Lynn Munroe Books

Lady From Lust Checklist

One time, at a book show, I overheard two book dealers arguing (imagine that). They were fighting about a LADY FROM LUST book called THE HOT MAHATMA. One of them claimed to have a copy at home, and he was sure it was #5 in the series. The other dealer was equally adamant that he had THE HOT MAHATMA, but it was #8. When I started looking for LADY FROM LUST paperbacks to see which ones had Rader covers, a dealer sold me a 1973 edition of LAY ME ODDS, which he assured me was the second printing. Then I found a 1967 edition and a 1970 printing. Wouldn’t that make the 1973 book a 3rd? I was not alone in my confusion about the convoluted history of this series. But the solution proved simple: the books were published in sequential numbering, books got reprinted when the prices went up, and some books got retitled when a different set of editors reprinted the series. The original 1967-1969 books were published by Midwood-Tower, with covers on the first books by Paul Rader. When Tower became Belmont Tower in 1970, a new group of editors took over. In 1973, when Belmont reprinted the set at 95c, they changed series numbers on some of the books, and changed a couple titles too. Somebody at Belmont decided that calling the first book in the series by the same name as the entire series was confusing, so they changed THE LADY FROM LUST to LUST BE A LADY TONIGHT. The folks at Midwood-Tower thought THE POISONED PUSSY was a cute title, the folks at Belmont felt differently about it, so they retitled it SOCK IT TO ME. Also when Belmont took over they reprinted the first four books in the series only because the original books had been priced 60c each, and they wanted to sell them at 95c. . In 1975 they brought out a 7 volume NEW LADY FROM LUST set.

THE LADY FROM LUST was one of the countless James Bond spoofs of the 1960s, about Agent Oh Oh Sex, Eve Drum of L.U.S.T, (League of Undercover Spies and Terrorists). There were 18 books in the first set, all written by Rod Gray. Gray was one of the pen names of Gardner Fox, who wrote many other paperbacks under many other names, including the CHERRY DELIGHT series, a set exactly like THE LADY FROM LUST but for a different publisher. I always heard Gardner Fox wrote all of these himself, but a book dealer friend has suggested to me that Rod Gray was a house name, started by Gardner Fox but continued by other writers.

First set (1967-1972) 60c, 75c, 95c
1. THE LADY FROM LUST – Tower 43-804, 1967. Rader cover. 60c
2. LAY ME ODDS – Tower 43-860, Rader cover
3. THE 69 PLEASURES – Tower 43-912, Rader cover
4. 5 BEDS TO MECCA – Tower 43-944, Rader cover
5. THE HOT MAHATMA – Tower 44-989, 1968. Rader cover, 75c
6. TO RUSSIA WITH LUST – Tower 44-126, Rader cover
7. KISS MY ASSASSIN – Tower 44-160, Rader cover
8. SOUTH OF THE BORDELLO – Tower 44-171, 1969. Rader cover
9. THE POISONED PUSSY – Tower 45-212, 95c, Rader cover
(Rader leaves Midwood-Tower, 1969)
10. THE BIG SNATCH – Tower 45-276, artist unknown
11. LADY IN HEAT – Tower 45-299, artist unknown
12. LAID IN THE FUTURE – Tower T-095-1, artist unknown.
13. BLOW MY MIND – Tower T-095-3, 1970. Artist unknown.
14. THE COPULATION EXPLOSION –Belmont B95-2008, photo coverr

(1. LUST, BE A LADY TONIGHT – Belmont B95-2020, photo cover. 2nd of THE LADY FROM LUST, with new title and 95c price.
(2. LAY ME ODDS – Belmont B95-2026 – Belmont B95-2026,
2nd printing, photo covers recreates Rader art.
(3. THE 69 PLEASURES – Belmont B95-2043, 2nd printing, photo cover recreates Rader art.
(4. 5 BEDS TO MECCA – Belmont B95-2052, 2nd printing, photo cover recreates Rader art.
15. EASY RIDE – Belmont B95-2076, photo cover
16. THE LADY TAKES IT ALL OFF – Belmont B95-2114, 1971, photo cover
17. TURNED ON TO LUST – Belmont B95-2170, photo cover
18. SKIN GAME DAME – Belmont-Tower BT 50214, 1972, photo cover

Second set, 1973-74, 95c (2nd printings unless noted)
1. LUST, BE A LADY TONIGHT – Belmont Tower BT 50516, 3rd printing of THE LADY FROM LUST, 1973, artist unknown
2. LAY ME ODDS – BT 50542, 3rd pr, artist unknown
3. THE 69 PLEASURES – BT 50559, 3rd pr, artist unknown
4. 5 BEDS TO MECCA – BT 50566, 3rd pr, artist unknown
5. SOUTH OF THE BORDELLO – BT 50582, artist unknown
(This was #8 in the first set. The first 5 books in the second set are not identified by a set number on the cover. Numbering begins with #6)
6. KISS MY ASSASSIN – BT 50594, artist unknown, #7 in the first set
7. SOCK IT TO ME – BT 50604, reprints #9, THE POISONED PUSSY, with new title. Reworks Rader art.
8. THE HOT MAHATMA – BT 50617, #5 in the first set, reworks Rader art.
9. TO RUSSIA WITH LUST – BT 50628, #6 in the first set, reworks Rader art.
10. THE LADY TAKES IT ALL OFF – BT 50636, 1974, #16 in the first set, artist unknown
11. LADY IN HEAT – BT 50649, photo cover
12. BLOW MY MIND – BT 50660, #13 in the first set, photo cover
13. LAID IN THE FUTURE – BT 50667, #12 in the first set, photo
14. THE COPULATION EXPLOSION – BT 50678, new photo cover
15. TURNED ON TO LUST – BT 50692, #17 in the first set, new photo cover
16. THE BIG SNATCH – BT 50710, #10 in the first set, photo cover
17. EASY RIDE – BT 50727, #15 in the first set, new photo cover
18. SKIN GAME DAME – BT 50742, new photo cover.

THE NEW LADY FROM LUST, 1975, $1.25, photo covers
1. GO FOR BROKE – BT 50777
2. HAVE A SNORT! – BT 50794
3. TARGET FOR TONIGHT – BT 50805
4. THE MARACAIBO AFFAIR – BT 50814
5. VOODOO KILL – BT 50829
6. THE LADY KILLER – BT 50838
7. KILL HER WITH LOVE – BT 50858

1. THE LADY FROM LUST – BT 51102, no date. 4th printing restores original title with new cover painting by unknown artist.

THE LADY FROM L.U.S.T.

<LAY ME ODDS, Belmont B95-2026. 2nd printing. Compare cover photo with Rader art. See Tower 43-860.

5 BEDS TO MECCA, Belmont B95-2052, 2nd pr. Compare photo with Rader art on Tower 43-944. >

< THE BIG SNATCH, Tower 45-276. Artist unknown. First set #10.

THE BIG SNATCH – Belmont Tower BT 50710.

Photo. Second set #16. >

<LAID IN THE FUTURE, Tower T-095-1. Artist unknown. “Sci-fi becomes sigh-sigh.”

THE LADY FROM LUST – BT 51102, 4th printing, no date, artist unknown. >