Strange Path by Gale Wilhelm (6 results)
More imagesPublished by berkley
- Softcover
Seller: Happy Heroes, Monroe, NJ, U.S.A.Happy Heroes
Contact seller4-star sellerCondition: Used - Near fine
£ 19.46
£ 6.05 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
softcover. Condition: Near Fine. G-111.
Published by Lion Book, New York 1953
- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: Village Booksmith, Hudson Falls, NY, U.S.A.Village Booksmith
Contact seller5-star sellerMass Market Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. First Paperback Edition. 128 pages. Original title: Torchlight to Valhalla. Pages toned. Size: 4 x 6.5 Inches.
Published by Berkley Books N.D.
- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: Boards & Wraps, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.Boards & Wraps
Contact seller4-star sellerSoftcover. Condition: Good. No Dust Jacket. First Edition Thus. Originally published as Torchlight to Valhalla. "This is the startling and compelling story of a beautiful girl who spurned the opportunity for marriage and security offered by two different men." Light rubbing and toning overall, wear to the edges, and a crease to…the top right corner on the front. G-111. Cover price of 35c. Housed in a protective plastic sleeve. Photos upon request. International shipping billed at cost.; 12mo 7" - 7½" tall; 128 pages.
Published by Lion Books 1953
- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: Boards & Wraps, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.Boards & Wraps
Contact seller4-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
£ 27.24
Free ShippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Softcover. Condition: Very Good. No Dust Jacket. First Edition Thus. "Her Choice: Normal Marriage Or Lesbian Love?" Cover art of a brunette woman trimming a blond woman's hair as a man looks on. Minor wear to the edges and corners, light rubbing, and some creases to the edges. LB 121. Cover art of 25c. Housed in a protective pla…stic sleeve. Photos upon request. International shipping billed at cost.; 12mo 7" - 7½" tall; 128 pages.
Published by Berkley
Seller: Reed Books The Museum of Fond Memories, Birmingham, AL, U.S.A.Reed Books The Museum of Fond Memories
Contact seller2-star sellerPaperback #G-111 CONDITION: g+.
More images- Softcover
- First Edition
Seller: Max Rambod Inc, Woodland Hills, CA, U.S.A.Max Rambod Inc
Contact seller5-star sellerFirst Edition. Wilhelm, Gale. The Strange Path. Whitmore, Linda. The Golden Nymph. Ellis, Joan. Three of a Kind. Price, Marjorie. A Lesson in Love. Clubb, Stacey. Trap of Lesbos. These 1960s lesbian pulp novels document the circulation of same-sex relationships, domestic arrangements, and sexual identity within a mass-market pap…erback industry shaped by censorship and the dominance of male pseudonymous authors. Produced during a period when homosexuality remained criminalized and widely pathologized, these works provide direct evidence of how lesbian identity and interpersonal relationships were narrated for a broad readership. Gale Wilhelm's The Strange Path, originally published in 1938 as Torchlight to Valhalla, holds particular significance as one of the earliest lesbian novels to offer a comparatively affirmative narrative arc, written by an openly lesbian author working prior to the consolidation of mid-century pulp conventions. Other titles in the group explore urban professional environments, shared domestic spaces, and romantic entanglements among women, with several works aligning with evaluative frameworks developed by Barbara Grier identifying texts with sustained lesbian characters and narrative focus. Wilhelm, Gale. The Strange Path. New York: Berkley Publishing Corporation, 1961. Mass-market paperback. Clubb, Stacey (pen name of Gil Orlovitz). Trap of Lesbos. New York: Beacon Signal Books, 1962. First edition. Mass-market paperback. Price, Marjorie. A Lesson in Love. New York: Tower Publications, 1964. First edition. Mass-market paperback. Whitmore, Linda (pen name of Roger Conway). The Golden Nymph. New York: Domino Books, 1965. First edition. Mass-market paperback. Ellis, Joan (pen name of Julie Ellis). Three of a Kind. New York: Midwood Tower Publications, 1965. First edition. Mass-market paperback. Group of five paperback volumes issued between 1961 and 1965, each measuring approximately 4.25 x 7 inches and generally ranging between 120 and 220 pages. Illustrated covers follow mid-century pulp conventions, depicting women in intimate or suggestive poses, paired with promotional language such as "A story of the women who find love only in the arms of other women" (The Strange Path) and "Her husband had no time for love. so Myra turned to Sharon-who did!" (Trap of Lesbos). Narrative content includes romantic relationships between women, shared living arrangements, and depictions of urban and professional life, including fashion and entertainment industries. Three of a Kind centers on three women cohabiting and forming intertwined relationships, while A Lesson in Love presents dynamics of mentorship and sexual instruction within same-sex relationships. The Golden Nymph situates its narrative within Manhattan's fashion world, and Trap of Lesbos frames lesbian relationships in tension with heterosexual marriage. These works circulated within a rapidly expanding paperback market that enabled the wide distribution of controversial subject matter, even as publishers relied on sensationalized cover art and language to navigate obscenity regulations and attract readership. Within this context, lesbian pulp fiction functioned as one of the few accessible print spaces for representations of same-sex relationships, with female-authored contributions offering perspectives grounded in lived experience and relational complexity. The inclusion of Wilhelm's earlier work in later paperback form demonstrates the continued demand for lesbian narratives across decades, linking prewar literary production to postwar mass-market circulation. Light wear including minor edge chipping; clean interiors and tight bindings; overall good to very good condition. The grouping supports research into sexuality, censorship, and the development of lesbian representation in twentieth-century print culture.
