Acquired Tastes XLIII: Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 172 - Bee Dee Publications

Acquired Tastes XLIII

Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 172

Bee Dee Publications

Today, we take a look at the rather limited output of Bee Dee Publications. 

Very little is known about the imprint, but both books published by the company feature the work of an illustrator held in high regard in the kink pulp community.

The words “Bee Dee Publications” are printed on inside front covers, but no address is listed. 

All illustrations are by Eric Stanton - and not Gene Bilbrew, who is frequently credited on various sites offering copies for sale. The illustrations precede chapters; the art aligning closely with story events.

Stanton's mixed media illustrations delineate feminine men with svelte bodies and pretty faces, teasing readers with penumbras of gender duality. Fabrics drape and fold in response to gravity and light. These illustrations (7 in Mister Sister, 9 in Boy's Boys) demonstrate the artist's virtuosity and profound skill when rendering alluringly sexual characters in kinky situations.

And just as notices in pin-up/physique magazines claimed their nude pictures served as instructive guides for artists, photographers and models, so these two books attribute their content to antique origins, serving as historic pretext for this (then) contemporary erotica.

Mister Sister serves as a sequel to Boy's Boys, with many characters appearing in both and the two booklets contain approximately 20,000 words each. 

Learn more about the books below. They are both available as ebooks at Fetish Nostalgia Virtual Antiquity. By the way, most of the information below about the books came from that website.

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Boy’s Boy 

Author: Stanislaus Mell

1968

Bee Dee Publications

An introduction by the unnamed translators claim this was originally a Hungarian work by the little-known gay poet, Stanislaus Mell, whom the translators compare to Wilde, Gide and Stendahl, but in reality is merely a cover story for a bit of campy gay erotica. According to the back cover, the story has been relocated from Budapest to Chicago, where, at the Sanitarium... "new depravities gratify men who love only men! Where treasured fantasies become unforgettable experiences, repeated with variations on the theme for those who can afford it. Ruthless and enterprising, Quinn's aggressive homosexuality carries him through a weird series of adventures from blackmail to the wild experiences that could occur only in the Sanitarium. Here you meet Carla, the dominant lesbian, the wealthy Ev, who at twenty has appetites so jaded brand new experiences must be created for him, and a host of others in the offbeat swing of queer society." 

Who knows? Three hundred years ago, perhaps a Hungarian poet may have written such a sonnet to his lover. The bizarre escapades exposed in Mister Sister and Boy's Boys read like 20th century curiosa. 

Described as: Paperback, stapled pictorial wrap, 79 pgs., 4" x 7", illustrated with campy line-drawings. Pseudonym a parody of the San Francisco writer.

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Mister Sister

Author: Stanislaus Mell

1968

Bee Dee Publications

Mister Sister, was published the same year by Bee Dee and also features artwork by Eric Stanton. A sequel to Boy’s Boy, it is described as: Stapled, illustrated wrappers, 4" x 7", 79 pgs. w/ nine full-page, campy illustrations by Eric Stanton.  

As in mainstream fiction, 1960's gay erotic novels employed an oblique vocabulary when describing sexual activity between characters. Common gay sex terms aren't even alluded to here. While the gay erotica of the 1970's described superlative sensations, volumes and dimensions, 1960's prose pixelated the action behind filmy curtains of words like these, from Mister Sister:

"And LeClerc slipped the bikini down to Quinn’s ankles, then looped it around them twice so that they bound him. Then he returned to the core of his task, matching the certain, authoritative tonguing of his willing victim/adversary/companion with arts of his own. Thick, sensuous lips performed glorious tasks they had mastered to the loftiest of arts. Skills polished and perfected with a hundred diverse friends were demonstrated as silently two masters - one young, virile and eager, the other a seasoned master technician - brought the ultimate pleasure to each other.

Slowly, carefully, vigorously, artistically each brought the other to a glorious, rocketing, shuddering, dynamic climax, perfectly timed. Every treasured drop of emotion was drained from the other, drained until the last thrilling, pulsing, trembling nerve shivered to a stop and pounding pulses and quickened breath lost their frantic paces and dropped to near normal."

One of the functions of the esoteric enterprise known as the Sanitorium is to accommodate the needs of gay men who embarrass their wealthy families. In light of the presence of wealth, the book's male protagonist and manager of said enterprise, makes some extra cash on the side as a blackmailer.

In addition you have: ancillary bondage, domination, transvestitism, flagellation and man-to-man rape scenes - all elements which animate the rather institutional setting. However, the motivation for such carnal extremes is less about sadism than keeping the place profitable.

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And that's all for now.

Next week, yet more cover illustrations from another vintage gay pulp fiction imprint.

Until then... thanks for reading!

Mister Sister - Kate Pierson