Old Spanking Paperback Book

Today I suddenly remembered an item I saw some 45-50 years ago. I was visiting my uncle's home, and went through my cousin's stash of paperback books. There was one which (as best I remember) has the title, "Cult of the Spankers." I didn't read the book then, but do remember looking at the cover for a long time. While I can't recall the exact cover image, I believe it was a painting of a woman in her underwear holding a paddle. Possibly there was more than one scantily clad woman on the cover. I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but I saw this a long time ago. I just wondered if anyone else remembers such a book or something similar to what I described. My cousin died of a heart attack back in 2007, so I can't ask him.

This book, with 71 others, was at the heart of a famed "freedom of speech" trial held in New York in 1966.

The publisher Edward Mishkin was convicted of hiring others to prepare obscene books, publishing obscene books, and possessing obscene books with intent to sell them. He appealed to the New York Supreme Court but the sentence of 3 year's imprisonment was upheld on a 2 -1 vote.

A transcript of the decision is given at 383 U.S. 502

It was not alleged the Cult of the Spankers itself was sadistic and obscene, but simply that it was one of the 72 books that Mishkin had published.

guyde, thanks for the 411. Sounds like that book is long out of print, and would probably be hard to find. Do you know the name of the author? That might be helpful in finding a copy of the book.

Mishkin sub-contracted the authoring of his works to anonymous writers - some of who testified at his first trial. Their names seem to have been lost in the mists of time: but in any case did not appear on the books themselves.

Incidentally, I first came across this case when looking into California's own obscenity laws: we can still get hit for $1,000 fine plus one year in jail if convicted under the current law. By all accounts, adult spankings of all variations are quite legal.

I remember two of them I bought at small convenience stores over 40 years ago. One was Ass Whipping Women and Their Young Boy Lovers and Spanking Stewardesses. Does anyone remember (not spanking related) the little Tijuana Bibles with the famous cartoon characters?

Something of that name was sold on ebay a while back:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cult-of-the-Spankers-by-Ken-Paton-Controversial-Spanking-Stor y-Illustrated-/220960610682

So the pseudonym used was Ken Paton. I never knew that. (And the cover illustration shown on e-bay is quite remarkable, in its way.)

I wonder if I could change my author name from guyde to Ken Paton? That would be excessively cool, don't you think?

Februs, thanks for the link. This is not the cover I remember. Although I can't remember the exact image, I'm pretty sure that the edition I saw had a painted cover. I note the link you gave is for a British edition. It would not be unusual for the American edition to have a different cover.

By no means! I wouldn't know who you are then!