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The Gay Detective, Lou Rand
by LGBTQ, The Gay Detective
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Woodland Hills, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
[LGBTQ] The Gay Detective, Lou Rand. Saber Books: 1961. First edition. 161 pages. 4.25" x 7" in. Cover art shows two men in suits helping a blonde woman covered only in a blanket down a flight of stairs, the woman holding her head while the two men look at each other in alarm. Considered by many to be the beginning of the gay detective genre, this pulp classic, later renamed Rough Trade, was one of the first gap pulp novels of the sixties. Gay Detective follows Francis Morley solve a series of murders with his ex-football champion sidekick Tiger Olsen. While there are no gay love scenes in the book, its homoerotic camp is well-developed. As an early gay character, Morley is notably unbothered by his sexuality. Far from struggling with his identity, Morley is comfortable and confident, focused on the case at hand. The last 6 pages of the book include text from 1959 Supreme Court ruling regarding obscenity laws and booksellers. "It bears repetition that the determination of obscenity is for juror or judge not on the basis of his personal upbringing or restricted reflection or particular experience of life, but on the basis of 'contemporary community standards.' Can it be doubted that there is a great difference in what is to be deemed obscene in 1959 compared with what was deemed obscene in 1859?" The Supreme Court first addressed obscenity in 1957, grappling with how to set standards or create criteria by which obscenity could be defined. Multiple proposals were made through the 1960s for methods of cracking down on obscenity including gay texts like this one which were becoming more prolific, alarming conservative mainstream culture. Congress established the Commission on Obscenity and Pornography in 1967 in response to pressure. Lou Rand was the pseudonym of Lou Hogan, a Gourmet Magazine columnist famous for publishing The Gay Cookbook and a prolific pulp novelist. Back cover shows yellow Saber Book insignia with bible verse in hot pink text box below that reads, "Romans 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean." Light shelfwear to both covers. Very minor rip to top edge of back cover. Textblock clean and tight. Very good condition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Max Rambod Inc.
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 18087
- Title
- The Gay Detective, Lou Rand
- Author
- LGBTQ, The Gay Detective
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
Terms of Sale
Max Rambod Inc.
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Max Rambod Inc.
Biblio member since 2020
Woodland Hills, California
About Max Rambod Inc.
Max Rambod Inc offers thousands of rare books, historical documents, letters, manuscripts, printed ephemera, and first editions in a variety of fields. These include Americana, Women's History, Military History, Science & Technology, Philosophy, African Americana, Literature, Art, and more.
For over 30 years, we have served a clientele of collectors, private institutions, universities, and public libraries in acquisition and collection development. We are members of ILAB, ABAA, and PADA, and have furnished collections around the world with rare and unique material; from the personal letters of literary greats to first edition Journals of Congress to unique pamphlets from the civil rights era. We strive to find archives and original early printed material that can fill gaps in existing institutional holdings; the kind of material that can bring new perspectives to the traditionally disregarded voices of indigiouneous peoples, women, and African-Americans.
We pride ourselves on the ability to track down the rarest and most interesting material for our client's collections. The partnerships we form with libraries, institutions, and personal collectors begin with a phone call or an email and last for decades. We offer an unconditional guarantee for each item's authenticity and completeness.
For over 30 years, we have served a clientele of collectors, private institutions, universities, and public libraries in acquisition and collection development. We are members of ILAB, ABAA, and PADA, and have furnished collections around the world with rare and unique material; from the personal letters of literary greats to first edition Journals of Congress to unique pamphlets from the civil rights era. We strive to find archives and original early printed material that can fill gaps in existing institutional holdings; the kind of material that can bring new perspectives to the traditionally disregarded voices of indigiouneous peoples, women, and African-Americans.
We pride ourselves on the ability to track down the rarest and most interesting material for our client's collections. The partnerships we form with libraries, institutions, and personal collectors begin with a phone call or an email and last for decades. We offer an unconditional guarantee for each item's authenticity and completeness.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Shelfwear
- Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from a bookshelf, especially along the bottom edge.
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
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