Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Paperback 887: Replenishing Jessica / Maxwell Bodenheim (Avon 191)

Paperback 887: Avon 191 (1st ptg, 1949)

Title: Replenishing Jessica
Author: Maxwell Bodenheim
Cover artist: [Phillips & Troeger / Troeger-Phillips]

Estimated value: $12-15

[Newest addition to the Doug Peterson Collection]

Avon191
Best things about this cover:

  • Let's see … how to replenish Jessica? Sure, I'd say FIVE MEN oughta do it.
  • This appears to be the story of how the Flash got married, settled down, and got a steady job with an insurance company. "Is this what you wanted, baby?" he seems to ask.
  • The most reliably informed reseller of vintage paperbacks on abebooks describes this book as a "SEX and HEROIN NOVEL," so … that's unexpected. And brings the total to two—two possible ways to replenish Jessica.
  • The only reason I still attend crossword tournaments is so that Doug Peterson can slip me some vintage paperback contraband in a dingy little plastic bag. It's all quite (appropriately) sordid.


Avon191bc
Best things about this back cover:

  • Shakespeare looks dubious about the literary merits of the publishing enterprise to which he has affixed his mug.


Page 123~

"This new school does away with all of the old qualms and quandaries, and we can certainly accomplish more when we know that sex is, well, is only the violent servant that we've hired for purposes of recreation."

Actually, the violent servant you've hired is named Tony, and it'll be $300/hr.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Any cultural product using a gerund in its title is doomed from the get-go. Well, maybe not 'The Howling' – though that did initiate the weird gerund-as-noun trend that gave us a lot of crap movies ('Chasing Amy,' 'The Dreaming') and, heaven forfend, Kate Bush albums.

A said...

This is an amazing cover. I can't believe this title! Sooooo obvious.

BTW, you forgot the part of The Flash's life where he gets cloned and cut in half (or gets invisible legs).