September 1962 – Midwood “With This Ring”. Nude upper torso squatting, head thrown back in ecstasy – dark Rembrandt lighting – red brown background. $230.

Midwood F229 – THIS IS ELAINE by Hytes, 1963. The first of two possible notebook entries for THIS IS ELAINE. 

It’s not exactly “upper torso”, we can see  to her hips, but she is nude and her head is up if not exactly thrown back and yes she does appear to be squatting and we’ve got that Rembrandt candle lighting and the red brown background. So this notebook entry must be for THIS IS ELAINE.

October 1962 – Midwood “Bring Money, Honey”. Back view of seminude blond hugging man’s arm who’s turning away from her – dark pink background.

Midwood F237 – NEVER ENOUGH by Hytes (John Plunkett), 1963. She’s hugging him all right, just not with her arms.

October 1962 – Midwood Double cover.

Les. “The Disenchanted”, Hetero “Private Secretary”.

Midwood D231 – THE WILD WEEK / IMITATION LOVERS by Hytes / Hastings, 1963. Interior illustrations by Frank Frazetta.

This is the back cover of Midwood D231. Midwood would do dozens more Midwood Doubles, but this is the only one with art on the back cover like an Ace Double. It is also the first illustrated Midwood, and the interior Frazetta illustrations have made this a collectible. Frazetta was the first interior artist for Midwood. He was followed by Victor Olson and Jack Thurston – and Paul Rader, who did 12 of the illustrated doubles.  

October 1962 – Midwood – Sample – Girl’s head and sailor’s arm across chest and in hair.

Midwood F247 – SEA NYMPH by Swenson (Richard E. Geis), 1963. That’s an anchor tattooed on his hand, so he must be Rader’s sailor.

November 1962 – Midwood “A Vote for the Devil”. Black-haired girl leaning across desk to man, legs showing to hips.

Midwood F232 – THE PAYOFF by Collier, 1963.

Rader’s THE PAYOFF art was re-used in the June 1969 issue of MAN’S.

October 1962 - ? – Nude girl – candle in background. $230.

The question mark is Rader’s. This is a mystery listing anyway because this sounds like Midwood F229, THIS IS ELAINE. But Rader has just been paid a month before for that similar-sounding cover. That one doesn’t mention a candle.  Could Rader have listed this sale twice in error? Or is this a different painting?

November 1962 – Midwood – “Couple on Yellow Bed”. Man’s head in girl’s armpit. Gray blue shaded background.

Midwood F236 – WILD HONEY by Karl, 1963.

Rader’s WILD HONEY was recycled as Bee-Line 229, COME PLAY WITH ME. The three figures in the back are taken from a later Rader painting for THE SWAP SET, Midwood 32-478.

December 1962 – Midwood ‘Lover Boy”. Blond on blue couch hugging yellow pillow – pink dress.

Midwood F266 – RESTLESS by Hamilton, 1963.

December 1962 – Midwood “Summer Storm”. Girl held aloft by man in front of red shack – dress hiked up above thighs.

Midwood F239 – SUDDEN HUNGER by Dodge, 1963. Paul Rader worked magic by using the themes of the great pin-up artists and applying them to the mass market paperback book cover.

November 1962 – Sample – Blond girl’s head leaning over man’s head – long hair flowing over her face and partially over his. Red background.

Midwood F240 – THE SOFT WAY by Hastings (Sally Singer), 1963.

Rader’s THE SOFT WAY was recycled for Bee-Line 243, ONE FOR THE ROAD!, in 1967.

November 1962 – Sample – 2nd rights – back view of nude – horizontal – green tones (see March 1961). $37.50.

January 1963 – Sample – girl pressing against her image in large mirror, dressing gown down to hips. December 12, 1962.

Midwood F271 – HER PRIVATE HELL by Hastings (Sally Singer), 1963.

Paul Rader’s painting HER PRIVATE HELL was recycled in 1967 for Private Edition 437, THE WICKED NEVER SLEEP.

January 1963 – Sample “Rage Within”

Dark brown shadows into brown background. Standing nude with large towel.

Midwood F250 – A RAGE WITHIN by Hastings (Sally Singer), 1963.

Isaac Paul Rader’s art for A RAGE WITHIN was recycled for Private Edition 412, JOURNEY TO EROTICA, in 1967.

December 1962 – Sample – Large head of girl against man’s shoulder with lipstick kiss over armpit.

Midwood F263 – THE MARK OF A MAN by Collier, 1963.

January 1963 – Midwood – Black-haired girl pulling blouse apart with defiant look.

Midwood F265 – ALL OF ME by Harris, 1963.

March 1962 – Sample – close-up of stockinged legs and girls hand with cigarette – man showing behind knee – mood effect with dark background.

