Saturday, December 19, 2020

MAPS OF THE UNKNOWN: The Socorro Landing





Witness Lonnie Zamora provided these illustrations of his experience at the infamous Socorro sighting of 1964.

From Project Blue Book, edited by Brad Steiger. Courtesy Ballantine Books, 1976.

COSMIC DEBRIS: Zolar's Tarot Fortune Telling Cards

From Zolar ... of course! An in-depth overview of this strange bit of arcana is available at the Aeclectic Tarot forum by user Laura Borealis. Some pictures from an online listing:



Curious about Zolar himself? A little detective work yields the man behind the name:

From Fate, Volume 26 - Number 11, November 1973.

THE SENSUAL MALE by Paul Warren
















Warren Smith dips his toe into more pure smut with this pseudo-educational guide to unlocking THE SENSUAL MALE! Smith winds himself up into some furious purple prose right from the start with a fevered foreword that cites the American constitution as an inspiration to all skirt chasers. Frankly a lot of what follows is perfectly sensible advice, even if it's couched in outdated language. There's still plenty more howlers to be had though, such as Smith's attempt at a hepcat health teacher who delivers a too-cool-for-school rap on the female anatomy - a vulva's not some kind of foreign car, dig it? There's also some self-help/dating gimmicks that are better left on the page.

In keeping with our target demographic the back page listings include a full page ad for the testosterone laden institution that is the long running Executioner series, and listings for some knockoff Men's Adventure naff like Blood Patrol.

Pinnacle Books, 1971

Friday, December 18, 2020

MAPS OF THE UNKNOWN: Blue Book's UFO Grid

 

Yet another enigma to decipher!

From Project Blue Book, edited by Brad Steiger. Courtesy Ballantine Books, 1976.

COSMIC DEBRIS: Air Force UFO Rubric










One piece of how the Air Force sausage was made. From Are the Invaders Coming? by Steven Tyler. Courtesy Tower Books, 1968.

MARTINIS, MANHATTANS OR ME? by Barbara O'Brien















Cheap smut courtesy none other than the irrepressible WARREN SMITH! Writing as the slutty, sultry bartender Barbara O'Brien, Smith adds another notch to the bedpost that is his wide and varied career. Some laugh out loud passages that really pop off the page in this cash-in on the career confessional Coffee, Tea or Me? (written again by a man using a female pseudonym).


Above, another vintage Coffee Tea or Me? cash-in from Leisure Books, 1973. Charlene Keel, at least, didn't use a pseudonym, though I'm not 100% sure if she was ever actually a stew.

Another review of Smith's title can be found at Pop Sensation.

Zebra Books, 1974