THE rebellion of the middle-aged man is an American legend. He wakes up one morning and looks in the mirror —and there is a creased, faded, fuzzy carbon copy of the youth he once was. He is 40-odd, going to fat, bored with his job and his marriage. So—in the legend—he shaves, puts on his gaudiest tie, phones the boss to say he's not coming in, says so long to his wife, and walks off arm in arm with his mistress to find his soul.
Hugh M. Hefner is also an American legend. He is...