How Hugh Hefner invented the modern man

Women in the magazine, he said, were intended more as the girl next door than as sex objects

In December 1953, the inaugural issue of Playboy magazine hit newsstands without a date. Hugh Hefner, its creator, was unsure whether it would be a success and have a future, so by withholding the date he hoped he could continue to sell that issue until he sold out of that first run.

Mr. Hefner, who died on Wednesday at 91, had nothing to worry about.

In its prime, the magazine ranked among America’s top-selling publications, alongside Life and Time, sometimes beating their subscription rates. The magazine, intended for men, quickly transcended Mr. Hefner’s target audience, with a subscriber base that cut across