The Scandalous Midwood Covers


Unknown Artist

Midwood Books was a publishing house that was active from 1957 to 1968.  With a roster of pseudonymous authors, Midwood published “adult” novels that were aimed towards men.  Today. their paperbacks are best known for their often racy covers and they are highly prized by collectors as a result.

Here is a small sampling of Midwood covers!

Unknown Artist

by Victor Olson

by Paul Rader

Artist Unknown

by Robert Maguire

by Paul Rader

by Rudy Nappi

by Paul Rader

by Bruce Minney

by Samson Pollen

by Robert Schulz

by John Dulillo

The Covers of Battle Cry


Published by Stanley Publications, Battle Cry ran from 1955 to 1971.  The magazine was advertised as being “for men” and each issue featured stories and features about war, dangerous women, and damsels in distress who were waiting for a good, strong man to come rescue them.  Battle Cry also featured some of the most violent covers around, usually emphasizing manly soldiers battling America’s enemies and saving women in danger though there was also a large number of covers that featured evil women (usually wearing a swastika armband) whipping bound men.

Below is a sampling of the covers of Battle Cry.  Most people would probably consider the covers that I picked to be mild by the standards of Battle Cry but I still think they give a good indication of what the magazine was all about.

February 1958. By Clarence Doore

June, 1958. By Clarence Doore

February, 1959. By Victor Prezio

April, 1959. By Victor Prezio

August, 1959. Artist Unknown (though it looks like another Victor Prezio cover to me)

May, 1960. Artist Unknown.

December, 1963. By Bruce Minney

December, 1965. By Victor Prezio

August, 1966. Artist Unknown

June, 1968. By Clarence Doore

Artist Profile: Bruce Minney (1928 — 2013)


Voyage to the Forgotten Ice World (by Bruce Minney)

Bruce Minney was known as the man who could paint anything.  Born in Oakland, California, he graduated from the California School of the Arts in 1946 and quickly made a name for himself as a professional illustrator. He did most of his work in the pulps, doing illustrations and painting covers for every genre imaginable, from science fiction to western to crime to the war stories that appeared in men’s magazines.  His illustrations were full of action, with manly men and voluptuous women in exciting and often dangerous situations.  He worked prolifically up until his retirement in the 90s, at which point he took up ceramics and sculpting.

Here are just a few of Bruce Minney’s many illustrations: