![GENERATION WHY NOT](/images/headline/7548.png) Young, wild, and free—of conscience, worries, and inhibitions. ![](/images/postimg/generation_why_not.jpg)
Celebrities on paperback fronts are a (yet another) weakness of ours. We've been seduced into reading books by cover imagery from the likes of Kitty Swan, Elke Sommer, and Christina Lindberg, among others. Greenleaf Classics put Spanish star Soledad Miranda on the cover of Alan Marshall's 1974 novel Wild Young Flesh. The shot is a variation of an image of Miranda we shared years back. You may remember she died young in an automobile accident in 1970 at age twenty-seven, but left behind a few interesting movies, such as El diablo que vinó de Akasawa and 100 Rifles. And now, this cover.
Alan Marshall was a pseudonym, and while it was sometimes used by known authors such as Donald Westlake, in this case the actual writer remains unknown. The story deals with the carnal goings-on among a group of high schoolers. In addition to it being a creepy experience reading its explicit underaged sex, about a quarter of the story takes place in a utility closet. If you know anything about sleaze novels and the talent level involved, the fact that the author couldn't be bothered to set scenes outside of a single small room tells you that the narrative is extremely minimal. But we couldn't resist Soledad. We'll just try to put this one behind us, though, and we recommend that you don't put it in front of you.
![COMING SOON](/images/headline/4230.png) I hate to sound impatient, but I've already been here like forty minutes. ![](/images/postimg/coming_soon.jpg)
There's nothing quite like cuddling up with a good piece of sleaze fiction, especially when it comes from Midwood-Tower. Alan Marshall's Sex on Arrival, which you see above with Paul Rader cover art, deals with virile young John Steward helping out summers at his parents' hotel and handling the needs of assorted horny guests. We're from Denver originally, so it wasn't hard to recognize where the story's Rocky Mountain Lodge and Cabins is located—though Marshall calls the town Skyline City. But there's this description:
“It is at this point—still on the Great Plains, but with the towering mountains so close that it seems as if a man could reach out and touch them—that Skyline City occurs. The city itself has had many incarnations. At first it was no more than a stagecoach stop, a fort and a trading post. Then, with the advent of cattle ranching on the plains and the discovery of gold in the Rockies, it grew and prospered. It became a center of trade and finance—the capital of an enormous Western empire."
These days Denver is the capital of an enormous collection of immigrants from other states. More than three-hundred thousand came from California, mainly fleeing the west coast's culture, taxes and—ironically—its immigration. Such people would not recognize the city described in Sex on Arrival, but indeed, Denver was once a live-and-let-live paradise where the foolishness described by the author wouldn't have raised an eyebrow. And we're talking about during the eighties when we were young. We can't even imagine what the city was like in 1968.
Thus the book, though set before our time, is a bit of a nostalgia trip for us. On the whole it's a love story—with numerous sexual detours of semi-explicit variety. Semi explicit as in: “Then she wriggled around and her lips were on him. And the sensation radiated outward from his groin in stronger and stronger waves. It was almost more than he could bear. Almost more than any man could bear.” It's racy but not pornographic, and the interludes are short and widely spaced, as actual plot rears its ugly head.
Midwood sleaze titles were generally written under pseudonyms, and this particular author was probably Donald E. Westlake, who admitted producing close to thirty books as Marshall and Alan Marsh. But other authors used the Marshall name too. It isn't possible to know whether this is Westlake—at least not for us—by looking for hints of his style. Whoever wrote this worked fast, and the haste shows. But if you can pick it up cheap—and we mean real cheap—it's worth a read.
![BEGGING FOR IT](/images/headline/3511.png) Getting what you want is all in how you ask. ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_01.jpg)
It seems as if no genre of literature features more characters in complete submission to others than mid-century sleaze. And how do these hapless supplicants express their desperation? They break out the kneepads. Above and below are assorted paperback covers of characters making pleas, seeking sympathy, and professing undying devotion. Though some of these folks are likely making the desired impression on their betters, most are being ignored, denied, or generally dumptrucked. You know, psychologists and serial daters say a clean break is best for all involved, so next time you need to go Lili St. Cyr on someone try this line: “I've decided I hate your face now.” That should get the job done. Art is by Harry Barton, Barye Philips, Paul Rader, et al. ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_02.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_21.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_24.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_03.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_04.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_05.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_06.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_07.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_08.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_09.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_10.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_11.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_12.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_13.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_14.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_15.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_16.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_17.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_18.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_19.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_20.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_22.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_23.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_25.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_26.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_fot_it_28.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/begging_for_it_27.jpg)
![BLACK AND WHITE IN COLOR](/images/headline/3171.png) Mid-century paperback art and the race to judgment. ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_01.jpg)
Science has given humanity a lot over the centuries. What will turn out to be one of its most important gifts is its conclusion, widely disseminated beginning in 1950 but by today firmly proven thanks to DNA sequencing, that race doesn’t exist in any scientific way. Of course, many don’t consider that fact a gift—but many people also had serious problems with the revelation that the Earth wasn’t flat. The concept of race comes entirely from the human imagination, and anti-black racism dates from within about the last five-hundred years, created principally as a means to justify the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Seen in that light, scientific proof that race doesn’t exist represents not new knowledge, but a return to knowledge that was the norm before the drive for riches caused men to deliberately warp human thought as a means to cover for mass cruelty. As an imaginary construct, however, race is persistently powerful, which the collection of paperback fronts above and below strongly illustrate. We weren’t around when any of these were written, but their existence reveals a surprisingly (to us) lively market in such material. Were all the books you see here of great worth? Certainly not. But even with their flaws—particularly woman-blaming for rape—these books are artifacts of a fascinating racial dialogue that we suspect, on balance, was beneficial. We have fifty examples and there are at least a couple dozen more we didn’t include (Black Dicks for Marcie was just a bit too out there). Some of those pieces will pop up later in a slightly different themed collection. In addition to what you see here, we also put together a related group last year featuring an Asian theme and you can see that here.
