
Lesbian Pulp Fiction
The Sexually Intrepid World of Lesbian Paperback Novels, 1950-1965
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Madison Vaughn
About this listen
Long before the rise of the modern gay movement, an unnoticed literary revolution was occurring between the covers of the cheaply produced lesbian pulp paperbacks of the post-World War II era.
In 1950, publisher Fawcett Books founded its Gold Medal imprint, inaugurating the reign of lesbian pulp fiction. These were the books that small-town lesbians and prurient men bought by the millions - cheap, easy to find in drugstores, and immediately recognizable by their lurid covers: often a hard-looking brunette standing over a scantily clad blonde, or a man gazing in tormented lust at a lovely, unobtainable lesbian. For women leading straight lives, here was confirmation that they were not alone and that darkly glamorous, "gay" places like Greenwich Village existed.
Some - especially those written by lesbians - offered sympathetic and realistic depictions of "life in the shadows", while others (no less fun to read now) were smutty, sensational tales of innocent girls led astray. In the overheated prose typical of the genre, this collection documents the emergence of a lesbian subculture in postwar America.
©2005 Cleis Press (P)2012 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Curious Wine
- By: Katherine V. Forrest
- Narrated by: Jill Smith
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The intimacy of a cabin at Lake Tahoe provides the combustible circumstances that bring Diana Holland and Lane Christianson together in this passionate novel of first discovery.
-
-
Finally a worthy release of this classic!
- By MissLynn on 06-10-22
-
Truth and Measure
- The Carlisle Series, Book 1
- By: Roslyn Sinclair
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jules Moretti is newly single, an aspiring writer, and the hyper-competent assistant to the most powerful woman in fashion. It's a tough job, but her ice queen boss won't settle for less than perfection. Vivian Carlisle helms the internationally revered fashion publication Du Jour. She might be smack in the middle of a messy divorce, but you have to make sacrifices to be the best. That's what she tells herself, anyway. When the unthinkable happens, Vivian's regimented world is turned upside-down. Her life is about power, success, and dominance—not a baby!
-
-
My oh my....
- By MissLynn on 01-13-23
By: Roslyn Sinclair
-
Mistakes Were Made
- A Novel
- By: Meryl Wilsner
- Narrated by: Quinn Riley, Stephanie Németh-Parker
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup—it just happens. Buying a drink for a stranger turns into what should be an uncomplicated, amazing one-night stand. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom—the hot, older woman Cassie slept with. What should have been a one-time fling quickly proves impossible to ignore, and soon Cassie and Erin are sneaking around. Worst of all, they start to realize they have something real. But is being honest about it worth the cost?
-
-
Power dynamic
- By Anonymous User on 01-26-23
By: Meryl Wilsner
-
Pirates of Aletharia
- By: Britney Jackson
- Narrated by: Lindsey Dorcus
- Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emilia Drakon was once the youngest and kindest of the dragon sorcerers, but she's now the last of her kind. Betrayed and angry, she trades her meekness for a sword and embarks on a quest for vengeance that will lead her straight into the arms of the legendary Captain Maria Welles. Captain of the famed pirate ship, the Wicked Fate, Maria is every bit as treacherous and bloodthirsty as they say. She has her own vendetta and practically jumps at the chance to trick Emilia into joining her crew.
-
-
Wahoo! What an adventure!
- By M La Monda on 02-21-23
By: Britney Jackson
-
Daring Duplicity
- Adventures of a Lesbian Victorian Detective (The Wellington Mysteries, Book 1)
- By: Edale Lane
- Narrated by: Jennifer Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Victorian Era England. Stetson revels in being unconventional. So when society shies away from her independent nature, the bold woman creates an imaginary boss and opens her own detective agency. And her keen observational skills, convincing disguises, and Holmesian methods quickly bring in a string of tough-to-crack cases. Struggling to squeeze a personal life in around a series of hazardous investigations, Stetson worries she'll never find a woman of like-passions. But with her heart set on true love despite the risk, she carries on hunting for the perfect relationship.
