New Image Quality at Royale Studio Blog

  I have updated several posts at the Royale Studio blog with the old grainy images replaced by AI-enhanced versions which I think improves the presentation, also some new pictures of Peter George.

Full details at Royale Blog Image Quality

Poker Flushes

 

Image by AMG

For other mitchmen captions click on the mitchmods label below

Kidnapped

Mitchell - Get His Pants Off Too, Lads!

 When the Flat Cap Gang kidnap athletes to serve in their Sex Services Organisation, 

the men are compelled to leave everything behind, even the clothes that they stand up in.

(an image from the latest episode of the Flat Cap Gang at mitchmen Google Group)

Art by 3DWaxx

 

3D-WAxx - Relax

I've featured a few alien abductions in this blog but nothing quite like this. Normally it's very obvious what the alien is after and it usually involves intimate attachment to complex machines, usually in uncomfortable positions especially designed for human men. This alien however seems to want to sooth and calm his captive leaving his ultimate motivations deliciously obscure. He's an old-school, Trekkie type of creature which is somehow less intimidating anyway than the devilish creatures seen here of late. 

Nevertheless the abductee is firmly strapped down so he's not going anywhere just yet and he's also been fitted with a high tech collar which seems to suggest some sort of long term commitment is in prospect over which he will have no control. He's a clean cut looking fellow who many would like to add to their portfolio and have in a position such as this. Ginger hair has always had a special pulling power and, so it seems, trans-galactic appeal. There's a nice touch of authenticity in the skin colour.

This is a nicely-constructed understated render that fuels the imagination.

3D-WAxx - Market Day

This image is equally straightforward on the surface with a collection of hunky men being offered up for sale in a roman market with more in reserve waiting to take their place on the rostrum. It's doubtful that slaves of this quality were ever so numerous in practice so it's a crying shame that it's only a woman who is interested in them today. It's not clear whether she wants two of a certain type or is offering two units of currency for one, but either way the trader it seems is unable or unwilling to accommodate her - or perhaps he just wants a man to buy them. 

Quite right. I wouldn't mind the one second from the left.  

3D-WAxx - Failed Mutiny

There's a shade more edge to this example with a mutineer being whipped while tied to the mast of the ship. Another, noticeably younger, kneels close by waiting his turn. Both men have been stripped naked which is not general practice, but I suppose it takes the drudgery out of this thankless task for the coxswain (or whoever does the job). It also provides an easy way of checking that the men are not enjoying their punishment for the wrong reasons. The victim does look a little stiff!

It isn't obvious that the whip man has been overdoing it in his enthusiasm but nevertheless he's been interrupted by an androgynous-looking person who's obviously one of the big-wigs here despite a youthful appearance. Maybe it's because he isn't going at it harshly enough! I do hope that woman looking through the cabin window isn't trying to influence the proceedings.

There's a disarming innocence in the way this unpleasantness is presented that is like going back in time to simpler times. The two crew members casually observing proceedings as though this sort of thing happens all the time are very nicely done.

3D-WAxx - Josh In Trouble

I can always get excited about lifeguards and spanking and having one who is black lifts this image out of the ordinary. There's also a neat little twist in the narrative underneath that makes you go back and look at the picture all over again. Nice. 

3D-WAxx - Three Little Kittens

Don't you just hate it when someone does this to you? 

It's a little gem of observational art but then you ask yourself 'what on earth is going on here?' 

On the surface this looks like two friends have somehow acquired a captive and are preparing to get off on his discomfort. But it might also be read as another member of the group being primed for bondage himself. But then what does the title signify? It has the ring of covert surveillance, some one lurking, watching and waiting to seize the initiative once the kittens have done the groundwork for him and made themselves amenable to take-over.

Spooky.

3D-WAxx - Once Upon A Time

I can't say I like the women in this artist's pictures but it produces a rather nice sexual tension here with the dreamy boyfriend being held hostage by a mildly intimidating mutant being who obviously is quite fond of his catch and probably in two minds about freeing him let alone swapping him. It looks like they've already been rolling in the dirt. 

If he's capable of wielding that enormous thing dangling in front of him - I think it's called a flail - then I don't give much for the girl's chances of being able to influence this situation. Of course the whole idea of rescue is alien to this blog.

