Bob Guccione Aimed More At The Middlebrow

Guccione was born in brooklyn New York and raised as a roman catholic in bergenfield new jersey considered but rejected the choice of going into the priesthood He attended high school at blair academy a prep school in blairstown New Jersey he came from a sicilian family his father was an accountant Guccione married the first of his three wives Lilyann Becker before the age of 20 and had a daughter tonia.



They had two children Bob Jr and tony to support his family he managed a chain of laundromats he eventually got work as a cartoonist on an american weekly newspaper the London american while muriel started a business selling pinup posters he sometimes created cartoons for bill box's humorous greeting card company box cards the magazine's writing was aimed more at the middlebrow reader than Hefner's upscale emphasis with stories about government cover ups and scandals.


Guccione and spin were sued for sexual harassment and discrimination by staci bonner a former fact checker for the magazine he was cleared of the harassment charges but found liable for promoting a hostile work environment and not paying bonner comparably to a man with a comparable job position someone impersonating guccione and offering the unabomber a free forum for his views failed to increase readership.