Baby Got Back...Original Lesbian Sleaze Art!

I've made my love for original vintage paperback art well known. As you might have guessed, I'm particularly fond of anything sleaze paperback related. I think this stems from growing up in a town of only 370 people-- being so sheltered, I'm attracted to the taboo.


So far, I've shared original illustration art for some gay sleaze paperbacks in our collection. But, we also have some original art for a lesbian paperback-- the book "Lust on the Run." "Lust on the Run" was published by a shady little imprint known as "Spartan Line" (1966). "Spartan Line" was just one of many lines put out by a fly-by-night publisher that was known for stealing books from other publishers and repackaging them as their own. I didn't look into whether "Lust on the Run" was one of the stolen books.

I really wish I knew who painted these covers. Many of them seem to be painted by the same individual, but as is typical with sleaze artists, the work is unsigned.

By the way, isn't it cool how the boobs aren't censored on the original artwork version? It almost makes life worth living...

Anyway, enjoy and if anyone has any tips on who painted these, that proverbial lollipop is still up for grabs!

Faking It for Fun..."She Asked for Astrid"

I'd like to present another of our fake sleaze paperbacks! This one is actually a fake Brandon House book with art from their iconic illustrator "Fred Fixler." Fixler was known for painting leggy women with thin yet curvaceous bodies, who were often portrayed in the throes of lesbian love or in the midst of a menage-a-trois. His covers are some of the most well-wrought, particularly in the lesbian pulp field.

We had to get rid of the "white cap" to make this work
(ABOVE)

Let me explain one reason my husband and I did this project. As any vintage paperback collector knows, many publishers put out books with first names as the titles. Some of the "name titles" that come to mind are "Nikki," and "Taffy," and sometimes a name will be incorporated in the title such as "Loving Linda" or "The Trouble with Ava." These are just a few that come to mind. There are MANY examples...


Anyway, being voracious vintage pb collectors, my husband and I were sad that we couldn't find a "name title" with my name in the title. We searched and searched, but we've never been able to find one with "Astrid" in the title. So, what did we do? We decided to create one ourselves. As such, this fake sleaze paperback, "She Asked for Astrid" is the first fake pb we created.


When we created "She Asked for Astrid", we tried to be meticulous about the graphic work. We sought to emulate Brandon House's style as much as possible. We included their logos, we were mindful of their layouts, etc. We put a tinted photo of me on the back cover, because Brandon House often did that. Brandon house would have the cover art on the front and then on the backside, a photo of some model that looked like she belonged on the cover of "Satana" or "Black Silk Stockings."

So, I hope you enjoy "SHE ASKED FOR ASTRID." We certainly enjoyed making it!

One-sheet for "Sisters in Leather"

One-sheet for "Sisters in Leather."

Pressbook for 60's Sexploitation Flick "Sisters in Leather"

Haven't seen this 60's sexploitation flick, but it looks like a pretty wild "ride." According to Internet Movie Database, the plot concerns a husband who is "blackmailed by three lesbian bikers after they spot him having sex with another woman in a convertible." It goes on that they "then take the man's wife out for a picnic and some nude motorcycle riding." Eventually, the husband gets some male bikers to join him and "together they try to save his wife from becoming a lesbian biker."

Pajama Party Madness!

I think I'm seeing double. The makers of 70's sexploitation flick "Swedish Sorority Girls" ripped off the cover painting of the Midwood book "Pajama Party" to make for one helluva poster. I can't say I blame them for ripping it off. The 60's paperback cover was painted by the great Paul Rader and is considered one of his classic works.

Lesbian Pulps: A Comparision

Lesbian-themed pulps were a popular sub-genre beginning in the mid to late 1950's. The books were accompanied by titles and cover copy that made lesbianism sound perverted yet seductive-- the "shadowy" sex, "strange" activities, "abnormal love", etc. Looking at three different lesbian pulps, one can see how the cover illustrations evolved as society's standards relaxed and as the country began to enter the sexual revolution.

Strange Path (1953): "Strange Path" is one of the earliest lesbian pulp paperbacks. It also has one of the most evocative covers in terms of portraying lesbian stereotypes. Notice how the woman with the short, dark hair is cutting the blond's hair short. Notice the silly, over-the-top cover blurb: "Her choice: normal marriage or lesbian love?" No skin is shown here. It is devoid of any sex or suggestion of sex. The only things that indicate lesbianism are the title, blurbs, and hair-cutting.

Campus Kittens (1964): "Campus Kittens" is a great example of mid-1960's "soft sleaze." Notice how there is much more skin on this cover, and how the three women could be just finishing a sexual act or about to engage in one. The various states of undress evoke that.

Amateur Night (1965): Although "Amateur Night" was released only a year after "Campus Kittens," it was published by a company that was geared towards actual "sleaze" writing (i.e. sex books), compared to the softer, gentler stuff of "Campus Kittens." The packaging of "Amateur Night" suggests a sexier tone as well. The art is much more provocative with only pasties and strategically placed hands blocking the breasts. The backside of the blond is similarly cloaked by shadows, but the "side buttocks" makes the reader think he or she is seeing much more.

Paul Rader art on "Campus Kittens." Fred Fixler art on "Amateur Night." Not sure who did the art on "Strange Path."