Seduction of the Innocent, Love & Death, Parade of Pleasure and more!

[SOTIcollector]

Reader's Digest, May, 1954. Contains the article, "Comic Books- Blueprints for Delinquency" by Wertham, condensed from Seduction of the Innocent. This was huge national exposure for SOTI, and was read by about a gazillion parents. $10 SOLD

[SOTIcollector]

Reader's Digest, June, 1954. Contains the article, "For the Kiddies to Read" by T.E. Murphy. Murphy is the reporter who wrote a series of front-page articles in the Hartford Courant, which helped put Hartford in the forefront of the push to ban comic books. Obviously Reader's Digest thought a lot of him and the topic: it's the second article in the magazine. $8 SOLD

[Darth Corgi]

Reader's Digest, May, 1954. Contains the article, "Comic Books- Blueprints for Delinquency" by Wertham, condensed from Seduction of the Innocent. This was huge national exposure for SOTI, and was read by about a gazillion parents. $10

 

 

Don't think I could stomach the whole SOTI book so I'll just take the cliff notes.

[SOTIcollector]

And if you thought SOTI was a tough book to find... just try finding a copy of Parade of Pleasure. Also published in 1954, it was the British equivalent of SOTI. Last I knew, Overstreet's info on the book wasn't completely accurate. There were two printings in the 50's: one in the UK and one in the US, and each with a different publisher. This is the UK printing published by Derek Verschoyle. Both of these printings are exceedingly tough to find (I rarely like to use the word "rare" because it's so overused in this hobby and because I've seen things like McFarlane's Spider-man #1 described as "rare".) If you've been looking for this book, then you already know how tough it is to find any copy in any condition. You can buy a copy of SOTI any day of the week if your pockets are deep enough, but original copies of POP just don't show up for sale.

 

There was a softcover reprint of this book a year or two ago from Pure Imagination. However, that reprint didn't include any of the original illustrations from this book. The only way to read what was said about these comic illustrations is to buy an original.

 

Side note: the chapter on pinup magazines includes a Marilyn Monroe photo and a story of Irving Klaw and Bettie Page.

 

This copy is in solid condition, and it actualy has the dust jacket. You can see in the photos that the dust jacket has some condition problems. A previous owner decided to stop the paper loss at the spine and edges by adding extensive transparent tape to the dust jacket. So the dust jacket isn't the best, but the jacket alone is SOOOO tough to find in any condition. I tried to take enough photos that you get a good idea of the condition of both the book and the DJ. If you have questions or would like more photos, just let me know. Yours for $450 SOLD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SOTIcollector]

Reader's Digest, May, 1954. Contains the article, "Comic Books- Blueprints for Delinquency" by Wertham, condensed from Seduction of the Innocent. This was huge national exposure for SOTI, and was read by about a gazillion parents. $10

 

 

Don't think I could stomach the whole SOTI book so I'll just take the cliff notes.

 

[SOTIcollector]

That's all this afternoon. More as time permits.

[cpannell]

And now some of the Reader's Digests at the time, which helped fuel the Anti-comics hysteria.

 

Reader's Digest November, 1948. This includes condensed version of Wertham's article "The Comics, Very Funny" that was published in the Saturday Review of Literature. $15

 

 

I notice that this issue also includes articles entitled

 

* Industrial Super-Marvels behind the Atom Bomb

* What We Ought to Know about Canada

and

* What's Wrong with the German People

 

(I can feel the paranoia. It's a good thing journalism isn't what it used to be. Oh. Wait.)

 

 

[goldust40]

And now some of the Reader's Digests at the time, which helped fuel the Anti-comics hysteria.

 

Reader's Digest November, 1948. This includes condensed version of Wertham's article "The Comics, Very Funny" that was published in the Saturday Review of Literature. $15

 

 

[goldust40]

Reader's Digest, June, 1954. Contains the article, "For the Kiddies to Read" by T.E. Murphy. Murphy is the reporter who wrote a series of front-page articles in the Hartford Courant, which helped put Hartford in the forefront of the push to ban comic books. Obviously Reader's Digest thought a lot of him and the topic: it's the second article in the magazine. $8

[goldust40]

Next up: Love and Death by Gershon Legman.

 

Legman participated in Wertham's 1948's symposium "The Psychopathology of Comics" with Wertham. In 1949, Legman came out with this book, a full five years before SOTI was published. The chapter "Not for Children" is devoted to how lurid the comic books of the day are. You've seen the comics listed in Overstreet as "Used in Love & Death". Now you can read what was said about these horrid comics.

 

This is a 1949 printing, not the later 1963 printing. You'll see that a recent copy of this printing sold on ebay for $78. This one can be yours for just $65.

 

You may also notice that there's an alleged first print on eBay offered by MyComicShop.com for $171. Be aware the item pictured is actually the 1963 reprint, not the 1949 printing. I have e-mailed the seller twice to inform them of the error, and both e-mails have been ignored.

 

 

[SOTIcollector]

And now some of the Reader's Digests at the time, which helped fuel the Anti-comics hysteria.

