We might never see the Old Reliable photos of David Hurles in an art museum. It is not because of the quality of the photos - at their best, the Hurles/Old Reliable photos deserve to stand beside similar works by Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Jim French (aka “Rip Colt”) or Tom Bianchi. And it is not necessarily because the photos are of naked men. What will surely keep Old Reliable photos from being displayed in museums and art galleries is the type of men that they expose. The men of Weber, Ritts, French, Bianchi or even Robert Mapplethorpe are mostly professional models or bodybuilders. They are classically beautiful, with well-proportioned, muscular bodies. They generally follow the criteria of male beauty that have came down to us from the ancient Greeks.

On the other hand, the men who posed for Old Reliable break all the rules of classic male art. These are not models referred to the artist by an agency. They are drifters and hustlers that Hurles picked up off the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Though they are athletic and muscular, their muscles come not from the gym but from hard manual labor. They wore tattoos before they were fashionable; smoked cigars (also before it was fashionable); and bore a surly, defiant, “F-you” attitude symbolized by their often-seen, upthrust middle finger. In short, they were the men our parents warned us about; the type who could very well beat us or worse if we are not careful. It’s no wonder that the Old Reliable photos are favorites of many gay men. David Hurles founded the Old Reliable Tape and Picture Company in 1975. During its “San Francisco Years,” Old Reliable illustrated many a gay publication, most notably the late Boyd McDonald’s classic “Straight to Hell” sexual anthologies. Even today, a generation of gay fans is being turned on to Old Reliable, via the Web site (OldReliable.com) and, now, this new collection.

Speeding: The Old Reliable Photos of David Hurles is a career-spanning overview of an iconoclastic photographer and his equally controversial work. The text and design is by REX, whose own homoerotic drawings broke down a few barriers in their day. He reminds us - as if the photos haven’t done so already - why Hurles and Old Reliable remain controversial to this day and why it took a gutsy small press like Green Candy to publish this book: “Photographing the naked male figure in America is tantamount to an act of civil disobedience, and by showing the socially outcast naked, one is even further giving the finger to the status quo.” REX’s obvious affection for its subject does not cloud his judgment; and he is quick to notice the shortcomings of Hurles’s later, “Hollywood Years”; especially the neon palm trees and “carefully placed towels” that show up in too many photos.

Alas, street trash is not what it used to be. Today, even hustlers give up smoking, floss their teeth, and wear strategically-placed, “tribal” tattoos. And Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez has made “cracking down” on pornography the prime goal of his Justice Department. I wouldn’t be surprised if he puts Old Reliable high on his list of targets. We will see. Meanwhile, Speeding is a fitting tribute to a great artist, his work, and the brief moment in time that they immortalize.

BRIEF VIEWS: One of the pleasures of writing this column is that I get to preview some of the latest photo books devoted to the male art form. Speeding was one; here are two others:

SELF-EXPOSURE: THE MALE NUDE SELF-PORTRAIT by Reed Massengill; Foreword by Alan Cumming; Universe, 176 pages; $39.95. I don’t think anyone would be surprised to learn that an artist’s favorite model is himself or herself. Though not every artist is model material, this never stopped him or her from taking a self-portrait, with or without clothes. In Self-Exposure almost a hundred male photographers - young and old, beautiful and otherwise - captured their naked selves as they hope others would see them, with varying degrees of success.

LOCKER ROOM NUDES/DIEUX DU STADE: THE RUGBY PLAYERS OF STADE FRANÇAIS PARIS AND THEIR GUESTS Photographed by François Rousseau; Art Director Susanna Cucco; Universe; 152 pages; $50. Rugby, we are told, is one of the most popular team sports in France. The Stade Français Paris rugby team is one of France’s most important rugby teams, having won 12 French championships. Not only are these great athletes, but they are also male model material; and lack the sexual squeamishness of their American counterparts. Since 2000, the team has posed naked for an annual “dieux du stade” (gods of the stadium) calendar that has become a world-wide favorite. Locker Room Nudes features the best shots of the team players and their guests, taken by team photographer François Rousseau. Though only a few photos are “full frontals” they all capture the beauty of the young Frenchman at his athletic best.

No article about male nude art is complete without mentioning the great Michelangelo. Award-winning gay playwright Robert Patrick honors his memory in his recent play MICHELANGELO’S MODELS (United Stages; 92 pages; $11.50); which has been produced “Off Off Broadway,” in Los Angeles, and even in Phoenix, Arizona. Set in Renaissance Rome, Michelangelo’s Models is a delightfully gay romp that features, besides Michelangelo and his models, the likes of Bramante, Raphael, Leonardo and even Pope Julius himself! Those of us who haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it performed on stage will enjoy the book, available at UnitedStages.com.

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and gay book lover who lives in South Florida with his life partner and many books. You may reach him at jessemonteagudo@aol.com.