Janssen-Verlag
Publishing house Janssen-Verlag was founded in Berlin, Germany, in 1981 by Volker Janssen, a former salesman, goldsmith and journalist.
History
The initial idea for Janssen-Verlag was to publish posters, cards and small catalogues of the exhibitions in Janssen Gallery, the first worldwide gay gallery on the subject of "Men in Art".
For years Volker Janssen operated the gallery and the publishing house himself. Nevertheless, in the late 1980s Janssen-Verlag grew considerably and became independent from the gallery. High class coffee table books were published with local and international artists as well as reprints of classic gay novels etc. Janssen-Verlag begun selling its publications by representatives and distributors all over Western Europe and since the 1990s, on a worldwide basis, especially to the United States market. In 1991 Janssen-Verlag also begun a mail order business.
For boylovers Janssen-Verlag is probably known for its "Boyphoto" series. Begun in 1991, they were large size (30cm) albums of about 50 pages each, featuring full sized photographs of artists specializing in, mostly naked, boy photography. Each album was dedicated to a different photographer.
The Boyphoto series continued to 1997, eventually publishing seventeen albums. In 1996, Volker Janssen moved to Cape Town, South Africa, sold his gallery and took most of the business there. Even though the reasons remain unspecified, we can attribute this move to the changing climate regarding photography of naked boys. It was not unusual for photographers that were published in Boyphoto albums to have troubles with the law.
Janssen-Verlag today still operates as a publisher, but publishes only albums featuring gay men.
Boyphoto series (incomplete) catalog
- 1 | Badespässe (Fun in the Bathroom) / Jacques Duval (1991) | ISBN: 3-925443-12-6
- 2 | FKK-Jungen (Naturist Boys) / Stefan van Houten (1991) | ISBN: 3-925443-13-4
- 3 | Müde Knaben (Tired Boys) / Peter Wellman (1992) | ISBN: 3-925443-16-9
- 4 | Free Spirits / David Francis (1992) | ISBN: 3-925443-19-3
- 5 | Freizeit (The Recreation) / Filmar, Guerin and Vuillaume (1993) | ISBN: 3-925443-22-3
- 6 | Wasserflöhe (Waterbugs) / Jacques Duval (1993) | ISBN: 3-925443-26-6
- 7 | Milchbärte (Milksops) / Joscha (1994) | ISBN: 3-925433-28-2
- 8 | FKK Classics (Naturist Boys) / Hajo Ortil (1994) | ISBN: 3-925443-32-0
- 9 | Einsamer Junge (Lonely Boy) / Peter Pan (1994) | ISBN: 3-925443-34-7
- 10 | Akki's Jungen (Akki's Boys) / Akki (1995) | ISBN: 3-925443-28-2
- 11 | Drinnen und Draußen (Inside + Outside) / Peter Wellmann | ISBN: 3-925443-44-4
- 13 | Sammelalbum / Sammlers (1995)
- 14 | Joscha's Jungen / Joscha (1997) | ISBN: 3-925443-56-8
- 15 | Wilde Jungen (Wild Boys) / Stephan Sandmann | ISBN: 3-925443-59-2
- 16 | Garden of Boys / Oliver Hill (orig. 1923)
- 17 | Hitzefrei (Hot Weather Holiday) / Nicola Remaché