-
-
great story and fabulous narrating
- By Janice Best on 08-17-22
By: Edale Lane
-
Desert of the Heart
- A Novel
- By: Jane Rule
- Narrated by: Traci Odom
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Desert of the Heart opens, Evelyn Hall is on a plane that will take her from her old life in Oakland, California, to Reno, where she plans to divorce her husband of 16 years. A voluntary exile in a brave new world, she meets a woman who will change her life. Fifteen years younger, Ann Childs works as a change apron in a casino. Evelyn is instantly drawn to the fiercely independent Ann, and their friendship soon evolves into a romantic relationship. An English professor who had always led a conventional life, Evelyn suddenly finds all her beliefs about love, morality, and identity called into question.
-
-
It's very good!!
- By PM on 03-05-21
By: Jane Rule
-
Curious Wine
- By: Katherine V. Forrest
- Narrated by: Jill Smith
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The intimacy of a cabin at Lake Tahoe provides the combustible circumstances that bring Diana Holland and Lane Christianson together in this passionate novel of first discovery.
-
-
Finally a worthy release of this classic!
- By MissLynn on 06-10-22
-
Truth and Measure
- The Carlisle Series, Book 1
- By: Roslyn Sinclair
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jules Moretti is newly single, an aspiring writer, and the hyper-competent assistant to the most powerful woman in fashion. It's a tough job, but her ice queen boss won't settle for less than perfection. Vivian Carlisle helms the internationally revered fashion publication Du Jour. She might be smack in the middle of a messy divorce, but you have to make sacrifices to be the best. That's what she tells herself, anyway. When the unthinkable happens, Vivian's regimented world is turned upside-down. Her life is about power, success, and dominance—not a baby!
-
-
My oh my....
- By MissLynn on 01-13-23
By: Roslyn Sinclair
-
Mistakes Were Made
- A Novel
- By: Meryl Wilsner
- Narrated by: Quinn Riley, Stephanie Németh-Parker
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup—it just happens. Buying a drink for a stranger turns into what should be an uncomplicated, amazing one-night stand. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom—the hot, older woman Cassie slept with. What should have been a one-time fling quickly proves impossible to ignore, and soon Cassie and Erin are sneaking around. Worst of all, they start to realize they have something real. But is being honest about it worth the cost?
-
-
Power dynamic
- By Anonymous User on 01-26-23
By: Meryl Wilsner
-
Pirates of Aletharia
- By: Britney Jackson
- Narrated by: Lindsey Dorcus
- Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emilia Drakon was once the youngest and kindest of the dragon sorcerers, but she's now the last of her kind. Betrayed and angry, she trades her meekness for a sword and embarks on a quest for vengeance that will lead her straight into the arms of the legendary Captain Maria Welles. Captain of the famed pirate ship, the Wicked Fate, Maria is every bit as treacherous and bloodthirsty as they say. She has her own vendetta and practically jumps at the chance to trick Emilia into joining her crew.
-
-
Wahoo! What an adventure!
- By M La Monda on 02-21-23
By: Britney Jackson
-
Daring Duplicity
- Adventures of a Lesbian Victorian Detective (The Wellington Mysteries, Book 1)
- By: Edale Lane
- Narrated by: Jennifer Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Victorian Era England. Stetson revels in being unconventional. So when society shies away from her independent nature, the bold woman creates an imaginary boss and opens her own detective agency. And her keen observational skills, convincing disguises, and Holmesian methods quickly bring in a string of tough-to-crack cases. Struggling to squeeze a personal life in around a series of hazardous investigations, Stetson worries she'll never find a woman of like-passions. But with her heart set on true love despite the risk, she carries on hunting for the perfect relationship.
-
-
great story and fabulous narrating
- By Janice Best on 08-17-22
By: Edale Lane
-
Desert of the Heart
- A Novel
- By: Jane Rule
- Narrated by: Traci Odom
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Desert of the Heart opens, Evelyn Hall is on a plane that will take her from her old life in Oakland, California, to Reno, where she plans to divorce her husband of 16 years. A voluntary exile in a brave new world, she meets a woman who will change her life. Fifteen years younger, Ann Childs works as a change apron in a casino. Evelyn is instantly drawn to the fiercely independent Ann, and their friendship soon evolves into a romantic relationship. An English professor who had always led a conventional life, Evelyn suddenly finds all her beliefs about love, morality, and identity called into question.
-
-
It's very good!!
