Paperback 994: Rainbow In My Bed / Rex Rainey (Brandon House 1019)

Paperback 994: Brandon House 1019 (PBO, 1966)

Title: Rainbow in My Bed
Author: Rex Rainey
Cover artist: photo cover

Condition: 6.5/10
Estimated value: $25-30

[New addition to The Doug Peterson Collection]

Best things about this cover:

• Since "rainbow" didn't have the queer implications then that it does now ... I have no idea what this means. Maybe that's her name?
• Design is unique, but terrible. Terribly unique. It conveys nothing. The shattered fragmentation of it all runs counter to the bland tourism-poster pictures and the childish R A I N B O W
• There is a ski in that middle-bottom triangle. Which is weird, as I can see the sunny seaside in the other picture, and also she does not appear to be dressed for skiing.

Best things about this back cover:

• "Nobody came to ski" — ah, yes, well, that explains the cover
• "Nobody came to ski" is one of the greatest, if not The greatest, sleaze taglines of all time. I intend to use it, suggestively, every chance I get.
• The skier looks like an anthropomorphic boar. Descending from the sky. On bolts of lightning.

Page 123~

This time it gave and came all the way out with a loud plonk.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]

Paperback 528: Palm Beach Apartment / Gail Jordan (Pyramid 15)

Paperback 528: Pyramid 15 (1st ptg, 1949)

Title: Palm Beach Apartment
Author: Gail Jordan
Cover artist: George Geygan

Yours for: $14

Best things about this cover:

• "Let's see ... I just need to get a closer look, and ... yep, that's an Adam's apple. Dang."
• Larry's bra-removing technique was so awkward and laborious and Gayle fell asleep before he was done.
• I honestly can't conceive of the context that would justify this particular arrangement of bodies. He's not dipping her, or lifting her, and yet she appears somewhat suspended. It's *possible* he's laying her down on the ... ground? Beach? Maybe their "love nest" is an actual nest. "They lived and loved like plovers!" That would "set the whole town talking," I imagine.

Best things about this back cover:

• "His ward," ha ha. She's Robin to his Batman.
• "'Hands off' Hester" is kind of a great nickname.
• I love the way the quotation marks alert us to these new-fangled expressions like "hands off" and "nice people."
• OK, now I understand the front cover. That's just Sam awakening to Hester's ripe womanhood. He's sniffing her to confirm that she's ripe.

Page 123~

    Hendy said sharply, "You told him?"
    Hester's eyes were wide. "Of course" she answered as though she thought the question too silly to merit a response.

Hendy & Hester! Coming this fall to NBC ("We've got a few holes to fill in our lineup").

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]

PS CBS did a piece on me last weekend (about my crossword blog)—there's lots of shots of my home office, where The Paperbacks live ... see the piece here.