGELES—Acclaimed industry director/photographer Holly Randall has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to fund the re-issue of her mother’s 1977 memoir, Suze Randall — Naked and Unashamed.
Allan Amato of Holy Cow Press is spearheading the crowdfunding effort which has, as of today, already raised $77,711 of its $40,000 goal. He is also collaborating on the project, which will reintroduce the out-of-print volume alongside a limited-edition photo book, exclusive prints, and workshop opportunities as rewards for backers.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Suze’s work throughout my career,” Amato said. “I just had to have a book showcasing her groundbreaking 40-plus year career on my table, but what clinched it was meeting Suze in person. I want to be like Suze when I grow up. And so should you.”
To donate, click here.
Written by Suze Randall's late husband Humphry Knipe, Suze Randall has been out of print for decades and is a rarity on the book collector’s market—at times going for thousands of dollars online. The memoir chronicles the artist’s groundbreaking tenure as Playboy’s first female staff photographer, during an era marked by excess and indulgence, and highlights Randall’s personal and professional experiences on both sides of the lens.
"I'm so thrilled to be finally re-releasing my mother's memoir after all this time,” Holly Randall said. “This was a project I was working on closely with my father when he passed away last January, and so it was incredibly important to me to see this through.
“To witness the astounding reception this has gotten, and to see how quickly we hit our goal has been incredibly bittersweet—my father would have been so thrilled. For me, this re-release is as much for him as it is for my mother."
The book’s initial publication was so controversial at the time that it led to Randall's abrupt departure from Playboy and dramatic confrontation with the magazine’s publisher Hugh Hefner—who was so upset by Randall’s revelations that he shockingly spat in the photographer’s face.
Slated for release June 2024, the memoir features 18 pages of never-before-seen content from the iconic photographer’s archives.
The donors’ rewards will also include Suze - The LTD Edition Photography Book, a premium 140 GSP stock coffee table book with full-color images that span Randall’s prolific 40-year career. With a run of only 1,500, the photo book is signed and numbered by Suze Randall herself.
To learn more about Suze Randall, visit Suze.net and the crowdfunding page at Kickstarter.com.
For more information, please visit HollyRandall.com. For all her links, click here.
