Feral House's paperback cover art books
   Sin-A-Rama
   Dope Menace
                                                                  (2005 / 2008 - Feral House)

Sin-A-Rama (2005) (edited by B. Astrid Daley and Adam Parfrey) Not appropriate for children or adolescents. Subtitled SLEAZY SEX PAPERBACKS OF THE SIXTIES, this is a 10-by-6.5-inches volume. Note that the newer EXPANDED EDITION seems superior to the earlier edition by having a good amount of additional pages of covers on display (it's the one with the maroon cover). Look for a volume of 328 pages, of which 248 have the cover art dominate, with 175 featuring large reproductions and the rest of those being gatherings of multiple images. The book has then nearly 60 more pages of sleaze-industry overview, narrative excerpts, profiles of many of the players (including a few of the artists) and a pseudonym index. The themed chapters (Asphalt Jungle, Sin Revue, Radical Sex, Sick Suburb, Sex At Play, Interracial Smut, Exotic Sex, Future Sin, Butch Swish, Brutal Lust and Some Weird Sin) are opened with excerpts pulled from additional covers and enlarged, frequently into a double-page spread (two like this completely flunk-out with the center distortion). Caption-wise, almost every image is identified with the book title, credited author (and real name if a known pseudonym), the publishing company & release year, along with the artist, (if known). In such a volume, canvassing so many books that were *not* allowed out on public display, you would expect to find a couple whose covers crossed the salacious-line into adults-only country, and you would be right. Those artists getting 'well-presented' treatment are: Bill Alexander (2), Gene Bilbrew (7), Robert Bonfils (44), Harry Bremner, Tomas Cannizorro (2), Chet Collom, Elaine Duillo, Bill Edwards (5), Fred Fixler (4), Harold McCauley (5), Darrel Millsap (6), Paul Rader (5), Norman Saunders (2), Ed Smith (13), Robert Stanley, Eric Stanton (8), Bill Ward (5), Doug Weaver (9), and UNKNOWN (52).

Dope Menace (2008) (by Stephen J. Gertz) Not appropriate for children or adolescents. Subtitled THE SENSATIONAL WORLD OF DRUG PAPERBACKS 1900-1975, this is an art-packed overview of such books. Out of the 220 pages, there are 113 with a featured large reproduction of one of the book-covers and another 17 that have multiple images (I'm not counting those book-covers that utilized a photographic image). There are 40 pages of text providing genre info and detailing a number of passages that can be found within the books. It seems a bit smaller than the 'standard', measuring in at 10-by-6.5-inches. The captions for the presented covers detail the book's author (and, if a pseudonym, their real name), title, publisher (with their code & year), the cover artist (if known) and the collection that sourced it. The drug-trade is tangential to the sex-trade and a handful of covers depict that seedy aspect of the subject. Some of those covers seem to cross the line, and indeed usually carry the warning 'adults only', so I keep the volume put away from minors. As mentioned above, most of the covers are 'well-presented' and the artists getting that treatment are: Aubrey Beardsley, Rudolph Belarski, Hans Bellmer, Gene Bilbrew, Charles Binger, Robert Bonfils (7), Harry Bremner, Walter Brooks, Frank Cozzarelli, Robert Crumb, Rafael DeSoto (2)***, Leo & Diane Dillon, George Dorival, Tom Dunn, Leonor Fini, Bill Fleming, Griffith Foxley, Gerald Gregg, Reginald Heade, Mitchell Hooks, W.N. Jurry, Owen Kampen (2), Warren King, Robert Maguire (3)***, Victorio Manchón, Lou Marchetti, Harold McCauley, Rudy Nappi, Victor Olson, Manuel Orazi, Jim Osborne, Julian Paul, H.W. Perl, Paul Rader, Rikard, A. Leslie Ross, Al Rossi (5), Wilfried Sätty, Norman Saunders**, Egon Schiele, Robert Schulz (2), William Shoyer, David Singer, Ed Smith, W.A. Smith, Herb Tauss, Carola Williams, and UNKNOWN (51).

** - Note that the 'well-presented' piece here by Saunders cannot additionally be found so in his own collection on The List.

*** - Note that in regards to the 'well-presented' pieces here by DeSoto, and Maguire, some, but not all, can additionally be found so in his own collection on The List.

other paperback cover art collections

The Art Of Romance - Mills & Boon And Harlequin Cover Designs