Acquired Tastes XLIII
Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 202
Blueboy Library
Part 11 of 12
Blueboy was a gay men's magazine with lifestyle and entertainment news, in addition to photo spreads featuring nude or semi-nude men. It was published monthly from 1974 to 2007.
The publication's additional outreach included the gay pulp fiction series Blueboy Library which published 112 titles during the years 1976-1978
Blueboy Library operated out of a building at 9467 Mission Park Place, Santee, CA 92071, while their mail order department was listed as 9465 Mission Park Place.
The covers vary from title to title; some feature a cropped photo or graphic on a solid color background, while others feature rather elaborate illustrations similar to those on traditional romance novels by illustrator Giacomo "Jack" Bozzi, AKA: Adam, among others.
A slim, curly-haired Italian-American, Bozzi most loved painting watercolor landscapes; to make a living, though, he worked as a fashion and marketing illustrator during the 1970's and as an interior designer in the 1980's. He claimed he only did book covers for extra money to pay his bills. He lived in a small loft apartment which doubled as his art studio above Physique Memorabilia, a 'treasures and trash' shop at East 12th Street in New York's East Village, and he sold some of his art through that shop.
The Yearning Point
The publication's additional outreach included the gay pulp fiction series Blueboy Library which published 112 titles during the years 1976-1978
Blueboy Library operated out of a building at 9467 Mission Park Place, Santee, CA 92071, while their mail order department was listed as 9465 Mission Park Place.
The covers vary from title to title; some feature a cropped photo or graphic on a solid color background, while others feature rather elaborate illustrations similar to those on traditional romance novels by illustrator Giacomo "Jack" Bozzi, AKA: Adam, among others.
A slim, curly-haired Italian-American, Bozzi most loved painting watercolor landscapes; to make a living, though, he worked as a fashion and marketing illustrator during the 1970's and as an interior designer in the 1980's. He claimed he only did book covers for extra money to pay his bills. He lived in a small loft apartment which doubled as his art studio above Physique Memorabilia, a 'treasures and trash' shop at East 12th Street in New York's East Village, and he sold some of his art through that shop.
Some his works reside in the archives of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, which is "A home for LGBTQIA+ artists, scholars, activists and allies, and a catalyst for discourse on art and queerness." Located at 26 Wooster Street, New York, NY 10013, they are open: Wednesday 12:00pm - 5:00pm, and Thursday - Sunday 12:00pm - 6:00pm. You can contact them at: 212-431-2609info@leslielohman.org.
You can learn a bit more about the artist and read the English translation of a French interview, here.
These books, which are highly collectible, now generally sell for between $30-$180.
Here are another eleven Blueboy Library titles.
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Author: Murray Montague
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-107
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Coming Weekend
Author: Jack Donom
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-108
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Beach Ball
Author: Michael Scott
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-109
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Slave Fight
Author: George Wilson
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-110
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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The Ravishment of Robby
Author: Roland Graeme
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-112
This is interesting: according to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, on cover this is titled Ravished Robby, but on the title page it is titled The Ravishment Of Robby.
Blind Windows
Author: Leo Sawyer
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-113
I couldn't find the actual cover for this title, (though a certain reader did!) but did find a 'two-fer'. This is an example of Blueboy's last attempt to save their literary line - or make a few more bucks off it. They would take two titles from after the numbering system changed due to a corporate shakeup and put them in one thick volume with a bunch of color photos, most likely photoshoots from the magazine, as an enticement to interest buyers.
Update: Thank you to Butch for sending this in!
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Quarter Million Piece
Author: Michael Scott
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-114
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Campus Rendezvous
Author: Richard Alcock
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-115
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Fantasex Boys
Author: Jack Donom
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-116
(cover not found)
Sadly, as we come to the end of the line for this imprint, copies of the actual books become much more rare. This is due to less having been printed. So, I'm afraid as we finish out this imprint, we'll have more and more covers missing in action.
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Caught in the Middle
Author: Jack Diver
Blueboy Library
1978
BB-117
(cover not found)
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And that's all for now.
Next week: the final eleven Blueboy Library titles.
Until then...
Thanks for reading!
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2 comments:
Oh, that Slave Night cover (and title!) would not pass the test today. But it tells us how much things have (and have not) changed.
That man on Ravished Robby (that TITLE!) is absolutely handsome.
XOXO
Those authors --- if they're still alive --- must have steam coming out of their ears to learn their work is selling for that kind of money. They probably got paid a flat rate for the work; no royalties.
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