Holly Randall announces the launch of a special Kickstarter campaign that’s near and dear to her heart, “Suze Randall – Naked and Unashamed”, with the goal of reissuing her legendary photographer mother’s 1977 memoir, Suze.
Allan Amato of Holy Cow Press is spearheading the crowdfunding effort, which has already raised nearly $60,000 of its $40,000 goal, as well as collaborating on the project, which will reintroduce the out-of-print volume alongside a limited edition photo book, exclusive prints, and workshop opportunities as rewards for backers. “I’ve been a huge fan of Suze’s work throughout my career,” Amato said. “I just had to have a book showcasing her groundbreaking 40 plus year career on my table, but what clinched it was meeting Suze in person. I want to be like Suze when I grow up. And so should you.”
Written by Suze Randall’s late husband Humphry Knipe, Suze has been out of print for decades and is a rarity on the book collector’s market– at times going for thousands of dollars online. The memoir chronicles the artist’s groundbreaking tenure as Playboy’s first female staff photographer, during an era marked by excess and indulgence, and highlights Randall’s personal and professional experiences on both sides of the lens.
“I’m so thrilled to be finally re-releasing my mother’s memoir after all this time,” said Randall of Suze. “This was a project I was working on closely with my father when he passed away last January, and so it was incredibly important to me to see this through.
“To witness the astounding reception this has gotten, and to see how quickly we hit our goal has been incredibly bittersweet– my father would have been so thrilled. For me, this re-release is as much for him as it is for my mother.”
Suze’s release was so controversial at the time that it led to Randall’s abrupt departure from Playboy and dramatic confrontation with the magazine’s iconic publisher Hugh Hefner – who was so upset by Randall’s revelations that he shockingly spat in the photographer’s face.
Slated for release June 2024, the memoir features 18 pages of never-before-seen content from the Suze archives, and donors’ rewards will also include Suze – The LTD Edition Photography Book,
a premium 140 GSP stock coffee table book with stunning full-color images that spans Randall’s prolific 40-year career. With a run of only 1,500, the photo book is signed and numbered by Suze herself.
To learn more about Suze Randall, visit Suze.net and visit the crowdfunding page at Kickstarter.com.
Find and follow Holly Randall at HollyLinks.com.