I reckon you should cut your losses and go home girl.

More fantasy scenarios like this at  3D-Waxx at Deviant Art 

His art is a pleasing mix of competent rendering, witty observation and appreciation of all things male with a mild touch of edge and lurking sexual opportunities.

Stanley Free Laid Bare

Stan Free, sailor star of Royale's TEDS storyette now has an index page at the Royale Studio blog. It gives a link to his storyettes and a new article published in the gallery section with images from his solo career, posing nude in pouch and as a seductive cowboy. Includes new pictures not seen on the internet for many years if ever!

Domination Art by Whiteworm

Whiteworm - Ready to Serve

 

I like the clean lines of modern fan art like this picture by Whiteworm 
This one seemed to call out for a caption with a tough edge. 

Sorry whiteworm!

Whiteworm - Bamboo Sticks

This Tagame-like image, by contrast is laden with dark meaning without needing words
for anyone familiar with the history of Asia between 1930 and 1970

This restraint image is a little gem.

It doesn't really need a caption.

The eyes say it all. 

When the underclass rebel no one is safe.

I hear 'do it yourself' justice is catching on

in some parts of the World.

When it come to the crunch,

Some animals are more equal than others.

Don't worry mate, it's not a permanent arrangement.

The Slave Catcher comes once a week to empty his traps.

Sometimes life feels exactly like this.

The time to get worried is when you start enjoying it.

Try it on the boss instead, you'll feel better.

You didn't like the job anyway.

More at Whiteworm @bdsmlr

aka Rob Clark who, surprisingly I haven't featured here before

Classic Homoerotic Images 6

 I have taken the liberty of repeating this image from a recent post 
to accord it it's rightful place in my series of homoerotic classics.

Tom Of Finland - Leather Lovers (1963)

Tom's image of two leather men sensuously nuzzling dicks a classic.

Their affectionate embrace is a bold assertion of the true nature of gay sexuality.

It has deservedly become a much-loved expression of Gay Pride.

Arguably the greatest Homoerotic Image of them all.

Contrast this image with the superficially similar image of cowboys helping each other to dress by Colt. It was pirated by Vivienne Westwood to adorn T-shirts during the punk era, a supposedly shocking product. Colt's image is 6 years later than Tom's and it's deliberately camp. It's another valid view of gay relationships but one that only embraces sexuality in an amusing, titillating way. Westwood's use of it may have been a public recognition of the gay world, but did little to alter perceptions of homosexuality.

TEDS is the latest addition to the Royale Archive by mitchmen

Royale Studio - Sailor Canes a Mugger

 

Royale's 'TEDS' photo set features a fight between a Sailor and a Teddy Boy
who attacks him with a cosh. It which ends up with the mugger getting caned.

Go to the TEDS announcement at the Royale Studio blog by mitchmen

Tom of Finland's 'Thieving Cowboy'

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 01

 The villain of the piece spies on his target.

He is a young man dressed in very tight jeans and a leather jacket,

a garment that shows off his dinky bubble butt to perfection.  

He's not obviously a cowboy though, despite the implication of the title.

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 02

Seeing there is no-one around, he ventures into the tack room and lifts down a saddle.

He doesn't have the face of a villain, maybe he only wants to sniff it. 

A passing cowboy spots what he is doing and stops to investigate.

But it looks as though it's those juicy buns that have really caught his eye.

We can only imagine his reaction when he sees the impressive shaping at the front,

looming large and unprotected as the young man leans across the box.

The glimpse of  his 'belly button' under the jacket is a delicious detail.

In this sensitively copied image you can see the glorious sensuality of Tom's shading 

which has been largely washed away by the 'enhancement' of image 1. 

(see introductory article )

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 03

He is challenged by a muscular, bare topped cowboy,

You can almost hear the poor lad stammering as he tries to explain himself.

With the passage of time, the striped trousers Tom has given the cowboy to wear have become an incongruity that's hard to swallow. I don't think the fashion was that popular even in the 50's, not in the UK anyway. Now they look as though they belong in a circus rather than a ranch. By contrast the young man's classic jacket and jeans have hardly aged at all although young men don't wear them as tight as this any more (worse luck!).

 

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 05

It's not obvious here whether the cowboy has tried to apprehend the intruder

 or grabbed his jacket or attempted something even more scary for the young man.

It turns out he's not the pussy he looked, having grown into real beefcake all of a sudden.

He sends his attacker reeling away. I'm not quite sure how he's done it though. 

A slap? A head butt? (or BO perhaps?) 

The collapsing cowboy seems to present his crotch bulge to his dangling hand.

But a second cowboy interrupts them at this dramatic, suggestive moment.

I've left a gap in my numbering before this picture

 to allow for the existence of a more explanatory intermediate image 

(see introductory article re: numbering)

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 06

The intervention of cowboy No.2 turns the tables. He puts the hunky intruder into an arm lock, making him bend over, seemingly perched on his thigh. Coincidentally, a degree of lumpiness has resurfaced in those tight jeans. This is one of Tom's great physical domination images, easily ranking alongside the careless motorcyclist and coffee-spilling sailor classics. 

Cowboy No 1 lies dazed on the floor displaying considerable assets of his own in an indecorous, open legged pose. It's similar to another seen here recently in the Colourised Royale Guardsmen post. 

I salvaged this fragment from an old Royale Studio ad with some fairly crude editing but it gives a good idea of the original picture. The struggling pair in the foreground are the essence of the composition, one of the better images in this set. I've also attached an AI-enhanced version that goes to the other extreme but shows what might have been.

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 07 

Somehow the captive wriggles free and lunges at his attacker knocking him over. 

He also appears to be taking the chance to grope his opponent's bottom.

In doing so he presents his own backside to the other cowboy 

who returns to the fight with hand outstretched towards the alluring sight.

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 08

Cowboy No 2 goes down and the intruder leaps on top of him, fist flailing.

The two men's groins are pressed together but Tom steers clear of the provocative, homoerotic nuzzling of his slightly later, leather lovers (shown below). The slight crotch displacement he uses instead fortuitously produces hint of top and bottom in the alignment. The arched body of the man underneath enhances the impression both of fierce resistance and sexual pleasure.

No 2 seems to be having another go at removing the visitor's leather jacket.

I recovered this image from the same ad as No 6 above and it suffers from the same shortcomings in quality, but there's no mistaking the impressive sense of desperate struggle Tom has managed to capture. He used a similar fight composition in other stories of the this period.

Tom Of Finland - Leather Lovers (1963)

Tom's image of two leather men sensuously nuzzling dicks is a classic.

Their affectionate embrace is a bold assertion of the true nature of gay sexuality.

It has deservedly become a much-loved expression of Gay Pride.

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 09

The two cowboys eventually get the upper hand.

They begin to  mete out punishment to the impertinent intruder.

No 2 ties a rope to his ankle to quell his resistance 

while No 1 distracts him with  an open hand spank.

The sequencing of the fight images 5-9 is not completely obvious and there's a temptation to place this image 9 adjacent to No 7 but the initiation of the roping sequence anchors it at the end. The cowboy's hat plays a merry dance of it's own throughout these pictures and is no guide to continuity.

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 10

The young man's ankle is tied to a convenient post. The opposing pull of the rope and his restrainer's gagging action produces a flash of curvaceous buttock, a delicious arching of his torso and a look of utter display as he sees his chance of escaping from these men going up in smoke. 

It looks like his jacket is finally coming off.

   

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 12

A few minutes later his other ankle is also tied, spread-eagling his feet wide.

One of his wrists has also been tethered and is being pulled out taut.

His jacket is gently eased off his last untethered limb.

A hand clasps his pec and his arousal shows no sign of abating.

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 13

For me this is a most exciting moment.

Having secured their captive in an uncomfortable X-stretch,

one of the cowboys starts to extract his belt from the loops in his jeans

The other starts to undo the flies of his jeans.

The captive recoils, but his his indrawn abs are a futile act 

that only adds another sexy detail to the alluring display of his body

He can only watch what they are doing and wonder where it will go. 

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 14

With the captive now stretched out helpless, 

cowboy No 1 begins to spank him with his own belt.

His colleague watches the captive's response to the punishment with a faint smile

his jeans are showing signs of strain just below his own belt.

