ABSTRACT
Lesbian pulp fiction novels were some of the most lucrative texts to emerge from the American, mid-century Golden Age of the paperback, due largely to their sensational cover art, which continues to circulate as retro kitsch on contemporary consumer items. This chapter traces the fascinating cover and reception history of the most successful and beloved star author of the genre: Ann Bannon. The chapter is structured in four key sections. ‘DisCovering Lesbianism’ introduces the history and publishing context of Bannon’s five-book ‘Beebo Brinker Chronicles’ series. I also analyse the original, Fawcett editions in relation to their small but loyal lesbian audience, focusing on their status as what Joan Nestle, co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, calls ‘survival literature’ (cited in Queer Covers, 1993). Gay women learned to recognise these covers iconographically and to read them against the grain of the negativity that censorship required. ‘UnCovering Lesbianism’ analyses the 1950s and 1960s Fawcett originals in relation to their production history as sexploitation. Produced largely by and for heterosexual men, these covers promise and deliver titillation, a kind of forbidden peek at the twilight world of deviant women. The covers also reflect contemporary confusion regarding lesbianism. Consequently, they seek to uncover the lesbian in the sense of undressing her for kicks, but also to uncover her in the sense of illuminating her mystery. ‘ReCovering Lesbianism’ analyses the 1980s Naiad reprints and how they reflect a secondwave feminist ideology. Specifically, I argue that the covers centre on a feminist ambivalence towards the relationship between sex and power as it is articulated through butch-femme relationships. Finally, ‘Covering Lesbianism’ analyses the recent Cleis reprints.1 I focus on their status as postmodern camp, for they are presented as a playful cover tune of the originals. As part of a hip marketing scheme of self-conscious tackiness, Cleis promotes them as an amusing kind of literary
slumming, cashing in on the pulps’ tawdriness, even as they formally apologise for it in new introductions and prominently feature positive reviews from prestigious queer writers and publications on the back covers.
