LGBTQ+ Literature Lesbian Pulp Fiction 1959 to 1970 Including Edge of Twilight by Paula Christian and Ann Aldrich Collection

Paula Christian Ann Aldrich

Collection

Christian, Paula. Edge of Twilight. Aldrich, Ann. Carol in a Thousand Cities. Flora, Fletcher. Take Me Home. Roberts, Herb. Strange Wife. Hilton, Hilary. The Shadowy Sex. These mid-twentieth century paperback works document the circulation of lesbian identity, relationships, and social networks within a commercial publishing environment shaped by censorship, moral regulation, and widespread pathologization of homosexuality. Issued between 1959 and 1970, these texts provide primary evidence of how same-sex desire and queer life were narrated across both fiction and hybrid literary forms. Paula Christian’s Edge of Twilight, identified in Barbara Grier’s evaluative framework with the highest tier designation, presents sustained lesbian characters and a narrative that avoids the punitive conclusions common in the genre, while Ann Aldrich’s Carol in a Thousand Cities expands beyond pulp fiction into a collection format incorporating both fictional and nonfictional treatments of lesbian life, engaging broader intellectual and cultural discourse. Additional works in the group explore romantic relationships between women, marital conflict, and the negotiation of identity within heterosexual frameworks, reflecting the limited but significant space lesbian narratives occupied in mid-century print culture.

Christian, Paula (pen name of Yvonne MacManus). Edge of Twilight. New York: Crest Books, 1959. First edition. Mass-market paperback.
Flora, Fletcher. Take Me Home. Connecticut: Monarch Books, 1959. First edition. Mass-market paperback.
Aldrich, Ann (pen name of Marijane Meaker). Carol in a Thousand Cities. Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publications, 1960. First edition. Mass-market paperback.
Roberts, Herb (pen name of Robert Carney). Strange Wife. New York: Softcover Library, 1970. First edition. Mass-market paperback.
Hilton, Hilary (pen name of Keith Ayling). The Shadowy Sex. New York: Softcover Library, 1970. First edition. Mass-market paperback.
Group of five paperback volumes spanning 1959 to 1970, each measuring approximately 4.25 x 7 inches and generally ranging between 150 and 250 pages. Illustrated covers follow mid-century pulp conventions, depicting women in intimate or emotionally charged poses alongside promotional language such as “One of the most candid and challenging novels ever written about today’s women who dare to live in that outcast world of ‘twilight’ love” (Edge of Twilight) and “What would you do if you were married to a lesbian?” (Strange Wife). Narrative content includes romantic relationships between women, explorations of identity within and outside heterosexual marriage, and depictions of emotional and social conflict. Take Me Home centers on a relationship between two women framed as socially forbidden, while The Shadowy Sex situates its narrative within professional and urban environments, tracing the development of same-sex relationships within broader social constraints. Carol in a Thousand Cities differs in form, combining multiple perspectives and literary approaches to lesbian life.

These works circulated within a rapidly expanding paperback market that enabled the wide distribution of controversial subject matter, even as publishers relied on sensationalized cover art and language to navigate obscenity regulations and attract readership. Lesbian pulp fiction provided one of the few accessible venues for representation of same-sex relationships prior to the emergence of organized gay and lesbian liberation movements, and works such as Edge of Twilight demonstrate early efforts to present lesbian identity outside of purely tragic or moralizing frameworks. The inclusion of both women-authored texts and pseudonymous works reflects the complex authorship landscape of the genre, where identity, marketability, and censorship intersected. Light wear including minor edge handling and a price marking to the front page of Strange Wife; otherwise clean interiors and tight bindings; overall good to very good condition. The grouping supports research into sexuality, censorship, and mid-century mass-market publishing.

Item #21039

Price: $750.00