Naughty Pulp Fiction Art
The Sexiest of Paul Rader's Erotic Covers
Anyone with an eye for book covers knows how sexy the pulp fiction paperbacks from the 50s were. With risqué titles like Virgin’s Summer and The Little Black Book, these soft-core books with provocative pin-up girls on the cover were aimed directly at the horny male audience of that still-repressed, post-war era.
Like a keyhole glimpse inside the world of Mad Men and what they were reading at that time, these novels with the salacious illustrations originated as magazines in the 30s and 40s. Called “pulp” because of the cheap paper they were printed on, often the only valuable thing about the books were their gorgeous covers.
Lots of famous crime and sci-fi writers like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Jim Thompson, and Edgar Rice Burroughs banged out the racy, lo-brow stories, often, understandably, hiding behind pseudonyms. But traditional portrait painter Paul Rader had no problem with his name being associated with his sexy covers!
Rader started with provocative drawings for men’s magazines like SWANK and Bachelor, and was soon hired by Midwood publishing to create the eye-catching covers for their sexy books. Much like the famously naughty work of his idol, Alberto Vargas, Rader’s covers often depicted luscious women beckoning the potential readers with a raised eyebrow, the slip of a bra strap, and an exposed gam in fishnet stockings. Sold!
PROVOKR has gathered our favorite lush covers by the incomparable Paul Rader. Enjoy the show.
And here is the man himself. Not what you expected, is it? Rader looks more like a Williamsberg hipster than a prolific pulp fiction illustrator.
