Acquired Tastes XLIII: Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 79 - HIS69, Part 8 of 20

Acquired Tastes XLIII

Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 79

HIS69, Part 8 of 20

The HIS69 imprint remained active from 1971 thru 1988, delivering an astounding 240 titles. Surrey House, Inc. / Surree Ltd, Inc. of San Diego and Santee, California are responsible for this imprint which was distributed by the same company as Trojan Books, Manhard Books, Gay Books and Gay Way Books; the Zorro Distribution Company, also operating out of San Diego.

It should be noted that many of these titles, with original artwork included, were simultaneously republished under the Gay Books imprint and then, later, minus the artwork, were also republished under the ManPower imprint.

The artwork for the HIS69 books would go through only two minor shifts with all the covers featuring ink drawings by various uncredited illustrators - artwork quite similar to what we saw with the Manhard imprint.

We've got 12 more weeks to go!

Here are the next twelve titles. This week, once again, I was able to track down all twelve!

Come Quick!

Author: Harry Frank

HIS6985

Huh. I got good at this. You have to if you're going to play in mens rooms. However.... I became too good at it, if you know what I mean. At one point, I had to call off quickies so I could regain control of my mojo. Now, there's a 12 minute minimum if you want to ride this ride! I mean, come on! I shaved my ass for this!

Pseudonym alert! Though the thought of a hairy wiener? Hmm. On the fence.

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Trucker Sucker

Author: Art Patterson

HIS6986

Had they offered this at Austin Community College when I first went to college, I would have found the major of my dreams. Heaven knows I've earned enough credits towards it.

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Schooltime Hard

Author: Charlie Peters

HIS6987

Taking two worlds and shoving them together does not one word make. I know all about school time hard ons. I wore a three-ring binder over my crotch throughout high school. I even popped a boner in the boys shower once. If it happened today, I'd have fun with it - but back then? I was mortified. I didn't think anybody else got boners. Fast forward 10 years or so and... imagine my surprise!

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Reamout!

Author: O.J. Fletcher

HIS6988

Another example of take two words and jam them together. I don't know why, but the word 'ream' has never struck me as very sexy. Perhaps because it is also used in another context - as in being yelled at for something one has done. Thing is, I don't have issue with other such terms. For example, when someone exclaims, "Man, I really blew it!" - I can't help but smirk inside. 

Also: check out that pseudonym. Me? I would have gone with B.J. Fletcher, instead.

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Plug-In Stud!

Author: Warren Foxx

HIS6689

Sounds like something Romco would offer on the telly around Xmas time. Available at Shopko and your local Walgreens store. Made of plastic, run on batteries, and irreparably broken after a week or two? Sounds like every relationship I had in my late twenties and early thirties!

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Butt Great!

Author: Damon Martin

HIS6990

That's quite the endorsement. Now, let's dissect this cover a bit, shall we? What the hell? A big smiley face? A director's chair seemingly floating in mid-air, sans legs? And what is going on with this dude's right (his right) thigh? Something tells me the artist was under a strict deadline and failed to thrive!

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Rock Hard

Author: Chance McCandless

HIS6991

Huh. Another cover with some glaring perspective issues. Just take a look the dude on the right's right leg. Where exactly is that springing from? Is he wearing a tall boot of some kind? 

Rock Hard brings to mind all the metal bands from my youth. Oh, in a small town, all the stoners and the burn outs and the rough boys... that's all they wanted to hear. If the guitar wasn't screaming, why bother? Sadly, they claimed Led Zeppelin as their own, which meant that I, who tended to avoid such 'trash,' was deprived of them. I only learned how truly brilliant they were some 20 years later; Led Zeppelin, not the druggies and the burn outs.  

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Prime Meat

Author: Peter Pepper

HIS6992

Ah, a return to some decent artwork! That's quite the package on the right... prime or not! 

I've never thought of peens in those terms. Pretty? Yes. Impressive? Perhaps. But since I've never cottoned to the idea of rating people based on their personal appearance (unless playing a game of 'Would You, Could You?'), I've never thought of manly appendages in such a manner. 

Now... change 'prime' into a verb? And I'm all on board!

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Bouncing Balls

Author: Buck Jordan

HIS6993

Low hangers. Lovely to look at, more precious to hold. But they do have their limits - or so I found out one afternoon in L.A. I was cruising and picked up a cutie who invited me to his place. Once naked, I discovered his balls hung nearly to his knees (or so it seemed from my prone perspective, as he stood on the bed, straddling me like Olympus.) I said something and he told me he liked them pulled, so, I reached up and did just that - rather like a desperate 9-5er who pulls the strap on the bus as he's just realized he's missed his stop. Turns out... that's not sexy - that hurts. 

It's one of those moments that has haunted me to this day. Faux pas, indeed.

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Meat Market Man

Author: George Wilson

HIS6994

A great illustration, with a bit of possible subtext! 

Sadly, I don't think any gay bar that I have ever gone to could be considered a 'meat market'; they're simply not sexy enough. They all seem to be about drinking (and in Miami, 'spinning') which tends to remove one from the moment. When you think about it, we go out and numb ourselves in order to be social. What does that accomplish, other than 'you' not having to be 'you' for a few hours, as you navigate a crowd of others doing the same? 

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Chicken Chaser

Author: Charlie Peters

HIS6995

Oh, dear. Another pedo tome. Simply not my thing. Age tends to lead to experience which leads to character; I like my men with a lot of character. It tends to make up for any other shortcomings. 

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Cop Come

Author: Joseph Marrs

HIS6996

I feel like we've 'come' across this one before. It's simply a familiar theme. We did see one titled Kid Come - which, now that I think of it... sounds rather creepy. Perhaps the creep factor is unescapable, given the genre? I mean, if you publish 480 of these books, you're eventually going to step in some rather unseemly territory - or you're not doing your job!

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And that's all for today, my friends.

Next week we will take a look at the next twelve titillating titles.

And keep in mind, we have 12 fantastical weeks to go, on this imprint alone!

Take care.

 
And thanks for reading.

Rock Hard - Suzi Quatro