Dope Menace: The Sensational World of Drug Paperbacks [Paperback]

Stephen J. Gertz (Author), Annie Nocenti (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

"Dope Menace boasts hundreds of full color images from the wicked subgenre of drug-exploitation narratives... The covers that made these authors books so easy to pick up are collected here for the first time, in all their seductive and transgressive glory."--Tucson Weekly

While we now enjoy this exploitative genre for its campy kitsch, gloriously bad writing, and outlandish misinformation, drug paperback books were once a transgressive medium with a perversely seductive quality.

Dope Menace collects together hundreds of fabulously lurid and collectible covers in color, from xenophobic turn-of-the century tomes about the opium trade to the beatnik glories of reefer smoking and William S. Burroughs’ Junkie to the spaced-out psychedelic ’60s. We mustn’t forget the gonzo paranoia brought on by Hunter S. Thompson in the ’70s, when anything was everything.

Author Stephen J. Gertz is a well-regarded authority on antiquarian books and contributor to Feral House’s Sin-A-Rama, an award-winning visual history of sleaze paperbacks from the sixties.

Annie Nocenti, longtime editor of High Times magazine, offers an informative foreword.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Treasured today mainly for their kitsch value, circulation of pulp paperbacks in the 1950s and '60s reached more than 228 million, according to historian, writer and "antiquarian bookseller" Gertz. Though drug-themed novels and addiction memoirs had been around since the turn of the century, they didn't catch on until the '50s when, ironically, U.S. drug use was at a low. That all changed with the advent of LSD, which gave pulp writers something really to write about in books like LSD Orgy, Acid Party and The Splintered Man (a spy thriller published while the CIA's LSD research was still classified). Content varied wildly, and more than a few books failed to live up to their lurid covers (examples of which grace almost every page), but a handful were important-the best-known being William Burroughs' Junkie. Other vital examples include Memoirs of a Beatnik, No Man Stands Alone, John Clennon Holmes's The Horn, and the work of writer and illustrator Alexander King. Readers will dig Gertz's enthusiasm and formidable knowledge; the stories behind key titles like The Polluters (in which the nation's water supply is spiked with LSD) are almost as enjoyable as the beautifully reproduced, full-color covers for titles like H is for Harlot, Narco Nympho, The Junk Pusher, and scores of others.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Feral House (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932595341
• ISBN-13: 978-1932595345
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #938,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun!, January 8, 2009

By 

Hexades "Defiled" (NeverNeverland) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Dope Menace: The Sensational World of Drug Paperbacks (Paperback)

Nicely written w/ lots of cool pictures to tantalize and please. I loved reading all the cool, different drug slang and terms used back in those days. Excellent coffee table read.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars important contribution, June 11, 2009

By 

J. A. Gertzman (Phila, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dope Menace: The Sensational World of Drug Paperbacks (Paperback)

The best way to study popular culture, and the response to events that determines how masses of people come to think about their world, is from the ground up. Steve Gertz's book (unlike academic jargon determined to "interrogate" only the author's self-importance) does this. Gertz is a top-flight scholar also, especially of literary history, as his essays show (not just the Introduction) . One learns about paperback history, beat culture and its demonization, the connection between criminality and creativity, the extent to which propaganda created false enemies of health and prosperity, and the fear and fascination with the 1960s hippie excess, as well as its rejection of what were supposed to be patriotic and religious absolutes. Who knew so many musicians, writers, proponents of "The New Freedom," and social critics were so relevant to what is stigmatized as "vulgar" or "exploitive" sensationalism?

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Sin"sationally Beautiful and Delightfully Decadent., November 10, 2008

By 

Senta Mental (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dope Menace: The Sensational World of Drug Paperbacks (Paperback)

A veritable treasure trove of cover art from vintage drug and sex pulp paperbacks, with a brilliant analysis of the effects of these mass market guided missiles on American culture. The author clearly loves his material, and his knowledge of the history, lore, and lure of the genre is masterful. For any reader interested in the seamy side of popular culture, this is a must buy. A perfect gift for all the beatniks, misfits, and dope addicts on your shopping list. Kick back, bliss out, and enjoy this twisted trip to the dark side.