Strange Sisters - The Art Of Lesbian Pulp Fiction 1949-1969
(1999 - Viking Studio)

(by Jaye Zimet) While the quality of the writing in the books canvassed in STRANGE SISTERS certainly meets the definition of 'pulp fiction', this lesbian genre never appeared in 'the pulps' - pulp magazines, that is. Instead, the real format was actually the cheap paperback volumes that succeeded those iconic periodicals, starting mainly in the 1950s. This 9-by-6-inch, 160-page, collection is enjoyable, showcasing 39 large paperback-cover reproductions (about the same size as the original paperbacks) with another 28 female extracts blown up to full-bleed (thinking that the resulting grain/pixilation would be fun) and then another 54 pages each with two-to-four covers on display. All these images are gathered into chapters called: Women Alone, Positive Portraits, Strange Sisters, Cliterature, Psycho-Babble, Dangerous Desires, Longing Looks, Bi-Bi-Love, Cleavage, and Sleaze. Each chapter has a single text-page introducing it, which is in addition to a healthy bibliography and introduction to the entire collection, along with an index to it and a couple of pages on where to find more. With the title & author clearly delineated on the covers themselves, the captions then provide publisher and release year, cover artist (if known) and frequently a short factoid or observation. While meaningful looks galore are captured in the artworks here, along with quite a bit of near-nudity, nothing seems to chime the overtly-salacious bell, so as to have to be hidden away from the young who don't already know what's going on. The 'well-presented' artists can be identified as: Robert K. Abbett, Robert Bonfils, Ernest Chiriacka, Rafael DeSoto**, John Healy, Ron Lesser, Robert Maguire (5)***, Robert E. McGinnis*, James Meese, Tom Miller, Victor Olson, Barye Phillips (3), Paul Rader (3), Al Rossi, Bernard Safran (2), George Ziel, and UNKNOWN (16).

* - Note that the 'well-presented' piece here by McGinnis is actually better presented amid his own collections on The List.

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

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

other paperback cover art collections

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