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Opus is proud to announce today that it has entered into an agreement to publish The Official Playboy Opus, which will showcase Playboy’s magnificent 60-year history. The Official Playboy Opus will be released in the second half of 2013 to coincide with the commemoration of Playboy’s 60-year diamond anniversary.
The Official Playboy Opus will be a large-format luxury publication that will measure 50cm x 50cm (20 in x 20 in), weigh in at 37kg (81 lb) and be composed of up to 850 hand-bound pages, filled with more than 1,000 rarely seen and previously unpublished images.
A special Marquee limited Diamond Edition of only 60 copies worldwide will also be released, each of which will be adorned with a specially commissioned diamond-encrusted Playboy Rabbit Head on the leather-bound cover in celebration of the special 60-year anniversary. The owners of each Diamond Edition will receive a private invitation to the Playboy Mansion located in Los Angeles.
Opus Media Group will work in collaboration with Hugh M. Hefner and his staff at Playboy’s world headquarters to bring to life the Playboy story as it has never before been told or seen. The essence of Playboy will be captured by poring over millions of images and content from Playboy’s extensive archives and Mr. Hefner’s exclusive 2,300-volume scrapbook library.
The Opus will include in-depth chapters on the Playboy brand, its influence on American cultures, keynote interviews and, of course, the most notable Playmate photo shoots—beginning with Playboy’s inaugural issue in 1953, featuring Marilyn Monroe. The Opus will also focus on a substantial amount of never-before-seen imagery, offering a completely different perspective on Playboy’s iconic women, photographers and events, including revealing some of the mysteries that surround the Playboy Mansion.
The special signature page for the Number One copy will be signed here today by Mr. Hefner at the Playboy Mansion and auctioned for a charity of Playboy’s choice.
“It is with great excitement,” says Hefner, “that we embark on a journey to produce a publication on the history of Playboy that will be unlike anything we’ve done before. This will surely be a luxurious work of art that can be appreciated by all. I’m looking forward to seeing this one in print.”
Karl Fowler, CEO and founder of Opus, commented: “With every Opus, the aim is to make the reader feel closer to the subject by telling an epic journey with the best possible pictures and memories. It is an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to create The Official Playboy Opus and tell this amazing iconic story on a scale like never before. Indeed, with such an exclusive body of work and scarcity of numbers released, The Official Playboy Opus, in particular, will appeal not only to avid Playboy readers but also to collectors and investors as an alternative asset that will appreciate in value.”
Mark Skelly, President Opus Americas, says: ‘‘It’s astonishing that Hugh Hefner, with the publishing of a single magazine, launched a brand that has evolved into one of the most recognizable and iconic mainstream entities around the globe. Opus is honored to create and produce The Official Playboy Opus and its derivative products and to become a small part of the Playboy legacy.”
The Official Playboy Opus will also be available in other limited edition formats and in edited digital form as an eBook and an app for tablets, smart phones and computers, bringing the content to life with multimedia video and newsreel footage.
Watch Opus interview with Hugh Hefner at the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles
About Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
Playboy is one of the most recognized and popular consumer brands in the world. Playboy Enterprises, Inc. is a media and lifestyle company that markets the brand through a wide range of media properties and licensing initiatives. The company publishes Playboy magazine in the United States and abroad and creates content for distribution via television networks, websites, mobile platforms and radio. Through licensing agreements, the Playboy brand appears on a wide range of consumer products in more than 150 countries as well as retail stores and entertainment venues.
