My first collecting love was vintage paperbacks. I still collect them-- every genre from mystery to sexy pulps to sci fi and beyond. One sub-genre in vintage paperback collecting that has always been hot is the drug genre. Needles, reefer, sexy women falling into depravity-- all because of the "dope menace." Good stuff.
The two drug paperbacks featured here are both called "Junkie," but one is notable to literary folk and the other is only notable to geeky collectors like myself. "Junkie" by William Lee is actually William S. Burroughs' book "Junkie" under a pen-name. The paperback copy shown is the true first edition of the book. The title is coveted by Beat Generation collectors and pulp aficionados alike. Whatever the reason, it's not hard to appreciate the struggle on the cover and wonder if they are fighting over whose drugs or whether she should be doing drugs.
The second "Junkie" by Jonathan Craig is pure kitsch. Its cover copy reads like a True Confessions magazine. The biggest mystery, though, is what those guys are doing in the background. Finger snapping contest? Although the one with the closed-fist isn't playing by the rules.
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