Sunday, May 29, 2011

Paperback 418: Tender Torment / Randy Salem (Midwood F172)

Paperback 418: Midwood F172 (PBO, 1962)

Title: Tender Torment
Author: Randy Salem
Cover artist: Paul Rader

Yours for: $50

mid172.tendtormt

Best things about this cover:
  • "Next time on 'The Bachelor': The Most Dramatic Rose Ceremony Ever!"
  • This is a shocking cover—usually with lesbian sex paperbacks the sex angle is played way up, along with the pathology angle. Bodies on display, lust in the air (see here, for instance). But here, aside from a nice wide chunk of ass in the foreground, it's all horror show. Looks like the movie poster for a late-70s slasher flick.
  • That tagline really gets to the point. Succinct. No-frills. You know where you stand with this tagline.
  • You gotta love a sleaze paperback pen name like "Randy Salem." If you anagram his last name, you describe his ideal audience: Randy Males.

mid172bc.tendtor

Best things about this back cover:
  • "A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR!"—awesome ominous warning. "No one will be seated during the harrowing Rose Scene!" "Bring your own vomit bag!"
  • The best phrase on the whole back cover is "We are proud..."
Page 123~
He looked like any other swish in too tight pants and a checkered shirt open at the throat.
Damn swishes, ruining the checkered shirt for the rest of us regular blokes. I want my checkered shirt back, swishes! And my rainbow flag, too!

~RP


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3 comments:

Sammy T. said...

I'm just glad you don't want your tight pants back. Even 20 years later, I still get compliments whenever I wear them!

Marla said...

There is something VERY wrong - anatomically - with that glimpse of side boob. Actually, the entire upper half of her body is kind of weird.

Anonymous said...

Randy Salem is a pseudonym for Pat Perdu, the St Vincent website tells me so and I'm sure they wouldn't lie.