Over the last few decades the fall in the number of available magazine publications in all markets is undeniable yet the stalwarts of the adult industry that remain enjoy some of the highest circulation figures in the publishing industry. Top shelf magazines, or ‘Men’s Interest’ remain a rite of passage. A Social Perspective on Adult Magazines Creating all of the layout and artwork himself as well as sourcing content, the first issue featured his own secretary on the cover. The format of girl-next-door, amateur style content is a popular one and includes features on reader’s wives and true confessions as well as glamour models. The magazine is widely available in newsagents and has become part of the national psyche with multiple references across British popular culture. Swank The magazine is produced by the UK powerhouse of porn publishing, Paul Raymond Productions who also distribute Razzle, Mayfair and Men Only.

The magazine has had its own fair share of controversy and censorship over the years and remains one of the brands at the heart of the debate over the availability of sex and pornography in the mass market.Breast Men” in the US from the early 80s were offered this softcore adult magazine to satisfy their tastes for mammoth mammarys. These titles are all still producing regular content for the mainstream markets and most have been publishing for decades. Despite a worldwide decline in the sale of printed pornography they all enjoy a good readership both in their home markets and with strong international sales. Aktuell Rapport Designed to be a companion guide for pornographic movies (and mainstream releases), Adam Film World was considered to be one of the leading titles in the industry during the 1980s and 1990s. Want to know what’s happening in the adult industry? What sex toys are the most trending nowadays? These top 10 best adult magazines have everything you are looking for. Content usually focused on dominant female models wearing pantyhose, high heels and corsets. Modern Man

Another publication that now exists only on the web, Gent was one of the founding ‘skin magazines’, starting up a few years after the launch of Modern Man. Unlike its British cousin, the American version contains hardcore content including insertions, lesbianism and masturbation. The ‘upmarket’ sister title to the UK’s ‘ Fiesta’ (see below), Knave ran for 45 years before failing to keep up its circulation. From Amateurs to XXX – we cover the alphabet of fetish magazines, including Corporal Punishment, Bondage, Rubber and Latex, Vintage, Transgender and many more besides. At the time, Sweden’s porn laws were being liberalised and Milton pushed the boundaries all the time.Another title in the Larry Flynt stable of publications, Barely Legal is a softcore magazine with the focus on models who are 18 and over. Some models are in their mid-twenties though have been photographed to accentuate their youthful looks. At its peak, Hustler is reported to have had circulation figures in excess of 3 million but the general decline in printed pornography has seen this fall to around 500,000. These magazines are targeted at gay and bisexual men, although they may also have some female readers, and may include male-male and occasionally male-male-female content and/or male-female content. Such publications include photographs or other illustrations of nudity and sexual activities, including oral sex, anal sex, and other forms of sexual activity. These magazines primarily serve to stimulate sexual thoughts and emotions. Some magazines are very general in their variety of illustrations, while others may be more specific and focus on particular activities or fetishes. Attracting an artistic approach to its nudes, Lui now has a reputation for being more of a glamour/adult magazine. The editorial team also put together an annual Directory of Adult Films from 1984 detailing all information, statistics and data on the previous 18 months releases. The final issue of the ‘ Adam Film World Guide’ (Volume 21, No. 6) was released in August 2008. Asian Babes

However, magazines like Hustler were producing more hardcore content including images of penetration, group sex and fetish scenes. Present Day Porn Magazines Sadly, the title folded in 2009, briefly returned in 2015 but has since fallen by the wayside. Knave In 1935, the predecessor of the adult magazine, as we know it today, was launched with Men Only. Covering male issues from a male perspective the publication ran with a tagline of ‘We don’t want women readers. We won’t have women readers’. The title had plate prints of artistic nudes but was mainly text based. Undergoing many changes throughout the years, the title was relaunched in 1971 as a top shelf magazine. Here we celebrate porn in all its delicious delights – from toys and clothing to fetish DVDs and magazines. The Top Shelf is a place for porn-lovers from all over to come together in unison for action of all kinds – whether you’re into leather, latex or an old-fashioned spanking – we have adult magazines covering almost every kink and quirk you can think of.

Magazines like Loaded and FHM were all competing for shelf space but doing a better job at appealing to the masses who preferred to avoid the stigma of reaching to the top shelf for dirty magazines. Not only that but the growth of the internet was fast fulfilling the need for pornography a lot more discreetly.