Gay Pulp

All the gay pulp novels from the 50s are out of print. I was hoping the library would have something but they only had a compilation ("Queer Pulp") with extracts from some of the more famous novels (such as "Gay Whore", "The Boys From Muscle Beach" and "Song of the Loon".)

Reading those extracts reminded me of some of the more wistful songs from The Smiths; tales of rejected love and tragic endings. Other extracts were purely about hardcore sex, which is amazing when you consider that most of those novels were bought by heterosexuals.

In the 50s, queer pulps attracted readers by emblazoning slogans on their covers which promised "a look into the dark lives of men" and "shocking revelations of a boy seduced by the inverted lifestyle," among many others. Kevin and I once saw a book in one of Soho's seediest bookstores (the kind that sells arty books on the top and porn in the basement) which carried the covers of all those novels. I liked the drawings, the colours, the crudeness of the style and kitschiness of it all. But I don't want just a book of images, I want to read those stories.

I do wonder if there are any second-hand bookstores that sell them.