Author and illustrator F. Valentine Hooven III presents the official biography of the renowned homosexual artist, Tom of Finland. "Long iconic and even formative for American gay society, Tom's well-endowed and sexually charged imagery is now hitting the global mainstream." —NBC News With a foreword by Jean Paul Gaultier, an extensive history, and provocative photos and illustrations, this illustrated biography brings to life the story of the icon whose erotic depictions of men influenced gay culture, pop culture, and many prominent artists, including Robert Mapplethorpe and Bruce Weber. The text was completed just a few months before the death of the artist and he was interviewed at length for it—making this book the only fully approved biography of the legend responsible for creating the muscled, mustachioed gay archetype of the 1960s and '70s.