 

Reader's Digest November, 1948. This includes condensed version of Wertham's article "The Comics, Very Funny" that was published in the Saturday Review of Literature. $15

 

 

 

[SOTIcollector]

Reader's Digest, June, 1954. Contains the article, "For the Kiddies to Read" by T.E. Murphy. Murphy is the reporter who wrote a series of front-page articles in the Hartford Courant, which helped put Hartford in the forefront of the push to ban comic books. Obviously Reader's Digest thought a lot of him and the topic: it's the second article in the magazine. $8

 

 

 

[SOTIcollector]

Next up: Love and Death by Gershon Legman.

 

Legman participated in Wertham's 1948's symposium "The Psychopathology of Comics" with Wertham. In 1949, Legman came out with this book, a full five years before SOTI was published. The chapter "Not for Children" is devoted to how lurid the comic books of the day are. You've seen the comics listed in Overstreet as "Used in Love & Death". Now you can read what was said about these horrid comics.

 

This is a 1949 printing, not the later 1963 printing. You'll see that a recent copy of this printing sold on ebay for $78. This one can be yours for just $65.

 

You may also notice that there's an alleged first print on eBay offered by MyComicShop.com for $171. Be aware the item pictured is actually the 1963 reprint, not the 1949 printing. I have e-mailed the seller twice to inform them of the error, and both e-mails have been ignored.

 

 

 

Thanks for the pickups!

[Weird Paper]

I'll vouch for POP being a tough book. If I hadn't been lucky enough to find one randomly at a bookstore in the middle of nowhere, Texas, a few years ago, I'd be all over this one.

[TheGeneral]

Cool books! I've wanted to read SOTI for a while now, are there any reprints of SOTI or Parade of Pleasure available out there for less than $30?

[SOTIcollector]

Cool books! I've wanted to read SOTI for a while now, are there any reprints of SOTI or Parade of Pleasure available out there for less than $30?

 

There is a modern reprint of SOTI that shows up on Amazon regularly. It claims to be a "limited edition" of 220 copies, but it appears that they go back to press every time they sell out. I'd say that's not so "limited" after all. Last I knew, it was $39.95 or so. Other than that occasional "I hit the jackpot and found one in a used bookstore for a buck" case, the Amazon route is the cheapest way I know of to get a copy.

 

As for POP, the Pure Imagination reprint had a cover price of $25. I have one or two copies kicking around that I'll post here when I get a chance.

[mycomicshop]

You may also notice that there's an alleged first print on eBay offered by MyComicShop.com for $171. Be aware the item pictured is actually the 1963 reprint, not the 1949 printing. I have e-mailed the seller twice to inform them of the error, and both e-mails have been ignored.

 

Hi--just saw your post here. We'll have our info for that item corrected soon and will add an entry to our database to distinguish between the 1949 and 1963 printings. Thanks!

 

I also apologize that we didn't reply to your emails providing your helpful correction to our listing. Please feel free to PM me here if you have any suggested database corrections in the future.

 

Thanks,

Conan

[SOTIcollector]

You may also notice that there's an alleged first print on eBay offered by MyComicShop.com for $171. Be aware the item pictured is actually the 1963 reprint, not the 1949 printing. I have e-mailed the seller twice to inform them of the error, and both e-mails have been ignored.

 

Hi--just saw your post here. We'll have our info for that item corrected soon and will add an entry to our database to distinguish between the 1949 and 1963 printings. Thanks!

 

I also apologize that we didn't reply to your emails providing your helpful correction to our listing. Please feel free to PM me here if you have any suggested database corrections in the future.

 

Thanks,

Conan

 

Thanks, Conan.

 

For the record, I've ordered from you a number of times in the past and have always been really happy with the service and the items I've bought. That's why I was willing to take the time & point out an error that I figured you'd want to know about. I'm not sure what went wrong that my messages sent via eBay regarding Love & Death seem to have fallen on deaf ears, but I do appreciate that it's being addressed now. Thanks.

[FlyingDonut]

And if you thought SOTI was a tough book to find... just try finding a copy of Parade of Pleasure. Also published in 1954, it was the British equivalent of SOTI. Last I knew, Overstreet's info on the book wasn't completely accurate. There were two printings in the 50's: one in the UK and one in the US, and each with a different publisher. This is the UK printing published by Derek Verschoyle. Both of these printings are exceedingly tough to find (I rarely like to use the word "rare" because it's so overused in this hobby and because I've seen things like McFarlane's Spider-man #1 described as "rare".) If you've been looking for this book, then you already know how tough it is to find any copy in any condition. You can buy a copy of SOTI any day of the week if your pockets are deep enough, but original copies of POP just don't show up for sale.

 

There was a softcover reprint of this book a year or two ago from Pure Imagination. However, that reprint didn't include any of the original illustrations from this book. The only way to read what was said about these comic illustrations is to buy an original.

 

Side note: the chapter on pinup magazines includes a Marilyn Monroe photo and a story of Irving Klaw and Bettie Page.

 

This copy is in solid condition, and it actualy has the dust jacket. You can see in the photos that the dust jacket has some condition problems. A previous owner decided to stop the paper loss at the spine and edges by adding extensive transparent tape to the dust jacket. So the dust jacket isn't the best, but the jacket alone is SOOOO tough to find in any condition. I tried to take enough photos that you get a good idea of the condition of both the book and the DJ. If you have questions or would like more photos, just let me know. Yours for $450

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why is this still here?

[Point Five]