Acquired Tastes XLIII:
Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 162
Gaytimes Book Club, Part 8
Today, we continue taking a look at New Male's Gaytimes Book Club imprint.
Unsurprisingly, very little is available in the way of information regarding the imprint's history.
The books were distributed by Star Distributors, LTD., which held a P.O. Box (#362) at the Canal Street Station in New York, NY, zip code 10013,
The imprint published 208 titles during its run from 1979 to 1992, all credited to Anonymous.
Unsurprisingly, very little is available in the way of information regarding the imprint's history.
The books were distributed by Star Distributors, LTD., which held a P.O. Box (#362) at the Canal Street Station in New York, NY, zip code 10013,
The imprint published 208 titles during its run from 1979 to 1992, all credited to Anonymous.
Publisher's Page
The covers went through four distinct cover changes. Initially they displayed facial or upper torso with face portraits of masculine gay archetypes presented in a stylistic manner all done by the same artist. The publisher chose to switch cover designs starting around book #60 in 1983. At that point the portraits, typically of a single figure - although there were exceptions - featured a three-quarter portrait of a male, usually clothed. The drawings, all done in a comic book-like style by the same artist, appear somewhat amateurish, though colored nicely in an array of flat, solid colors. A third style would be introduced, featuring a black background, creating a domed frame with an amateurish colored drawing. By that point the books were under the heading of New Male, with the Gaytimes Book Club name not mentioned at all. Near the tail end of the imprint's history, they would feature a colored drawing with a bit more artistic merit, minus any framing device or background.
Examples of the back covers. The first example was used for books #1-60. After that, the back covers were used to advertise the most recent offerings from Star Distributer's Rough Trade imprint.
But the covers were not the only thing to change. The books now advertised ten pages of personal ads and an assortment of sexual enhancement products. Below is a partial description of such a book from Gay's The Word Bookshop, "the UK's oldest LGBT+ bookshop, opening in January 1979 at 66 Marchmont Street."
"Very rare pulp paperback published in 1984 by the GayTimes Book Club (New York). Read and worn, with creasing to spine and on lower cover, but intact with no loss and in solid condition. Yellow sticker on upper cover showing "R" rating: "(a) not to be sold or exhibited to minors, (b) Not to be available for perusal by minors, (c) Not to be displayed in any place to which minors have access, (d) Not to be advertised." With advertisements for "Stallion Slo-Cum Spray" and "Anal Ecstasy" on inside covers, personal advertisements in the final pages ("TEN pages of ads from people who want to meet you!"), and a further catalog of gay erotica available from Star Distributors."
Books #1-60 also feature ads, about nine pages worth, at the back of book - things like subscriptions to The Gaytimes News (12 issues for $18), payment to be sent to P.O. Box 101, Murray Hill Station, New York, NY 10016; Rough Trade, Male Photo, and Stud Series books; and an assortment of 'Butt Tinglers', 'Pocket Pussies', and alarming-looking dildoes.
Oddly, the book's catalog number does not appear on the cover of the book (only on the spine), nor do the words 'New Male' appear anywhere on this first batch of covers, yet that brand name is later associated with the books.
As previously mentioned, I'm not sure how many of the 208 covers I will be able to track down, but here are the next ten covers I could find. We'll just take it one post at a time...
Well, again, this post is the reason I couldn't say how many parts to this imprint there would be: we've got bumpkis. So many covers missing, but it is what it is. In fact, there are so many covers missing - we go through yet another change in cover design and I can't tell you when exactly that may have happened.
Out of 34 titles, I could only find eleven covers.
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Meat Rack
Author: Anonymous
1986
NM-128
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Hot Brothers
Author: Anonymous
1986
NM-129
Reprinted later with new cover art as NM-146.
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Hot Holds
Author: Anonymous
1986
NM-130
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Foreman’s Fury
Author: Anonymous
1986
NM-131
A reprint of an earlier title, NM-030.
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Cocksucker
Author: Anonymous
1986
NM-132
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Hung Brute
Author: Anonymous
1986
NM-133
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Roommate Stud
Author: Anonymous
1986
NM-134
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Brother’s in Love
Author: Anonymous
1986
NM-135
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Hard-Hat Beach
Author: Anonymous
1986
NM-136
Republished as FIN-035 for the Finland imprint.
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NM-137
(Missing))*
So, things get confusing for a bit. Seems someone put the wrong number on the spine of the book and we're out of sync for four covers - they're 'missing', but not missing.
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NM-138
(Missing)*
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NM-139
(Missing))*
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NM-140
(Missing))*
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Martin Comes Out)
Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-141*
According to a note on Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List this book was assigned the wrong number and should be NM-137.
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Chris’s Latin Lover
Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-142*
According to a note on Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List this book was assigned the wrong number and should be NM-138.
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Raw Recruit
Author: Anonymous
1987 NM-141
A reprint of an earlier title, NM-016.
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I Like It Rough
Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-142
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Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-143
Republished as FIN-202 for the Finland imprint.
--- ---
Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-143*
According to a note on Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List this book was assigned the wrong number and should be NM-139.
--- ---
Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-144*
According to a note on Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List this book was assigned the wrong number and should be NM-140.
Republished as FIN-018 for the Finland imprint.
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Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-144
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Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-145
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Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-146
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Big Man on Campus
Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-147
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Strapped
Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-148
A reprint of an earlier title, NM-013.
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Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-149
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Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-150
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Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-151
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Author: Anonymous
1987
NM-152
A reprint of an earlier title, NM-003.
Leather Bar Boy
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
--- ---
Author: Anonymous
1988
NM-153
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Frat Bait
Author: Anonymous
1988
NM-154
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Author: Anonymous
1988
NM-155
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Author: Anonymous
1988
NM-156
A reprint of an earlier title, NM-011.
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Author: Anonymous
1988 NM-157
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Big Man on Campus
Author: Anonymous
1988 NM-158
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Author: Anonymous
1988
NM-159
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Author: Anonymous
1988
NM-160
--- ---
Republished as FIN-029 and FIN-164 for the Finland imprint.
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Cruisin’ the Coast
Author: Anonymous
1988
NM-161
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Author: Anonymous
1988
NM-162
I am thinking the change in cover design and artist occurred at #160. Craig Esposito is the new artist. The 'New Male' branding is even more prominent. Note the taglines: Young studs come out! / Hot Beef Hunks! And sorry about the censored cover, but we take what we can find.
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And that's all for now.
Next week: ten more Gaytime Book Club covers.
Until then...
Thanks for reading.
Under The Boardwalk - Bruce Willis
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2 comments:
Wild stuff.
I love how people managed to communicate using the back of these dirty little books.
Also, catering to the gays probably gave them huge mailing lists, no? Probably all PO boxes.
Love the illustrations in some of these. Very... luscious...
XOXO
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