![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_02.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_03.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_04.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_05.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_49.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_07.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_08.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_09.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_10.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_11.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_12.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_13.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_14.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_15.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_16.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_17.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_06.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_18.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_19.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_20.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_21.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_22.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_24.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_25.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_26.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_27.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_28.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_29.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_30.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_31.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_32.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_33.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_34.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_35.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_36.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_38.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_37.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_39.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_40.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_51.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_41.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_42.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_44.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_47.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_43.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_45.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_46.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_52.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_48.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/black_and_white_in_color_50.jpg)
![FAIR TRADE](/images/headline/2830.png) An equitable exchange of services. ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_01.jpg)
Are you old enough to have experienced the swinging craze? We aren’t, and we wouldn’t have taken part anyway (are you reading this, Pulp Intl. girlfriends?), but it does look kind of fun on vintage paperbacks (you aren't reading this are you, Pulp Intl. girlfriends?). We’ve shared a few covers in the past dealing with the subject of swapping, and you can see a few here, here, and here. For today we decided it was finally time to do what every pulp site must—put together a large, swap-themed collection of sleaze paperback covers. So above and below is a vast assortment for your enjoyment. The trick with these was to make sure they weren’t all from Greenleaf Classics, which is a company that through its imprints Companion, Candid, Adult, Nightstand, et al, published hundreds of swapping novels. That means we had to look far afield to avoid having the entire collection come from that publisher. We think we’ve done a good job (though we will put together a Greenleaf-only swapping collection later—it’s mandatory). Want to see even more swapping books? Try the excellent sleaze fiction website triplexbooks.com. ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_02.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_03.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_04.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_05.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_06.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_07.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_08.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_09.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_10.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_31.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_11.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_34.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_30.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_13.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_14.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_15.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_16.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_17.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_40.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_33.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_36.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_18.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_35.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_19.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_20.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_21.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_22.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_23.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_24.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_25.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_26.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_27.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_29.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_28.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_32.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_39.jpg) ![](/images/postimg/fair_trade_38.jpg)
![UNHAPPILY CARRIED](/images/headline/2787.png) For better or worse, in sickness and health, women in pulp don’t have a heck of a lot of choice about it. Pulp is a place where the men are decisive and the women are as light as feathers. We’ve gotten together a collection of paperback covers featuring women being spirited away to places unknown, usually unconscious, by men and things that are less than men. You have art from Harry Schaare, Saul Levine, Harry Barton, Alain Gourdon, aka Aslan, and others.
![ROYAL PAIN](/images/headline/2674.png) I haven’t laughed like this since I was the Duchess of Discomfort. Life was so much simpler back then. ![](/images/postimg/royal_pain.jpg)
We love the outrageous art from Greenleaf Classics, which means we always have to circle back to it, this time to the above Pleasure Reader entry Queen of Cruelty, by Donald Westlake writing as Alan Marshall. This appeared in 1967 with Tomas Cannizarro assuming the cover duties. You can see a few of our favorite Greenleaf covers here, here, and here.
![ALPHA BEST](/images/headline/2556.png) Faced with this position surrender is the only option. ![](/images/postimg/alpha_beast_02.jpg)
Here you see a pose that appears over and over in vintage paperback art—one figure looming menacingly in the foreground as a second cowers in the triangular negative space created by the first’s spread legs. This pose is so common it should have a name. We’re thinking “the alpha,” because it signifies male dominance and because of the A shape the pose makes. True, on occasion the dominator isn’t male, sometimes the unfortunate sprawled figure is depicted outside the A shaped space, and sometimes the art expresses something other than dominance, but basically the alpha (see, that just sounds right, doesn’t it?) has been used scores of times with only minor variation. You’ll notice several of these come from subsidiaries of the sleaze publisher Greenleaf Classics. It was a go-to cover style for them. We have twenty examples in all, with art by Bob Abbett, Robert Bonfils, Michel Gourdon, and others.
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The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
2003—Hope Dies
Film legend Bob Hope dies of pneumonia two months after celebrating his 100th birthday. 1945—Churchill Given the Sack
In spite of admiring Winston Churchill as a great wartime leader, Britons elect
Clement Attlee the nation's new prime minister in a sweeping victory for the Labour Party over the Conservatives. 1952—Evita Peron Dies
Eva Duarte de Peron, aka Evita, wife of the president of the Argentine Republic, dies from cancer at age 33. Evita had brought the working classes into a position of political power never witnessed before, but was hated by the nation's powerful military class. She is lain to rest in Milan, Italy in a secret grave under a nun's name, but is eventually returned to Argentina for reburial beside her husband in 1974. 1943—Mussolini Calls It Quits
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini steps down as head of the armed forces and the government. It soon becomes clear that Il Duce did not relinquish power voluntarily, but was forced to resign after former Fascist colleagues turned against him. He is later installed by Germany as leader of the Italian Social Republic in the north of the country, but is killed by partisans in 1945.
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