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Playboy

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

The World of Playboy....................................... 13

Dear Playboy..................................................... 15

Playboy After Hours............................................... 23

Adventures................................................... 26

How to see Yellowstone at its best: off season.

Movies........................................................ 28

Raves for Julia and Equus, but Valentino's a good-news/bad-news joke.

Radio.......................................................... 48

Down Dallas way, Hotline doubles as a matrimonial agency.

Books.................................. 51

The latest from Plimpton and Buchwald; secrets of Inner Skiing.

Music......................................................... 59

Dexter Gordon, the Animals return; bargains in Mozart discs.

Television.......................................... 68

A racy I, Claudius begins on PBS; ABC offers Gathering for holidays.

The Playboy Advisor...................... 71

Selected Shorts

How the South Spread--and then Rose Again ........Julian Bond 76

Georgia's outspoken black legislator answers the question: Which came first, Southern chic or Southern political power?

Buck Rogers and I .................................Ray Russell 77

The author, who wrote Buck Rogers scenarios, remembers the first great rocket man with nostalgic affection.

Playboy Sex Poll ................................Howard Smith 79

More of the great responses we received to last month's question: Where do you like to make love most outside of bed?

The Playboy Forum......................................... 85

Playboy Interview: John Denver--candid conversation........ 105

Joining Denver on a camping trip, our cynical interviewer is amazed to discover that Denver is just what he seems to be.

Abhorrent Green Slippery City--fiction ....Bernard Malamud 138

A married man takes a young girl to Venice and finds out that when you're being taken for a ride, a gondola is the same as a limousine.

Blackjack for Blood--article ..............Maurice Zolotow 143

The author apprentices with a gambling expert and finds it isn't easy.

Star Spats--parody .......................Laurence Gonzales 144

A revisionist view of Star Wars that is pungent with chicken soup and cologne.

Whoooooosh--When Rocket ShipsWere Really a Blast--pictorial.................................... 146

Old-time rocket designs and a specially designed do-it-yourself rocket.

The Dirtiest Old Santa on the Block--humor ...Jay Cronley 151

He who laughs last laughs best, but not necessarily he who ho-hos all day.

Playboy's Playmate House Party--pictorial essay................. 152

You know how some parties get kinda loose after a while? Well, the party you saw on TV was like that. The fun really began the following day.

Not Just Another Great White Hope--personality ......Ted Green 164

Despite his unusual political profile, Portland Trail Blazers center Bill Walton is really a jock at heart.

Swingers' Scrapbook--pictorial essay.................... 167

Some folks who've done it all do a show-and-tell in our pages.

The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol--fiction ....Philip Jose Farmer 174

An old ex--fighter pilot flies his last missions in the beds of an old folks' home.

Playboy's Christmas Cards--verse .....Judith Wax 176

A few timely sentiments you won't find on the Hallmark rack.

Scorpio Rising--playboy's playmate of the month........ 178

Ashley Cox has her eyes set on the stars, but we've got our eyes set on her.

Playboy's Party Jokes--humor........................ 190

A Spirited Finale...--food ..................Emanuel Greenberg 192

With some unusual help from Shields and Yarnell--socko desserts.

The Humminest Little FootballMovie in Town--article ..............Mark Goodman 194

On the set of Semi-Tough, Kris Kristofferson and Burt Reynolds amid hundreds of screaming predatory cheerleaders.

Playboy's Christmas Gift Guide--gifts.............. 197

It's worth having a tree just to put some of these goodies under it.

Sex from the Sages--symposium .............Edward F. Murphy 203

Everybody thinks about it, but not everybody has something interesting to say about it. Those who have, you'll find here.

Club Date--attire ..................David Platt 204

Step out for the holidays like a disco hustler and a fancy-Dan dancer.

Sex Stars of 1977--article ..................Arthur Knight 208

We'll give you a clue: This was a big year for blondes with perfect teeth.

How I Spent My Spring Vacation:On Tour with Kiss in Japan--article ..........David Standish 223

How an all-American rock group makes partial amends for World War Two.

Great Moments inSexual Censorship--humor ... John Blumenthal and Kate Nolan 227

It began in the Garden of Eden, and it's been going downhill ever since.

The 1978 Playboy Music Poll--music.............. 234

Once again, you have a chance to play critic by voting for your favorites.

Shaping Up Once and for All--compendium

Don't Pay Attention to any Advice onPhysical Fitness ... Except This--article ....Leonard Gross 241

The co-author of Total Fitness in 30 Minutes a Week tells you how to become as fit as you can be. It's accompanied by an illustrated exercise program.

The Golson Shrug-and-Stay-FitProgram--opinion ........................G. Barry Golson 244

For all those who feel that blinking and yawning are quite energetic enough.

Cautionary Calisthenics--humor ........Gahan Wilson 245

Only the muscle-headed begin arduous exercise without proper guidance, and ghoulish Uncle Gahan is just the man to help you out.

Tomeu and His Daughters--ribald classic ........... 246

Card Tricks--pictorial.............................. 251

Ricky Jay can do more things with a deck of cards than you can do with a Veg-O-Matic, a 13-blade scout knife and a jar of K-Y jelly.

Playboy Funnies--humor.......................... 255

Playboy Potpourri.................................. 330

Big-time billiards, expensive old cars, rare smoking gear and thick necks.

Little Annie Fanny--satire .....Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder 363

Our heroine finds herself lat-deep in musclemen. Let's see what develops.

Playboy on the Scene............................ 367

Exercycles, nude-stamp collecting and an unusual calendar.

Cover Story

Sondra Theodore, who will be forever remembered for her picture as our July Playmate playing the piano with her elbows, displays her versatility as a model by impersonating Santa Claus. Except for her face, her body, the vinyl jacket and the Rabbits on her boots, she's a dead ringer for Saint Nick, don't you think? Arny Freytag, who in no way resembles a little helper, was the photographer.