Women strip off in public at TOPLESS book club

Making a statement ... club members peel off and read

Central perk ... girls pose during a meeting

A Tale Of Two Titties ... members chat about their books

Park life ... bookworms blend in with other tourists in Central Park

Page turners ... club meets at public places across New York

Not too nippy ... members lounge on New York's Highline

The Great Baps-by ... member soaks up the sun

Booking good ... readers soak up the sun while they read

Recruiting ... club is hoping to attract new members

Up front ... topless club is totally legal in New York

LITERATURE-LOVING ladies strip off and dive into the latest breast-sellers at the world's first topless book club.

The club was founded by a group of exhibitionist friends, so they could sunbathe safely in numbers without being harassed by men.

They meet regularly at public places across New York, including hotel rooftops, riverside walks and the tourist hotspot of Central Park.

Members take advantage of the city's laws which allow women to go bare-chested anywhere men can.

Most of the women wear just bikini bottoms during meetings, so they can get an almost all-over tan while leafing 

through classics.

The club's founder, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "For every woman who glares when we pass and mutters: 'There are children around,’ there are a dozen who come over and thank us for what we’re doing.

“I think we get fewer catcalls and less harassment when we’re out topless in a group than when any one of us is just walking down the street fully clothed.

“We’ve been approached by the police a couple of times, but every time the police have confirmed that what we’re doing is completely legal and they’ve been very polite about it.”

Members hope their bold statement will encourage other ladies to bare their breasts in public.

The founder added: “The more we show people that seeing a woman’s nipples won’t cause the sky to fall, the more freedom and equality women will enjoy.

“Our hope would be that we set an example for other women, and that a few years from now a woman going bare-chested in the park or even on the street would attract no more attention than a bare-chested man.”