My favorite publisher is the now defunct, but far from forgotten Charlton Group. This outfit situated in the town of Derby, Connecticut was close enough to the the New York City talent pool to draw from it regularly, but not so close as to be absorbed into its colorless mass. Charlton productions have always had a distinctive quality, mostly owing to the fact that most if not all their product was produced in house, on presses the publishers themselves owned and operated. In fact the comics so much adored by some discriminating fans (like yours truly) were rumored to be mere fodder to keep the presses warm and running between more profitable magazine productions.
But Charlton was not limited to magazines. They also had a paperback brand, in fact they had two. Monarch Books is a handsome collection of paperbacks published in the heyday of that format which offered up an array of soft pornography for that always ready audience along with some choice books of a more specific nature such as adaptations of movies like Gorgo, Konga, Reptilicus, and Brides of Dracula. To get a solid look at the offerings of Monarch check out this beautiful gallery at Bookscans. And take a gander at this file overview for some juicy details about this little publisher.
The second Charlton paperback brand was the smaller Gold Star. Gold Star books offered up again the usual soft-porn fare as well as a most peculiar and unfortunately much objected to run of brand Tarzan adventures. To get a look at their offerings check out this link as well as this one. For more on the inner workings of this other paperback brand see this.
Paperbacks were once upon a time a source for most entertainment we now associate with the internet. Technology has replaced and sadly made obsolete these vintage classic and not-so-classic tomes. But most folks who might be inclined to visit here most certainly appreciate the old stuff. I know I do.
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The first cover looks like Rose McGowan.
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