Swasarnt Nerf's Gay Guides for 1949

by Hugh Hagius

Reprint of booklets which circulated in the gay underground of New York in 1949, along with snapshots of gay life in the 1940s, '50s and '60s.

180 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2010

Reviews

[R.J. Gilmour]

A reprint of early mimeographed gay guides from 1949 & 1950. It is a valuable resource for anyone looking at pre-Stonewall gay history.

“These two guides give us a tour through that erotically charged alternate reality. The first two guides-one for New York, and on for the U.S.-were produced in 1949, and distributed through a network of friends. The readers then passed back their own discoveries through the same network for inclusion in second editions in 1950. Finally, in the mid-50s a third edition of the national-guide-expanded to worldwide-rolled off the mimeograph machine.” 1

“In 1949 the only things listed were the bars and the baths and other cruising places. In the mid-50s edition, the editors instructed their readers how to find ONE magazine or get in touch with the Mattachine Society, or purchase pictures from the Athletic Model Guild. The gay community was building political and cultural institutions.” 3

“So far as I know, these are the earliest gay guides: the Damron guides did not begin publication until 1964. And the GAY GIRl guides are more than just listing. They contain groundbreaking reports and essays, such as the first glossary of gay slang, the first manual of gay sex techniques, the first treatise on V.D. for gay men and the first gay bibliography.” 3

“The identity of Swasarnt Nerf (=Soixante-Neuf, Sixty-Nine) must be forever a mystery. I have a hunch that the real author concealed by his pen name is Edgar Leoni, but it is only a hunch. Ed is not widely known as a pioneer in gay studies..It was in any case from Ed’s hands that I received the five little booklets that have been reprinted here. They were mimeographed on paper trimmed to pages of 5 by 6 inches and stapled in blotter paper covers. The two first editions of 1949 are bound in purple. The two second editions of 1950s are in red. The single third edition of the mid-50s is in blue.” 5

[Nelson Minar]

What a treasure of a book. Or pamphlet, really. A lovingly edited collection of rare and important American gay materials from 1949 and the early 50s. The core of the book is A Gay Girl's Guide, a series of zines published out of New York that had information for gay men. Advice on parks and bars and beaches to go, dishy information on gay life and culture, some useful factual information on liberation movements and health. It's all very seminal material for the Gay culture that I inherited growing up in the 80s. It's wonderful that it's preserved.

[Jon Stout]

Once again it’s a pleasure to review a book by my old friend, Hugh Hagius. Hugh is, among other things, a historian of Gay Liberation, and in this book he has researched and republished guides to the gay social hubs of the post-war period. What might have seemed scandalous to the straight world at the time, now seems quaint and poignant and courageous, though I know mine is still only one of many possible reactions. What we see are sensual young people looking for pleasure and adventure in a repressive and moralistic period of our history.

To me it’s another example of not knowing what’s important while it’s happening. In the 50’s, I didn’t know that Elvis Presley and Pat Boone were using the songs of black musicians. I didn’t know that Eisenhower didn’t care about going into space. And I didn’t know that a gay consciousness was gaining self-awareness and self-confidence. Now we know. The world has changed and it’s interesting to look back and see the world as it really was, and hope that we’ve learned something in the process.