Address_Copyright_Credit

Playbill .......... 3

Dear Playboy .......... 13

Playboy After Hours .......... 19

Books .......... 22

Vintage thrillers, a blah Houdini biography and a dandy Conan Doyle one reviewed, along with an insightful volume on TV; gift-book ideas.

Music .......... 28

A ride on American Flyer; Shepp-shaped sounds; Ry Cooder interpreted; discs to buy--and give--for the holidays.

Exotica .......... 33

How to get pregnant in Afghanistan.

Movies .......... 34

Rocky scores a knockout; Lord Olivier, twice; Paddy Chayefsky talks.

Selected Shorts

Against Coeducation ..........Dotson Rader 40

Our author postulates that coeducation is a failure because the girls are smarter than the boys.

The Right to Arms ..........Edward Abbey 41

Take away a man's weapon and you take away the ultimate form of protest.

The Playboy Advisor .......... 43

The Playboy Forum .......... 47

Playboy Interview: Alex Haley--candid conversation .......... 57

The author of Roots tells the fascinating story behind the book.

The Motel Tapes--part one of a new book ..........Mike McGrady 80

Conversations overheard in a single motel room over the course of a year that result in funny, sad, sexy stories in dialog form about life in America.

Natural Leigh--pictorial .......... 85

Back in May of 1973, we ran a pictorial called "Indian," featuring Barbara Leigh. Here's a second helping.

The Parts Left Out of the Patty Hearst Trial--article ..........Paul Krassner 94

The publisher of The Realist, pioneer Yippie and charter member of the It's-All-a-Conspiracy Club, sheds some weird light on the Hearst carnival.

The Eleventh-Hour Santa--gifts .......... 97

When you're running out of time, a few helpful hints can save minutes.

Great Comeback Lines--humor ..........John Blumenthal 101

Fifty zinging retorts delivered by the likes of Dorothy Parker, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill and many others.

Spermula--pictorial .......... 103

Scenes from an odd new French porno film.

You are what you EST--article .........Dan Greenburg 109

After experiencing it all, our special investigator isn't quite sure what to make of our currently most fashionable mind-bending operation.

That Was the Year That Was--humor ..........Judith Wax 112

A few satiric verses on the folks who brought you 1976.

The Rolls-Royce Love Affair--fiction ..........Erica Jong 115

A steamy hunk from the new novel by the author of Fear of Flying.

The Sunshine Kid--playboy's playmate of the month .......... 116

Skiing is Susan Kiger's number-one passion--well, maybe number-two passion.

Playboy's Party Jokes--humor .......... 128

Mr. Death--article ..........Laurence Gonzales 130

An exclusive story of a man who built assassination devices for the CIA.

Guiding Lights--attire ..........Robert L. Green 133

Clothes you might be seeing in the future, specially designed for Playboy.

Mendel I Thought--fiction ..........Isaac Bashevis Singer 139

An unforgettable word picture of an absent-minded friend.

Touch Me, Feel Me ... Spank Me--from the new book ..........Rosemarie Santini 141

A female interviewer gets women to say the most astonishingly intimate things about their sexual experiences.

The City Car Comes of Age--modern living ..........Brock Yates 147

Want a car that can adapt to rush-hour jams and the open road? Read this.

McGuire's--article ..........Jimmy Breslin 153

A retired cop, gambler and saloonkeeper converts his place into a gay bar.

Playboy's Playmate Review--pictorial .......... 155

A roundup of the past delightful dozen.

The Vargas Girl--pictorial ..........Alberto Vargas 166

The Pregnant Alderman--ribald classic ..........Georg Wickram 167

Blanket Approval--attire .......... 169

New look for a familiar favorite in winter outdoor wear.

The Russian Playboy--parody .......... 171

What our magazine would look like if the Russkies put out an edition.

Sebastian the Cat--fiction ..........Evan Hunter 179

A poignant story about marriage, an affair and the death of a cat.

Art Buchwald's Illustrated Guide to Superb Tennis--humor ..........Art Buchwald 181

Learn the game from an old master.

Morning Glories!--drink ..........Emanuel Greenberg 185

A little hair of the dog--plus coffee--can take you a long, long way.

Playboy's Annual Writing Awards .......... 186

Announcing the year's prize-winning authors and their contributions.

Little Annie Fanny--satire ...Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder 189

Playboy Potpourri .......... 224

Playboy on the Scene .......... 241

The latest poop on what's happening, where, how and with whom.

Cover Story

This month's cover features one of our favorite old stand-bys, the Rabbit collage. The Rabbit, designed and constructed by Bea Donovan, is actually only nine inches tall and the whole set, including couch and picture frames, is done in miniature. In the past, we've featured the Rabbit with only one pair of high-heeled shoes or nylons beside him, implying the unseen presence of but one female. This year, in light of changing times, we've added to that situation somewhat.