Acquired Tastes XLIII: Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 106: HIS69, Part 35 of 44

Acquired Tastes XLIII:

Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 106

HIS69, Part 35 of 44

The HIS69 imprint was active from 1971 thru 1988, delivering an astounding 531 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.

Wow. A new low. I only found five out of twelve covers. 

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 NoTell Motel I 

Author: Ed Kroch

HIS69533

(Cover Not Found)

I looked it up... NoTell Motels were actually a 'thing.' You could rent them by the week, the day or the hour. They were there for exactly the purpose you think such such an enterprise would exist; for hooking up! Now, I feel bad that I was not able to come up with this one... or the second in the series. But... wait! I did find the third in the series and will share that with you next week. 

This first one is credited to Ed Kroch, while future novels in the saga are credited to an author who goes by the singular name of ACE.  At some point, the series moved from HIS69 (possibly because they ended the imprint) to Adam's Gay Readers, a different imprint; one we'll get to know some time in the future. 

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Out Takes 

Author: A. Andrews

HIS69534 

(Cover Not Found)

This title is so generic I didn't have a prayer of finding it.

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Cock-tails 

Author: Bolt Tanner

HIS69535

(Cover Not Found)

And same with this one, except... this is part of a series. I believe I did manage to find Cocktails III.

I love me a good double entendre. And for me? They never get old. This one is a personal favorite of mine, for a number of reasons, the least of which that it brings to mind lovely, delicious, mouth-watering... gin! Yes, poor me a tini and I just may share with you a story about a weenie!

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Bare Meat 

Author: Michael Scott

HIS69536 

This implies something much differently in the gay male community than it did back in the day. In the 1970's safe sex was considered to be when you got a first and a last name! But then, it's that mindset that got us into all that trouble in the 1980's, am I right? Yep. And there was no such thing as bareback sex back then, either... unless you were doing while riding on the back of a horse.

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Notell Motel II 

Author: ACE

HIS69537

(Cover Not Found)

This is where ACE takes over the series.

Now, I know there such places, or there used to be. Downtown Minneapolis had a little stink hole called The Amsterdam Hotel, right above The Saloon, in downtown Minneapolis. Back in the aughts, when the internet was still relatively young, and corporations hadn't quite gotten around to blocking such sites as Adam 4 Adam and Manhunt, I used to, on occasion, get the odd request to meet someone there for a bit of 'exercise.' The rooms were painted in the most garish of colors and so frequently that all the corners were rounded. One knew not to bother with bed, unless you wanted to risk catching whatever critters were left by the last occupants.

Unseemly? Yes! Unsatisfying?

Well, let's put it this way... I never bothered to get a first name!

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Sexnapped 

Author: Ward Michaels

HIS69538

(Cover Not Found)

I was certain this one would show up, but it did not.

Honestly, this has never been a fantasy of mine. I am too much of a control freak and too picky about my sex (Yes - I said 'picky.) - about the how, not the who - to enjoy such a spur of the moment, unplanned sexual adventure. I mean, if they think they could really just kidnap me, tie me up and have their way with me... well, they have another thing coming. And trust me - that would be on them (literally) and not me. I mean, a person needs to prepare for such events. 

Remember: you're only as good as your last douche!

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Stripped For Action 

Author: Michael Scott

HIS69539

(Cover Not Found)

I'm on record here as saying I am not a fan of strippers. Not the gym bunny pros, anyway. They all look like broasted chickens raised on steroids. As if, if you touched them, they would ooze baby oil. No, thank you. I just don't understand that type of objectification. There may be a bit of art involved - I mean, some of them can dance and there are frequently bits of costume to hold my attention, but it's not a like a photograph, where you get to appreciate the photographer's eye. Or a film, where the actual deed is done and not merely implied. But stripping, for the most part, is a rather dead art form.

Burlesque, on the other hand? That's been revived and is flourishing in the best way possible. That I support. But standing on a bar, doing minimal dance moves, covered in body oil, flexing, leering at the customers while bouncing your bound up junk in garish neon G-string for dollar bills?

Not my monkey, not my circus.

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Doing Daddy 

Edmund Frank

HIS69540

Finally, an illustration. And it's a fun one. Now, I always assume we are talking 'daddy' in the figurative sense, as in consensual role play. Actual incest? Not sexy in my book - not even the 'let's pretend' kind. Still, I suppose there are those who get off on reading such things. Hell, over at Hommi Publishing they have a Our Most Popular Tags section, listing all the books that have to do with incest - and there are a lot!

That doesn't mean I don't appreciate this fine cover. Muscular Mr. Brady there, with his porn stash, mop of black curls and those rolled-up sleeves? Who could resist? Not junior, apparently; he seems only two eager to roll on over and let 'daddy' do the driving!

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Maneuvers 

Author: Bolt Tanner

HIS69541

(Cover Not Found)

Another title so generic that I had no chance of finding it.

And Bolt Tanner? Turns out there's some kind of anime character with that name, and that's all that would come up for me. Sigh.

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Eighteen Is Legal 

Author: A. Carl Matthews

HIS69542 

Eighteen may be 'legal,' but it sure isn't sexy - not in my book.

This book? Looks like a Grooming 101 manual.

Yes, grooming. Apparently, it's a thing. Celebrities are getting called out on it all the time, now. It's because of a/ their creeps with no moral compasses and b/ social media supplies them with easy access to nubile young fans who are easily psychologically seduced into believing that a 34 year-old successful actor or singer would actually be interested in 'just hanging out and being friends' with a 13 year-old. Then, for the next five years, our predator bides his time, plying his 'friend' with surprise gifts, intimate one on one chats, and the kind of attention that should flip on the 'stranger danger' signal in the mind of any reasonable parent. Then, when the victim, er... I mean, 'super-fan' reaches that magical 17th year, the talk becomes even more adult in nature - because 'they've always been very mature for their age.' And when that 18th birthday takes place, (if our celebrity doesn't wish to risk the R. Kelly treatment), their young, sexually-budding, 'friend' is whisked away in a private jet and given champagne - because, hey, it's above international waters - and, umm... yeah. You get the picture.

So, this is a thing now. And people who notice it get upset with celebs like Drake and Leonardo DiCaprio when they see it happening. Now, someone like Michael Jackson would call me 'ignorant' and that I just didn't understand.

But, I do, Michael. Oh, but I do.

Huh. Well, you just never know what soapbox one of these novels is going make me pull out.

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Take It All 

Author: Jon Hartley

HIS69543 

Appears to be quite the 'business merger' underway there in the office.  As in, someone's about to merge their lips around somebody else's big time fun stick. That's why, the smart up and coming corporate ladder climber always carries wet wipes wherever they go!

And a bottle of Listerine. Like gossip, there are somethings you don't want going 'round the office!

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Never Say Uncle 

Author: J. W. Schooter

HIS69544 

Oh, yay. More incest. And this one appears to have more a plot to it than most such page turners. 

It's hard to say who is what in this particular illustration. Is the 'uncle' the artist's model? Or the hunky man in the painter's apron? Well, one thing is for certain... looks like junior's bubble butt is about to pop out of those terribly tight checkered pants!

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And that's all for now.

Next week? Another dozen scintillating, titillating titles.

Hopefully, we'll fare a bit better when it comes to finding the covers. But... you never know.

Until then...

Thanks for reading!

Take It All - Adele