Customer Reviews

Strange Sisters: The Art of Lesbian Pulp Fiction 1949-1969

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
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The 50s and 60s strapped women into undergear that created cleavage only since surpassed by Xena. This collection features covers from lesbian pulp fiction of that era and the cleavage is eye-popping! It's delightful to thumb through, a real blast from the past to read.

Aside from the cover art is the copy from the covers. Phrases like "The Savage Novel of a Lesbian on the Loose" and "Blunt revelations of what happens when deviate women seek advancement in the business world" and "His new girl-wife was a vibrant, virgin beauty...and a sensual, shrewd, licentious lesbian!"

Then there's the pure trash ... titles like "Satan was a lesbian" and "Man Hater" with covers so campy they made me laugh. All in all, this a really fun book and quite a conversation piece!

I was really intrigued by "Strange Sisters: The Art of Lesbian Pulp Fiction 1949-1969," by Jaye Zimet. The book also features a foreword by writer Ann Bannon. The book is basically a collection of full color reproductions of the cover art of lesbian-themed books.

Pictured is the art from books with titles like "Women's Barracks," "Women in Prison," "Reform School Girls," "Warped Women," and "By Love Depraved." There is a gallery of art from Bannon's historically significant books, as well as a gallery of covers from different editions of "The Well of Loneliness" (the mother of all lesbian novels). The cover art is often titillating, often outrageous; there are occasional hints of violence and some really poignant images. A fascinating historical collection of images of lesbianism in popular culture.

As a straight male and a pulp/paperback enthusiast, I approached this book curiously, wondering if I was really its "intended audience." I didn't know whether the book had some hidden agenda. After a look, I see that it's a real gem and no political manifesto. This is a great exposition of the illustrators who (at least then) toiled in anonimity, creating this wonderfully evocative art. The art reproductions are excellent, with interesting text. I recommend.

The collecting of vintage Lesbiana paperbacks has boomed recently. Strange Sisters is a compilation of the cover art work from these paperbacks from Jaye Zimet's collection. The covers are beautifully reproduced with a brief blurb about the artist. It is a great book visually but lacks scholarship. The forward by Ann Bannon is the only part of the book that adds to our knowledge about the creation and importance of this genre. More bibliographic information and an overview of the importance of lesbiana paperbacks in lesbian literature would have made this book something more than a piece of eye candy. It is still great fun and a must for any paperback collector. You can also see an article about this book in Details magazine.

This is an excellent reference book for collectors of lesbiana, general paperback collectors, and book dealers. Practically every lesbian pb printed in the 50s and 60s is shown. The only problem: if you are a collector you may die of envy, since the author owns all the titles!

While the books themselves may have been less-than-memorable, the cover art of these steamy paperbacks was often very erotic! I especially liked the ones showing the older, experienced, dark-haired lesbian woman eyeing her intended target, usually a younger, half-dressed, innocent blonde girl! Very hot stuff! Would that they actually wrote stories that could live up to their book covers!

This collection of lesbian inspired art for 1950's and 60's magazines that were mostly read by men is sometimes kitchy, at times sleazy and most often quite funny. It is greatly enhanced by the author's knowledgeable and witty comments, and the vivid color makes the art jump out of the page. Looking though this book it is easy to see where men get their lesbian fantasies from: their father's old pulp stories. I recommend this book as the ultimate table book, on its title alone it is guaranteed to be picked up.

What a fabulous book. I'm not sure whether to classify it as high camp or as a piece of highly valuable research into lesbian popular cultural heritage.Or perhaps both- why did I think of Holly Hughes' "The Well of Horniness" throughout this book. This gayboy really loved it, and I especially liked the comments about what a gayboy version of this genre would have been like. Highly recommended.

I got this for a friend of mine who likes old pulp covers. They loved it. I checked it out and liked it too. The covers are great. I wish there was more commentary to go along with the covers. Maybe even a little excerpt from a few of the book to see what they were like. Other than that shortcoming I loved the covers. So did my friend.

Ms. Zimet takes us into the lurid world of Lesban Pulp fiction with panache and verve. I truly enjoyed the many photographs of the cover art and would highly recomend this book to all.