- By PM on 03-05-21
By: Jane Rule
-
Pageboy
- A Memoir
- By: Elliot Page
- Narrated by: Elliot Page
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Can I kiss you?” It was two months before the world premiere of Juno, and Elliot Page was in his first ever queer bar. The hot summer air hung heavy around him as he looked at her. And then it happened. In front of everyone. A previously unfathomable experience. Here he was on the precipice of discovering himself as a queer person, as a trans person. Getting closer to his desires, his dreams, himself, without the repression he’d carried for so long. But for Elliot, two steps forward had always come with one step back.
-
-
Ah, I wish this were better. I'm disappointed.
- By Jackson Theofore Keys on 06-07-23
By: Elliot Page
-
Read Between the Lines
- A Novel (Ms. Right, Book 1)
- By: Rachel Lacey
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Books are Rosie Taft’s life. And ever since she took over her mother’s beloved Manhattan bookstore, they’ve become her home too. The only thing missing is her own real-life romance like the ones she loves to read about, and Rosie has an idea of who she might like to sweep her off her feet. She’s struck up a flirty online friendship with lesbian romance author Brie, and what could be more romantic than falling in love with her favorite author?
-
-
Decent story, sub-par Narration
- By LovelyD on 01-16-22
By: Rachel Lacey
-
The Myth of Sisyphus
- By: Albert Camus
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most influential works of this century, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays is a crucial exposition of existentialist thought. Influenced by works such as Don Juan and the novels of Kafka, these essays begin with a meditation on suicide; the question of living or not living in a universe devoid of order or meaning.
-
-
Brilliant work, excellently narrated
- By Richard B. on 04-30-19
By: Albert Camus
-
In the Shadow of the Past
- Shadow Series, Book 1
- By: J.E. Leak
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the shadowy world of 1940s New York City, a sultry spy falls for the one woman she shouldn't. When reporter Jenny Ryan’s father is murdered, her burning need for justice drives her to take on a ruthless tycoon. But her plan goes awry when she falls for the criminal’s alluring mistress, OSS agent Kathryn Hammond. Kathryn is more than just a popular nightclub singer with a glamorous façade. She’s an undercover spy, trapped stateside in a dead-end assignment while the war rages on in Europe.
-
-
Hurry with part 2 & 3!!!
- By AmandaB on 05-09-22
By: J.E. Leak
-
The Paying Guests
- By: Sarah Waters
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 21 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned; the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa, a large silent house now bereft of brothers, husband, and even servants, life is about to be transformed, as impoverished widow Mrs. Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers.
-
-
Difference of Opinion
- By Mel on 12-17-14
By: Sarah Waters
-
The Fiancee Farce
- A Novel
- By: Alexandria Bellefleur
- Narrated by: Lauren Sweet
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tansy Adams’ greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance… Tansy can’t get past the first chapter. Tired of her stepfamily’s questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book. They’ll never actually meet, so what’s the harm in a little fib? Yet when real-life Gemma crosses Tansy’s path, her white lie nearly implodes.
-
-
Fun and angsty romance
- By Jamie on 04-22-23
-
The Headmistress
- By: Milena McKay
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A chance encounter. An unforgettable night. And back home, trouble is brewing on the remote island of Three Dragons, where nothing feels like it used to. Alone and lonely, Sam Threadneedle wishes upon a star, hoping for change. But when said change comes, it's with a roar and not a whimper.
-
-
Perfection
- By Jude on 02-24-22
By: Milena McKay
-
When Sparks Fly
- An Absolutely Addictive Lesbian Romance Novel
- By: Kristen Zimmer
- Narrated by: Lynn Norris
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Britton Walsh has never had a home. After a lifetime in the care system, she doesn't expect she’ll ever find one. But beginning her senior year with new foster parents, in a new city, means starting over - yet again. Tom and Cate Cahill seem okay. The hitch? Their daughter, Avery. Beautiful, popular, and cool, Avery is everything Britton is not. She’s all Britton could ever ask for in a sister, or even a friend - but having survived without either for so long, Britton knows the way her heart races whenever Avery enters the room can only mean one thing.
-
-
Too young for my taste.
- By Anonymous User on 05-26-21
By: Kristen Zimmer
-
Another Country
- By: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in Greenwich Village, Harlem, and France, Another Country tells the story of the suicide of jazz-musician Rufus Scott and the friends who search for an understanding of his life and death, discovering uncomfortable truths about themselves along the way. Another Country is a work that is as powerful today as it was 40 years ago - and expertly narrated by Dion Graham.
