Gold Medal Winner:  Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Biography, 2022 from Independent Book Publishing Association    The story of Edgar Leeteg reads like a novel with vivid scenes and gripping dialogue that is frequently comical and often suspenseful reflecting the unpredictability of the rebellious artist.    It's tough not to be entertained and inspired by Edgar's success story... He at times seemed like a rock star-- living a wildlife, partying hard, drinking, gambling, and engaging in bar fights. He even described himself as "fornicating, gin-soaked, dope head."...    The book also gives a crash course in Tahiti and its history that encouraged rascal behavior from Leeteg and others who visited or lived there. Leeteg was never exactly accepted in the highbrow art world and didn't really want to be, generally raging against the establishment. That's perhaps why this book is so enjoyable for those that might not be interested in art or art history. Anyone who likes disruptors in the world of business, academia, government or anywhere else will really be able to identify with this. It's really a story of a rebel, a very colorful rogue, that drives the story of an unlikely success story that left a lasting impact. Great writing and wonderful storytelling.   5.0 out of 5 stars  Entertaining and Inspiring Read of a Rebel Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2021   I read Leeteg: Babes, Bars, Beaches, and Black Velvet Art over several late afternoons, sitting out on my patio enjoying some nice beers and rums. Very informative and chock-a-block full of wonderful, never before seen images of black velvet art and an array of characters that include not only the larger-than-life Edgar Leeteg but also his family and models, fellow artists, writers, and of course Tahiti herself. I felt at a loss when I got to the end of the last chapter, not just as one does when finishing a good book, but because I had to let go of that old world, real and imaginary, that this book immersed me in. A world that I feel was the second golden age of Tiki and a still mysterious and very romantic tropical Polynesia (the first golden age being the late eighteenth century and the arrival into Polynesia of the likes of Wallis, Bougainville, James Cook, Bligh, and Fletcher Christian). I yearn to return to that mysterious and romantic South Pacific and expect to find it in the author CJ Cook's other letter of love to black velvet and Polynesia: Tyree: Artist of the South Pacific. Highly recommend. Monkey Mind  5.0 out of 5 stars  A delightful read.Reviewed in Australia on January 3, 2022 This book is destined to become known as the definitive work on the life of Edgar Leeteg. The authors set a new standard for biographical research. Not only does this book reveal the reality behind the many myths of this larger-than-life legend but it also puts Leeteg's life in the context of the history and ambiance of the places, times, and people he surrounded himself with. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! This is a definite must-read for any: Leeteg Devotees, Velvet Painting Connoisseurs, Tiki Converts, South Pacific Historians, Or Biographical Adventure Enthusiasts. Martin Jakob  5.0 out of 5 stars  A refreshing dive into the life of the original Tiki Man himself - Edgar Leetg Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2021 No retro man-cave grotto will be complete without the work of Edgar Leeteg—and this lush biography. Cook profiles American artist and kitsch icon Edgar Leeteg, prolific painter of Polynesian subjects on black velvet. Edgar Leeteg was born in 1904 in East St. Louis and later lived in Arkansas and California. Though his father was a butcher (a heart attack felled him when Edgar was young), several of his forebears were artists. Leeteg felt a strong pull toward portraiture, though his art school training ended rather abruptly when the randy student made a pass at a female teacher. In the depths of the Depression, while working as a sign painter in Sacramento, Leeteg took a trip to Tahiti and was dazzled by the island paradise, which was full of paintable scenery, booze, and alluring native women. Leeteg relocated, taking his widowed mother Bertha with him. He carved out a living in Tahiti painting on black velvet, a medium that fascinated him. Weathering occasional WWII shortages of black-velvet material, Leeteg painted many luminous nudes and portraits. These found their way to international buyers via a number of supporters, including drinking buddies (there were lots of drinking buddies) and one busy agent. Leeteg had numerous affairs with his models; at least two bore him children, but more serious relationships failed to survive Bertha's criticism or Leeteg's promiscuity, drunkenness, and irascible spells (not helped by his increasingly poor health). The painter's marketable notoriety as a tempestuous latter-day Gauguin was firmly cemented when Leeteg died in 1953 in an alcohol-fueled island motor-vehicle accident. Thoug