LOS ANGELES — Holly Randall has launched a Kickstarter campaign to reissue "Suze," the 1977 memoir by her mother, pioneering photographer Suze Randall.
"I'm so thrilled to be finally rereleasing my mother's memoir after all this time,” said Holly Randall. “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.”
Allan Amato of Holy Cow Press is spearheading the crowdfunding effort — which has already amply surpassed its $40,000 goal — and collaborating with the Randall family on the project.
“Suze Randall — Naked and Unashamed” will reintroduce the out-of-print memoir alongside a limited-edition photo book and exclusive prints, plus 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.”
Co-authored by Suze Randall's late husband, Humphry Knipe, "Suze" is a rare collectible, with copies at times selling 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.
The book’s release was so controversial at the time that it led to the elder Randall's abrupt departure from Playboy and a dramatic confrontation with publisher Hugh Hefner, who was so upset by the photographer's revelations that he shockingly spat in her face.
"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," said Holly Randall. "For me, this rerelease is as much for him as it is for my mother."
Slated for release June 2024, the memoir features 18 pages of never-before-seen content from the Suze Randall archives. Donor rewards will also include "Suze — The Ltd. Edition Photography Book," a coffee table book with 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 the legendary photographer herself.
For more information, visit Suze.net and the crowdfunding page at Kickstarter.com.