-
-
Powerful and sad
- By Kenneth on 04-10-09
By: James Baldwin
-
Public Secrets
- By: Nora Roberts
- Narrated by: Renee Raudman
- Length: 20 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emma McAvoy may have grown up in the limelight, but some secrets are hidden in a darkness no light can reach. Now on the verge of a successful career, and having fallen in love with the man of her dreams, Emma is looking to the future. Yet it’s the past that is about to catch up with her. For Emma, her childhood had been almost like a rags-to-riches fairy tale - until the tragic night that changed her family forever. But what Emma thinks she knows about that terrible night and the man she’s about to marry is only half the truth.
-
-
Long, Dark, Depressing, Boring & Disappointing
- By Anonymous User on 08-14-14
By: Nora Roberts
-
Bridge to Haven
- By: Francine Rivers
- Narrated by: Kate Forbes
- Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To those who matter in 1950s Hollywood, Lena Scott is the hottest rising star to hit the silver screen since Marilyn Monroe. Few know her real name is Abra. Even fewer know the price she' s paid to finally feel like she' s somebody. To Pastor Ezekiel Freeman, Abra will always be the little girl who stole his heart the night he found her, a wailing newborn abandoned under a bridge on the outskirts of Haven.
-
-
Francine Rivers is the best for a reason.
- By Candace on 05-06-14
By: Francine Rivers
-
Revolutionary Road
- By: Richard Yates
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps Frank and April Wheeler married too young and started a family too early. Maybe Frank's job is dull. And April never saw herself as a housewife. Yet they have always lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. But now that certainty is about to unravel. With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, Richard Yates shows how Frank and April mortgage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other, but their best selves.
-
-
Movie vs Book
- By Sara on 01-29-14
By: Richard Yates
What listeners say about Lesbian Pulp Fiction
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- michael dean
- 04-08-14
real life real love
What made the experience of listening to Lesbian Pulp Fiction the most enjoyable?
real love and life
Who was your favorite character and why?
bebo b. she is like me
Which scene was your favorite?
she took a waman home and made love to her
If you could take any character from Lesbian Pulp Fiction out to dinner, who would it be and why?
bebo
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- emett holloway barfield III
- 11-30-18
Not What I Thought
I'm a pulp fiction addict and thought this was a collection of lurid stories. Actually, it is just the opposite. These stories were a veiled cry for acceptance and a lifeline to an ostracized part of society. The introduction by editor Katherine Forrest is worth the price of the collection. The novels and excerpts are beautifully written and take you into a world these writers were forced into, a world that shouldn't have existed but sadly did. These authors (already second class citizens in the 50s & 60s) were feminist pioneers and their work is to be respected as manifestos as much as enjoyed as literature.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kathleen
- 09-29-12
Lesbian short stories from the 1950's.
The Publisher’s note explains this title as well as I can.
Long before the rise of the modern gay movement, an unnoticed literary revolution was occurring between the covers of the cheaply produced lesbian pulp
paperbacks of the post-World War II era. In 1950, publisher Fawcett Books founded its Gold Medal imprint, inaugurating the reign of lesbian pulp fiction.
These were the books that small-town lesbians and prurient men bought by the millions - cheap, easy to find in drugstores, and immediately recognizable
by their lurid covers: often a hard-looking brunette standing over a scantily clad blonde, or a man gazing in tormented lust at a lovely, unobtainable
lesbian. For women leading straight lives, here was confirmation that they were not alone and that darkly glamorous, "gay" places like Greenwich Village
existed. Some - especially those written by lesbians - offered sympathetic and realistic depictions of "life in the shadows", while others (no less fun
to read now) were smutty, sensational tales of innocent girls led astray. In the overheated prose typical of the genre, this collection documents the emergence
of a lesbian subculture in postwar America.
These stories had one drawback. They were excerpts from full novels, so they never felt as if you got the whole story. But each one clearly described an earth-shaking event in the life of a particular woman. Ann Bannon’s introduction is very thorough and gives us a history of that period.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mirna
- 03-06-18
wonderful interpretation
I loved all the different voices the narrator did for the characters. wonderful book I definitely recommend it, it gave me a clear idea of how lesbians related in the 50s.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful