''Gent'' was a

pornographic magazine Pornographic magazines or erotic magazines, sometimes known as adult, sex or top-shelf magazines, are magazines that contain content of an explicitly sexual nature. Publications of this kind may contain images of attractive naked subjects, as is ...

published by the

Magna Publishing Group Magna Publishing Group, Inc. is an American publishing company headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey. Founded in 1975, the company publishes a number of magazine titles and is one of the largest publishers of pornographic magazines in the United ...

, publisher of '' Swank'', ''

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

'', ''

Velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

'' and many other popular men's magazines. It focused on women with large breasts, and is subtitled "Home of the D-Cups".

History

Begun in 1956 by Excellent Publications, Inc. as ''The Gent'', it was one of a number of "skin magazine" startups at the time aimed at male readers in imitation of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'' and hoping for similar success. It was soon prosecuted for obscenity by the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

, but was found not obscene at that time. Skin magazines in general and ''Gent'' specifically proved to be a fiction market for popular writers like Harlan Ellison, one that was more open because it was "a little less constrained by fiction market formulas." It was again prosecuted in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

, but the

New York State Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by ...

ruled that since it was not hardcore pornography it could not be found to be obscene. The case has been described as "for a time and perhaps even now

n 2003 N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

..the single most important obscenity case decided" by that court and "the focal point for addressing the issues of legal regulation of obscenity in New York." It was prosecuted again in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

, where a jury convicted it, but the

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agreed to review the case, bundling it in ''

Redrup v. New York ''Redrup v. New York'', 386 U.S. 767 (1967), was a May 8, 1967 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, widely regarded as the end of American censorship of written fiction. Robert Redrup was a Times Square newsstand clerk who sold tw ...

''. It continued to be a market for popular fiction through the 1970s, 80s (then put out by Dugent Publishing Corp.) and 90s, publishing pieces such as " Strawberry Spring" by Stephen King. In later years, it was owned by the Princeton Media Group, publisher of other similar magazines such as '' Oui'' at which time it was derided by some as a "working-class ''Playboy'' wannabe", and overshadowed by the publicity surrounding ''

Hustler Hustler or hustlers may also refer to: Professions * Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a: ** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks ** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs ** Male prostitute ** Pimp ** Business man, more gener ...

'' publisher

Larry Flynt Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as ''Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three por ...

. Gent has ceased publication.

Japanese namesake

Another ''Gent'' magazine was published in Japan in the 1980s. Targeted at local fans of Western adult films, it was unrelated to the American publication and had a glossier look.

References

External links

* 1956 establishments in New Jersey Men's magazines published in the United States Monthly magazines published in the United States Pornographic magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1956 Magazines published in New Jersey Pornographic men's magazines Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines with year of disestablishment missing {{porn-mag-stub