Naturism in the United States: Frances and Mason Merrill's Nudism Comes to America

This controversial book has been a stalwart part of the reading lists of those attracted to naturism, which involved much more than simply taking off clothes and lying on a beach. The complex relationship that involves nudity with disciplines as disparate as yoga and environmentalism makes the subject perennially pertinent. Frances and Mason Merrill traveled widely and exhaustively to produce a survey of permanent usefulness.

Dr. Paul Rich is a member of the American Sociological Association and of the American and Popular Culture Associations. With his parents he spent time at The Cloisters on Sea Island, Georgia, the retreat for decidedly staid members of the Social Register escaping Northern winters, and heard that another part of the island was sheltering the less socially ambitious unclad. The juxtaposition has always intrigued him.