Born in a small factory town in the American state of Maine, where dreaming or having high hopes were not encouraged, Robert W Richards learned at a very early age to lead a private, interior, solitary life. Until he was about six years old, he didn't speak English, he spoke French. When he started going to school, he was kind of shunted aside because he was very shy about not speaking well.

After winning a scholarship to the Museum School in Boston, he moved to New York City. He was soon sketching the couture collections in Paris, Rome, Milan, and Los Angeles for American newspapers. After a few years the fashion grind began to wear on him. He had done it and was fortunate to have been there when couture was couture and not the vaudeville it has since become. He knew it was time for him to move on-not that one can't remain creative drawing fashion, but when he realized he was on his third cycle of mini-skirts ... that was it! Now he wanted to draw the people who wore the clothes, and preferably out of the clothes. He wanted faces, bodies, emotion.

This book is a visual manual of the male body. It is published for the first time, well-endowed with many specials: It is supersized, signed by the artist, and numbered. Magnificent varnish finishing on the cover creates a noble, exquisite appearance.