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 15

With the spanking in full flow, the recipient bows his head.

Tom brings out the dense muscularity of the spanker's back

which serves to underline the intensity of the punishment.

The on-looker extends his forefinger as though furtively pleasuring himself. 

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 16

Finally they release the captive and he sinks to the ground massaging his bottom.

The spectator seems to be showing his approval at the performance,

or is that upraised thumb symbolic of something else?

Notice how their feet are entwined.

Tom of Finland - The Thieving Cowboy 17

No 17 is another nicely drawn, sexy picture which benefits enormously from not having been 'enhanced'.

The thief flees, holding up his jeans but minus his expensive leather jacket.

The blond cowboy could be shouting that he's forgotten his jacket,

but both of them have seemed to be trying to get it off him throughout.

So at this point you might wonder who exactly is the thief ?

You can see that in this picture the offender's ass is completely uncovered. Although we saw the top of his jeans being undone in picture 13, they seemed to remain firmly in place in the images that followed. However the drawing of the waistband in 16 looks as if it may have been an afterthought, a sanitisation of nude buttocks (although this might be a misleading effect of the imperfect picture quality). His X-spread restraint would have prevented complete removal of his jeans anyway, but could it be that between pictures 15 and 17 he was spanked on his bare butt?  

Of course that rueful massage of his buttock could be the aftermath of a more invasive come-uppance. We know from the early biker set discovered in 2015 that Tom was drawing sexually explicit endings to some of his series at least and there are hints throughout this piece that the cowboy's interest in him has a sexual dimension (naturally!). Whatever happened to him was sufficient at any rate to persuade him to abandon his coat and would potentially furnish enough additional material to boost the number of images in the set towards Anderson's claimed total of 26. (See Introductory article)

More Tom of Finland articles at mitchmen

More about Tom at Tom of Finland Foundation

Tom Of Finland's Thieving Cowboy and Royale Studio

Dolphin Photography launched with Tom of Finland's 'Thieving Cowboy' (1960) 

 The 'Thieving Cowboy' is one of Tom of Finland's earliest works and will be familiar to many of the readers of this blog, not least for its memorable spanking content. It's probably less well known that the series was originally commissioned by our friends at Royale Studio. That was in 1957, according to the Colville Gallery, the year Royale itself was launched (see Timeline article at the new Royale blog). 

Coincidentally 1957 was also the year that Tom's pictures first 'came out' in AMG's Physique Pictorial (according to Hooven, Tom of Finland, His Life and Times, Chap 8, see also Tom of Finland Foundation, "How Tom went from belittled pornographer to iconic artist"). 

Hooven remarks that Royale was one of Tom's best customers and that he did 'several' series for them. 
I confess I don't know what the others were. 

The Tom of Finland Retrospective (Gay Men's Press, 1988) included one image from the 'Thieving Cowboy' series on page 14 and dated it as 1958. However, the earliest independently documented reference I can find for it in relation to Royale is an advert in 'Tomorrows Man' beefcake mag in August 1960 marking the launch of Royale's offshoot studio 'Dolphin Photography (reproduced above). 

This advertisement describes it as a 16-picture 'playlet' but a later ad in 'Manifique' in Spring 1961 revised the total upwards to 17. More recently JW Anderson claimed there were 26 images in the set altogether and since he was working with the Tom of Finland Foundation at the time he ought to know. However,  the evidence available to me suggests that 17 is probably right for the Royale set at any rate, although it is an unusual number, not amenable to fitting neatly into a sheet of thumbnails. It's possible Tom produced a longer version for publication elsewhere or that Royale commissioned a subset, perhaps with some new illustrations, thereby enabling them to claim exclusivity. The end of the story (next post) does offer more evidence on this. 

For this article, I have been able to assemble 15 images belonging to the set although 2 of them are incomplete. They come from the following web sources.

• Jock Spank has an article 'Cowboy Thief' with 12 pictures from the set. These images are reasonable quality but have been 'enhanced' and don't have the subtle detail of original drawings. Their numbering doesn't match my larger group.
• Recently 4 images of good original quality appeared on art auction sites purporting to be Numbers 2, 3, 12 and 13 in the series (original numbering). I have used all of them, sticking to their numbering and some replacing Jock Spank images.
• I have two images with numbers in the corners (from I don't know where). They have obviously been cut from Royale thumbnail sheets and show what Nos 14 and 16 depicted, but I have only used 16 for this article.
• To these I have added 4 images found embedded in Dolphin Photography adverts during my recent searches of vintage beefcake mags. Two were easy to extract from the advertising blurb (12 & 17) but the other two were tangled up with other imagery so I have (crudely) extracted them. They are therefore incomplete, mostly lacking backgrounds and definition, but they temporarily fill gaps in the sequence quite usefully. These are included as numbers 6 and 7.

I have guessed where the unnumbered ones fit based on the image narrative.

The next post will feature the full set of pictures as far as I have been able to go with it.

Below, one of the images after photographic enhancement.

Tom of Finland - 'The Thieving Cowboy' - 3, Caught In The Act

Art by Appas

Appas - Chang Chi Bound 01-01

Regulars will know I'm not enamoured of the modern fashion for iterative image series which superimpose an erotic progression on an unchanging underlying pose. But the sheer quality of these images by Appas demonstrate the power of technology to produce superb images in the right hands. 

It starts with a sexy image of man tied up in light shibari on the back seat of a bus while the man responsible hovers menacingly just off-picture. We see he has bare arms and intimidating, fingerless gloves. He's immobilised his victim with arms tied over his head and 'frog' legs, exposed his muscular torso and undone the fly of his trousers to reveal a splash of pubic grow-back.

The stretching and creasing of the captive's pants caused by the open frog legs is captured amazingly well and this detail alone makes the image worth including here but there's also an overall sense of heightened realism that is fascinating. There's a superhero film connection here so I dare say there are underlying photo images doing the groundwork here but it's an impressive result nevertheless.

Appas - Chang Chi Bound 02-10

Appas breaks with convention here by moving the captor to a different position and showing him actually interacting with the primary image of the captive. We get a glimpse of a handsome bearded man but it's unclear because of a transparency effect, whose purpose is not very clear. It does avoiding (partially) obstructing our view of the captive's face which has a wonderful expression of tense anticipation but I can't help thinking that it would be more effective do away with the transparency effect and show off the screwed-up face detail in a separate close-up image. 

The stripping of the captive has moved on considerably here, but as is usual in this genre (and porn films in general) the clothes have simply vanished into thin air so you haven't missed much! It's still a great picture though, 

Appas - Chang Chi Bound 02-15

In this final image the captor has left the victim perched on the back seat, still helplessly tied and covered with his own cum. It draws out the incongruity (and humiliation in this bondage situation) of sex being extracted in a public place. The passenger in the seat in front seems too embarrassed to even look round but that just makes thing worse for the victim. But it's a fantasy he loves.

Appas - Gabriel Reyes, Reaper 04 

Gabriel Reyes is another popular figure for fan art who's popped up (as it were) in several artists' contributions here at mitchmen. This man doesn't really need the leg up of a gaming existence to be interesting. Devilishly handsome man and clad in sexy chaps and leather gear he'd turn heads anywhere. His kneeling pose here is submissive, disarming and extremely seductive. 

That appeal is topped off for me by his cock dipping into, splashing around in the pumpkin head bowl. At least it seems like a bowl to me full of cooling, previous produce. Logically though, the cut-out eyes and other features would prevent any accumulation of fluid and it would normally contain a burning candle ....... which puts a very different complexion on his mischievous expression.

Appas - Gabriel Reyes, Reaper 21

This is the naked variant, still dipping! As you can imagine, his cock assumes all sorts of different positions and states as it progresses towards this conclusion but it's dipper that does it for me.

You can check out the links below for more.

Appas - Supes

This is straightforward fan art with Superman being given a splendidly muscular body to fit into a Hollywood, rubberised vision of his famous body suit. I rather like the idea that he has massive packing in the groin department but without it having any perceptible sexual purpose. His slightly plastic-looking facial features might be a similar wry comment on the hero's unreal, overly clean persona.

Appas - Prince Philip & Tentacles 17

Prince's (heir or spare) are not popular erotic subjects for me as a rule and this render is not comparable in quality with the others above, but I just like coiled tentacle in this image. In companion pictures Appas shows it jerking off the young man which is quite entertaining.

Appas can be found at Gumroad 

and at Patreon for those happy to buy a pig in a poke.

His Twitter site mentioned on the Superman picture is no more. 

Art by AnimasAnimus

Animas Animus - Captain America & The Punisher

AnimusAnimus has a simple recipe for his art - men with exceeding large asses being dominated by their muscular peers and this is an excellent example. This spanking image is full of energy and lust. 

But if his themes are simple his art isn't, despite appearances in this cartoon. The contrasting characterisations of the super-clean Captain America and the super-butch Punisher mine a very rich seam of rebellious non-conformity in the male breast. Dressing the punisher in jeans invites us to identify with him. His lovingly detailed boots and stubbled chin stress an earthy masculinity that seems to elude the goody-goodies of this life.

AnimasAnimus & Shadowwow - Set Me Free

This image seems to explore the other side of the coin, the devilry and beastliness that lurks within the non-conformist and the ability those characteristics have to tempt ordinary mortals. I'm not sure why the artists have chosen a crab to represent such secret longings, unless there's magic involved. 

I love the setting of a desert island beach. It's almost as this hulk has been deposited in Ehrlik territory where I imagine he would give the native Amazons a run for their money in the man-collecting stakes. If your fate as a wrong-doer is to be isolated from the rest of the world in an inescapable prison this place beats the deep burial option by a country mile.

I normally steer clear of mixed-species creatures like this but I like this one's fleshy physique and it is just the face that's morphed, no paws or tails. The grotesque facial characterisation complete with pirate patch is nicely conceived, but still the image would work better for me if he had a more human face - more like the Punisher above, say.

AnimasAnimus - Easter Egg Wrap 

The artist gives full rein to his perverse imagination in this delightful image, adapting the ancient fetish practice of oriental balls to a more prosaic, but not entirely hygienic purpose although I don't suppose that consideration would deter all my readers. It's utter fantasy of course, where does the wrapping come from? How do you stop the chocolate melting? But it's good to see that the captive worker slaving away seems to be enjoying his job so much. (Yes I know he's got a tail but it's only a little one!).

The concept of a hole-in-the-wall incarceration, display and dispensing service, usually targeting super-heroes, appeals to the erotic imagination and has spawned a lot of variations over the years. 

AnimasAnimus - Muscle Lovers (my title)

This fantasy (100% human!) wittily goes to the root of the matter (as it were) with an unbelievably over-developed, young muscleman apparently having sex with his own reflection and filming it on his phone so his fans can admire and envy him. AA's admiration of these types is obvious even when he's poking fun at their human weakness. 

AnimasAnimus - Venom's Playthings

When this artist wades into superhero sexual exchanges he often discards the normal physical constraints of bodies to achieve fantastical super-intercourse, but as the action develops these images sometimes become bafflingly complex, especially when self-morphing creatures like Venom are involved. This image actually shows The Hunk and Rocket-Head trapped in a deeply intimate coupling after Venom (right) has lured them into erotic combat and somehow coated and enclosed them with some of his own latex-like skin. I don't profess to know how that works but I love the concept! 

This image reminds me of a scenario that had a brief vogue a few years ago when the Chris Redfield biohazard craze was at it's height. A Security Guard patrolling outside a bio-plant found himself assailed by tentacles emerging from the earth, totally absorbed by the mutant being and converted into a something resembling a sort of perpetual sex machine. He did not lose his bodily integrity as a human but his sexual parts became predominant at the expense of motor and communication functions. His new whole became a solid bio-mass that looked like a throbbing machine when his colleagues found him. Something like the image just above. It's an idea I'd like to have illustrated myself but I think it calls for the wizardry of computer art.

AA @FurAffinity

AA at Twitter

AnimasAnimus shop at Gumroad

If you are intrigued by the art of Animas-Animus it's probably a good idea to understand what the term means. Without going into the psychological theory of Jung, the animus is the unconscious masculine side of a woman, and the anima is the unconscious feminine side of a man*. I think this artist is probably interpreting this idea in a general way about roles and role reversal but embraces animal characteristics as well to an extent that I have barely touched on in this article.

*You can delve the theory deeper at Anima and Animus but it's not an easy read!