Gay Pulp Fiction Art

By today's standards, the titles of gay pulp fiction novels from the 1950s through 1970s are pretty hysterical: "The Boys Of Boise", for instance, or "Donnie and Clyde" or "All The Sad Young Men". (OK, maybe that last one isn't that hysterical.) The covers from hundreds of them are archived at the wondrously comprehensive Gay on the Range, which itself takes its name from one of the campier examples of the genre ("Back when men were men ... more or less!") and describes itself as an "homage to the hey-day of paperback sleaze, a world where lavender boys cruised horny corners and senators swished." The archive—and its lesbian companion site, Strange Sisters—captures a singular moment in gay history; as site curator Ryan Richardson explains, gay book covers were replaced by Tom of Finland-inspired drawings by the time the 70s rolled around. Farewell, camp—hello clones!-RM/JD

Gay on the Range (gayontherange.com, via Ratsoringo)