Sin-a-rama: Sleaze Sex Paperbacks of the Sixties, Expanded Edition

This is a good book if you are interested in the cover designs of ''sex-themed paperback books; lots of pictures of the book covers and some general information provided about the topics covered.

A must for every fan of vintage paperbacks. Adam Parfrey has compiled an indispensable guide to the great sleaze era of publishing. We learn about the artists who painted the lurid, irresistible covers. WE hear about the authors, good, bad, and indifferent. (As well as Ed Wood, Jr. who was as bad a novelist as he was movie director.) Some very famous names stood behind those pseudonyms that were just too good to be true. Written in clear, almost academic prose, this book entertains on every level. Revel in the gorgeous cover reprints, chuckle at the behind the scenes foibles, and mourn for an age irretrievably lost. In other words, a whole lot of fun!

This is a stellar collection of painted covers of the 1960s "sleaze" softcore porn paperbacks, which sported some really gorgeous "good girl art". The reproductions of the work of Robert Bonfils alone are worth the price tag of this book. Beyond that, though, the editors have done a really admirable job of charting the history of this publishing phenomenon and its key participants. if you're not sure if that matters to you, but you're a fan of writers like Lawrence Block, Donald Westlake, Robert Silverberg, or Marion Zimmer Bradley (just for starters), think again: they (and dozens of others like them) cut their teeth writing these books. This is really a fascinating look at a very different and more innocent era of publishing. And again, amazing eye candy awaits!

Fantastic book about the bygone era when racy material wasn't available with a mouse click. What I like most about this book are the interviews with some of the writers, and short biographies about those who are no longer living. Their lives were at least as colorful as the covers on these novels! It's also a good book for aspiring writers to read. Almost none of these authors intended to write these kind of books, but ended up doing so for the money. Once they started this career most of them enjoyed it and jumped in with gusto! In those days you could use a "Nom De Plume" or psuedonym and no one ever knew you were writing smut. As a kid I used to spend a long time staring at the covers of these books at the local drug store when my parents weren't looking. Dreaming of the day I'd be able read them on my own! By that time most of these novels and authors had vanished into the much more permissive era of the 1970s. But I still have fond memories of find a stash of these in a neighbor's garage and reading them in secret.

I wonder how millenials will react while viewing the covers of the vintage adult paperbacks in this anthology. The covers boldly (and often scarily) proclaim another world in another time. Think you've seen it all? Then give this book a chance to wreck your head. The biggest problem you'll have is wanting to get your dirty hands on the actual paperbacks. Good luck. They are very rare nowadays and many have been grabbed up by greedy collectors who charge big bucks. I got very lucky once in 1991. Came across a mom & pop used bookstore in Lexington, KY with a roped off adult section. Left with 2 grocery bags full!This expanded edition gives more info & covers on specific topics like occult sleaze in the 1960s. You won't find any other books that will cover this genre. So go on & hit that Add To Cart. Get this book, look it over, then throw it down with disgust. Then wake up in the middle of the night all confused & curious, make some coffee, then look over this book again. I'm sure I'll see you prowling around used bookstores soon.