Torrid Wench
Manhasset, NY: Kozy Books Inc., 1963. 1st Edition. 12mo, publisher’s stiff illustrated paper wraps.
Early 1960s lesbian pulp following Barbie Cole, a private club hostess who escapes from her troubled home life into the arms of another woman, penned by the legendarily prolific Orrie Hitt and published by Kozy Books. While many lesbian pulp novels of the 1950s and 60s were sensationalized by and for straight men, they inadvertently offered representation for closeted lesbian readers. Dubbed the "Shakespeare of Shabby Street," Hitt authored over 150 books and was known for his unusually ethically aware and often uplifting pulp prose. Kozy Books, founded by John B. Musacchia and Irwin Stillman, sold lurid paperbacks for fifty cents under the tagline "Cozy Up With Kozy Books" before becoming the target of a major 1961 obscenity crackdown. Cover illustration by Sergio Leone (unrelated to the Spaghetti Western filmmaker of the same name). Publisher’s catalog number K176. Light edgewear to wraps. Near fine. Item #12395
$50.00