John S. Barrington
London: John S. Barrington, 1970.

John S. Barrington (1920-1991) was a prolific 20th century British physique photographer. Receiving a formal art training in Paris, he was also a visual artist and sculptor, and earlier in his career worked in theatre design. Barrington began picking up and photographing men at the pool, eventually going on to establish one of the most prolific physique studios of the 20th century, during which time he probably published and distributed more full male nudes than any of his contemporaries up until the changing censorship laws in the latter part of the century. Superb Youth in a Camera Life-Class is one of his scarcest works, unrecorded in public collections, and with a stated limited edition of 100 copies (though this could be Barrington’s marketing at work). It combines his photography and visual art with detailed instruction in the art of the measurements and proportions of the male body, and features numerous photographs and drawings of many of his favourite models, who were also his lovers or unrequited lusts. A prospectus at the end of volume two alludes to a third and fourth volume to be published and available only to subscribers of the first two volumes, though no record can be found of them ever having been published.