Martin H. M. Schreiber rose to international prominence when his shots of a nude, pre-fame Madonna appeared in the September 1985 issue of Playboy magazine. While he is proud of the shots, Schreiber regrets not having had the chance to do a one-on-one shoot with Madonna. "I was taking pictures from behind my students, it wasn't as if I had a private session and could get her to do what I wanted her to do." It was February 1979 when a quiet, shy young woman walked into Martin's studio to serve as a model for his photography class. The 'dancer', as she modestly described herself, was Madonna Ciccone. She arrived in New York in 1978 having bought a one-way ticket from Michigan, with only $35 in her pocket. Life modelling for art classes was a way of making a living. Little did Martin know at the time that this more or less chance encounter would lead to one of the most memorable photo shoots of all time.

After the huge success of Martin H.M. Schreiber's Madonna Nudes in the 1990s the new edition Madonna Nudes + features many recently discovered and never published photos of Madonna besides a selection of the best images published in Madonna Nudes 1979 edition.