image above: Spring Fire by Vin Packer from Strange Sisters; cover image: I Prefer Girls by Jessie Dumont from Strange Sisters
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BY: PROVOKR Editors
Author Jaye Zimet presents a collection of over 200 covers of absolutely deliciously wicked lesbian novels in her book Strange Sisters. The book, with a forward by revered lesbian pulp fiction writer Ann Bannon, Strange Sisters – The Art of Lesbian Pulp Fiction 1949-1969was published in 1999 by Jaye Zimet. Jaye Zimet was an art director, book designer and avid collector of vintage lesbiana and midcentury modern. She also designed the book cover of Strange Sisters.
Jaye Zimet had a very visible sense of fun and mischief in sorting the book into themes and pulling out truly entertaining quotes from the novels. One of her favorite quotes pulled from the novel Queer Affair by Carol Emory she featured on the back cover, “…she recognized her danger. She was on the brink of total perversion.” Pretty wild. Some of her themes or chapters in the book are Women Alone, which are love and sex dramas set in prison or reform schools, Positive Portraits which include Ann Bannon’s books, Strange Sisters which Jaye used a dictionary to define strange as queer, peculiar, outlandish or odd behavior and the chapter is exactly that as some publisher fantasized what lesbian sex was, Dangerous Desires is linking lesbianism to everything dark and evil – nymphomania, predatory behavior, sadism, masochism, bondage and disciplne, satanism and witchcraft and even murder. Publishers sure were looking to sell lots of books and we are sure they did. A strong look at the artist’s contribution is the chapter entitled Longing Looks where Jaye Zimet focuses on the gaze of physical attraction between women as executed by the artists in their rendering of women’s eyes which indeed captured a wide range of sexual tension and emotions. We can feel the heat of lust, ecstasy, flirtation and innocence lost.
The book is an erotic treasure and important piece in the history of lesbian art and writing. Jaye Zimet died suddenly at the age of 43 in 2004. Her partner Stefanie Schwartz was evidently dragged along to countless flea markets and book fairs in Jaye’s relentless quest to find this incredible and rare collection of Lesbian art from pulp fiction covers. The book is dedicated to Stefanie. Thanks Jaye, we are going to return to your book to spend some time with the Sleaze chapter that you described as,” over- the -top covers and outrageous plot lines, written in the most sensationalistic and exploitive prose.” Sounds like fun. Enjoy the examples of covers we chose from Jaye Zimet’s book Strange Sisters.
I Prefer Girls by Jessie Dumont from Strange SistersHouse of Fury by Felice Swados from Strange SistersThe One Between by Arthur Adlon from Strange SistersBeebo Brinker by Ann Bannon from Strange SistersWarped Women by Janet Pritchard from Strange SistersThe Price of Salt by Claire Morgan from Strange SistersIntimate by Martha Marsden from Strange SistersBorn Innocent by Creighton Brown BurnhamThe Strange Path by Gale Wilhelm from Strange SistersPrison Girl by Wenzell Brown
