Hollywood Bombshells (Nearly) Bare All!

Inside the pages of Va-Va-Voom!, dozens of famous (and not-so- famous) movie actresses pose in the glossy publicity stills that came to be known as "pin-ups." Ranging from the sublimely sexy (Jane Russell sprawled across a haystack) to the faintly ridiculous (Marilyn Monroe as a pilgrim), these photos capture all the glamour of a magical era that began with the birth of the Hollywood studios and faded in the 1970s.

As noted film writer Chris Chang, who examines this pop culture institution with a loving eye, remarks: "Words, of course, will eventually fail. But in a way, that's what photography books are all about. To state the obvious: You can pin her up, but you can never pin her down."