Friday, November 4, 2011

Paperback 473: Warped / Michael Norday (Beacon B280)

Paperback 473: Beacon B 280 (PBO, 1955)

Title: Warped
Author: Michael Norday
Cover artist: Clement Micarelli

Yours for: $50


beack280.warped

Best things about this cover:
  • This is some golden age, bullseye, right over the plate, vintage lesbian paperback amazingness. Fantastic art, cool staggered-letter title design, and cover copy that alliterates like there's no tomorrow. Plus great lesbian code words like "twilight" and "twisted" and "strange" and "tormented" and "warped"; roughly half the vintage lesbian paperbacks in existence have at least one of these words in their titles (I made that stat up, but it feels right)
  • I love the dramatic tension between these two women—the knowing, smug, hungry eyes of the tomboyish old pro, and the coy-yet-curious eyes of the frillier girl in the foreground. Her guarded posture suggests modesty, but her exposed and pushed-up boobs and her visible garters suggest ... something else. 
  • That is one ugly bed. And pillowcase. They are far too hot to be making out in grandma's bed.



beac280bc.warped

Best things about this back cover:
  • Again, great design. A bit text-heavy, but I love the pink touches.
  • I applied to Fern Mar, but got rejected. Dames only, apparently. I am, however, only too familiar with the "disgrace of an unwholesome campus weekend."
  • Hell yeah, passion-ridden women!

Page 123~

A sudden panic swept over her. She remembered the look in Estrada's eyes when he had talked about Gwen up at O'Keefe's training camp. A sudden fury burst inside her. "Damn you! Where is she? Where—"
"Relax, baby. Relax."

Wait, lesbians have training camps? That's awesome.

~RP

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3 comments:

Deb said...

Angie Dickinson (in a rather unfortunate brunette wig) was so eager to get Ann-Margaret into bed that she forgot she was still wearing her bright red bicycle shorts.

JamiSings said...

1: I like that bed. It's pretty and plenty of places to be handcuffed to.

2: I like how the high heels on the back cover seem to be doing it too.

Lacey said...

So, um, where is the OTHER sister?
Is she "coy-yet-curious," or "Knowing and smug"?

I love the code words also. As long as we include them, this is educational material and not wanton titillation. Just like the "clinical" cover.

BTW - I had a robe like that once.

Another great find.