Sexy Pulp Fiction Covers

In 1957, an American publishing house called Midwood Books launched with a specific goal in mind: to produce cheap, erotic paperback romances that would appeal to a male audience. Although the publisher of Midwood, Harry Shorten, wasn’t a literary expert, he did have an eye for the kind of book covers that would attract his target clientele. For his pulp fiction collection, Shorten hired illustrators like Brooklyn artist Paul Rader to create sensual covers that would pair perfectly with titles like Virgin’s Summer and Girls Dormitory. Rader’s lusty creations—featuring women with pin-up girl physiques and femme-fatale attitudes—provided an irresistible lure to get men (and, as it turns out, a sizable number of women) to purchase the low-brow lit. Here are some of Rader’s steamiest works of art.