Hip Pocket Sleaze: The Lurid World of Vintage Adult Paperbacks

by John Harrison

Hip Pocket Sleaze is an introduction to the world of vintage, lurid adult paperbacks. Charting the rise of sleazy pulp fiction during the 1960s and 1970s and reviewing many of the key titles, the book takes an informed look at the various genres and markets from this enormously prolific era, from groundbreaking gay and lesbian-themed books to the Armed Services Editions. Influential authors, publishers and cover artists are profiled and interviewed, including the "godfather of gore" H. G. Lewis, cult lesbian author Ann Bannon, fetish artist par excellence Bill Ward and many others.A companion to Bad Mags, Headpress' guide to sensationalist magazines of the 1970s, Hip Pocket Sleaze also offers extensive bibliographical information and plenty of outrageous cover art.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Cultural Studies, Pulp

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. This is John^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Harrison.

Reviews

[Justin Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pulp paperbacks were the wild wild west of publishing. I'll never tire of learning about these books, authors, cover artists, and the barrage of taboo subjects explored during this time of sexual awakening in American history. It was a time that tested the limits of free speech, with many publishers having to defend their books all the way up to the Supreme Court, and gave outlet to marginalized communities. For better and for worse, admittedly.

Though I believe the literary quality of pulp fiction is generally higher than most would expect, that's not to say there aren’t clunkers in the mix. For every pretty good book, you have to sift through ten that are terrible. There’s something visceral, deeply subconscious, and a little terrifying about even the worst-written pulps though.

These authors were tasked to scandalize, to explore the kinds of sex and violence that could transfix a reader, either in shock, pleasure, or some combination of all the above. Their subjects include the most vulgar, grungiest themes imaginable, often on a scale that is outrageous in its hyperbole. Yet this freedom allows for exploration of the human experience that would otherwise be neglected by mainstream fiction.

If I dedicated the rest of my life to reading and researching pulp paperbacks, I would still only have a vague understanding of the global phenomenon that ultimately still impacts art today. As such, Hip Pocket Sleaze provides a great service. Not only is it full of significant content—including rare interviews with authors, artists and publishers of the era—but there is a substantial overview of a large selection of books. Emphasis is placed on erotic pulps, but there's also discussion of horror, true crime, witchcraft, and other oddities which became trending topics for these books. Many I have no interest in reading myself, but that’s not to say I don’t want to know what’s in them. The short reviews give me the gist of the highs and lows so I can be more selective with what I do read.

One of the most profound interviews, I think, is with an author who takes great offense to the term “Sleaze” in the book’s title. Although I think “Sleaze” has a more affectionate connotation than it has in the past, the author makes a good point that such terms really diminish the literary power found in pulp pages. Even if the book has a lurid title and an illustrated nude on the cover, that is no real indication of the type of content found inside. Publishers might also bastardize a text, add their own sex scenes, or otherwise complicate the presentation of what authors intended. As scholars of these texts, I think there is an obligation to explain the vast context around pulp and how that should influence our appreciation of the work.

For anyone else looking to learn more about this fascinating era of publishing, I can highly recommend Hip Pocket Sleaze as a quick, informative read with exceptional content, global perspective, and told from a perspective of admiration for an oft-neglected body of literature.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of interviews and reviews and catalogs of books, which makes this a solid companion for the collector. The subtitle, though, is a bit misleading as other genres and film rags are discussed and cataloged. Does have a great extensive index and that is crucial for a book with so much content. Overall, a huge compendium of material from the 1960s and 1970s era of the, shall we say, non-mainstream paperbacks.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

People interested in the world of adult paperbacks and trashy novels have had to glean information from obscure journals and micro-press monographs. While quite a few of those accounts end up in John Harrison's excellent book, there is also a tremendous amount of original research and specially commissioned articles. You'll also find checklists of writers, artists and publishers, the lifeblood of serious collectors, and very much needed in a publishing realm where artists and writers usually worked under one or more aliases, or established "house-names." While all these books were the kind you did not want your mother to catch you with or which you might hide behind a comic book or a less objectionable magazine or book, most were not really porn, just sleazy or lurid, though the covers usually promised much more than the prose delivered; and I was surprised to discover "Gorgo" and other monster movie derived books listed as "sleazy." Well, I suppose they really were, or so my mother would have pointed out. John Harrison's book is more than just lurid covers and checklists of authors and artists. It's really a look back at the way America used to be, back in the days when it actually was possible to be sleazy; now, all the strictures of society seem to have fallen away. What's taboo anymore? According to the more liberal elements of society...nothing. We have segued as a society from the judgmental "sleazy" to pallid delineation of "inappropriate," which is as about a meaningless word as you can get. This is a wonderful examination of a time when our morality was defined by what we kept under the counter or in plain brown wrappers. This book is a great resource for both the collector and the social historian.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I selected this book to read I was hoping that it was going to be a more narrative driven historical text discussing the development of adult paperbacks both as a form of literature and as a cultural phenomenon. Unfortunately Harrison’s text doesn’t exactly follow that model. Instead, and to both his fault and to his credit, ‘Hip Pocket Sleaze’ is a grab bag of reviews, lists, interviews and images that is aimed at those like him who revel in the collecting of old adult paperbacks.

If one is into that activity then I would expect this book would have a lot of appeal. However if you are not (like me) the many many reviews become a blur of meaningless commentary. Extolling or damning an obscure book about juvenile delinquents, the Manson Family, lesbian porn etc just gets tedious, and the desire to skip through the pages of Harrison’s book is hard to quell.

There are some useful and interesting elements to this book. The exploration of some of the most productive and/or notorious authors of old adult books, including on occasion written interviews, is interesting and informative. There is also a worthy chapter on the key cover artists in this niche publishing area. It’s a shame that no colour illustrations were included in this section.

I shan’t pull apart ‘Hip Pocket Sleaze’ any further as my criticisms are informed by my hopes for the text and are not necessarily the same of others who want to read this book. Harrison may have written a decent guide to the subject for fellow travellers in his little world of dirty book collectors. However as I’m not one of those I’ll just say ‘Hip Pocket Sleaze’ had almost no appeal or enjoyment for me.

[Horror DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hip Pocket Sleaze is much more than a listing of titles published during the golden age of adult novels. Hell, in his foreward John Harrison suggests you go elsewhere for that information. While he does an admirable job with listing publishers and titles — he even reviews a fair share — the book is more of a biography of the paperbacks. Harrison discusses the writers (and interviews quite a few), the artists, touches on some of the "classic smut film rags" and even interviews a couple of collectors of the adult paperback.

You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever wondered the history of the adult paperback, this is a damn good book to learn it.

You can read my full review at HorrorTalk.com.

[Joseph Patchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a review I have on lurid-lit.com!!!

[Ralph Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not what I expected it is still an interesting read.