Midwood F245 – THE SEX PLAN by Elder, 1963.

THE SEX PLAN art was recycled for All Star AS116, THE POWER AND THE PASSION, in 1967.

February 1963 – Midwood “Horizontal Secretary”. Lisa Karan model sitting on edge of desk, legs crossed, dress hiked up. Yellowish curtains background.

Midwood F248 – HORIZONTAL SECRETARY by Harris, 1963.

There are hundreds of notebook entries, but this is the only time Rader names his model. Lisa Karan was highly regarded by the illustrators of the day and did a lot of men’s adventure magazine illustrations for artists such as Bruce Minney and Norm Eastman.

Lisa the secretary becomes a teacher with a new background on Bee-Line 185, PRIVATE LESSONS.

February 1963 – Nude with telephone – blond on red chair – blue background. 

Midwood F336 – NUDE IN A RED CHAIR by Moore, 1963.

This art appeared again in the March 1968 issue of MAN’S Magazine.

March 1963 – Blond with teddy bear – yellow background.

Midwood F279 – HOLD ME TIGHT by Ellis, 1963.

March 1963 – “A Bit of Fluff” Lesbianism.

Steamy bathroom. $255.

Midwood F256 – A BIT OF FLUFF by Kemp (Gil Fox), 1963. Beginning with this book, Midwood pays $300. for each cover. Rader’s agent takes $45., and the remaining $255. goes to the artist.

March 1963 – “The Cruel Touch”. Black-haired woman low-cut red gown – hand pushing down man’s head.

Midwood F229 – THE CRUEL TOUCH by Marshall, 1963.

February 1963 – Second rights – “My Body Your Bed” $37.50.

March 1963 – Blond nude standing with man’s coat sleeve in front.

Midwood F273 – ANY MAN WILL DO by Hamilton, 1963.

Rader’s art for ANY WAN WILL DO was recycled into STAND-IN FOR SEX, Bee-Line 244 in 1967.

April 1963 – Midwood – “Pajama Party”

3 girls – polka dot pajamas, harem pjs and black trans. serving martinis. $300. less $45. to Balcourt.

Midwood F274 – PAJAMA PARTY by Swenson (Richard E. Geis), 1963. Mr. Rader had been recording sales to Midwood as “$255.”, but starting with this book that entry changes to “$300. less $45. to Balcourt.”

When Rader collector Brian Emrich saw this 1978 X-rated movie poster in an auction catalog, he recognized the art from Rader’s PAJAMA PARTY

April 1963 – Midwood “Sign Here For Sin”. Girl in low-cut dress signing book at motel counter – yellow background & palm trees.

Midwood F270 – SIGN HERE FOR SIN by Donalds, 1963.

April 1963 – Midwood – Color transparency for cover for “Rusty”. $100.

Midwood F272 – RUSTY by Draper, 1963. Photo cover by Paul Rader. Here’s a surprise addition to the checklist. We know Rader was a working photographer as well as a painter. And we know he sold some photographs to Midwood. But this is the only notebook entry that notes a cover photo and gives a title that we can match to a Midwood from that year.

April 1963 – Midwood Lesbian cover – girl in bathtub and girl with washcloth.

Midwood F282 – PARTY GIRLS by Russo (Gil Fox), 1963.

110. May 1963  - Midwood “Sweet Sinner”

Girl at office file.

Midwood F278 – FRINGE BENEFITS by Anthony, 1963. Over the years Paul Rader used various numbering systems (usually four digits) to keep track of his paintings. I have not recorded those numbers here because they are sporadic random numbers, a code known perhaps only to Paul Rader. But starting here, as Rader leaves his agent and becomes a self-employed artist, he starts a new numbering system that runs to the day he retires in 1970. He starts here with number 110. Because the numbers are sequential and help us identify each painting, I will include them on this checklist.

111. May 1963 – Girl in yellow dress, head on man’s shoulder.

Midwood F318 – STRONGER THAN LOVE by Draper, 1963.  

112. June 1963 – Woman in white satin gown, dark background, cocktail glass in hand.

Midwood F286 – ONE OF THE GIRLS by Mezatesta, 1963.

113. Universal – LOVE TUTOR – May 13, 1963. Brown haired 30 year old woman in blue dress putting on stocking. Blond 17 year old boy in foreground – hands behind head.

This description does not match the cover Beacon published on LOVE TUTOR (Beacon B624F, different artist). There is no sales information noted, so they must have passed on it. (Rader had submitted this painting to Universal before, in April 1960.) But take a look at ONE KIND OF WOMAN, B657F, from later in 1963. There is Rader’s brunette in a blue dress putting on her stocking. They used it anyway.

In a move Beacon Books did time after time, they have taken half of Rader’s (unused) LOVE TUTOR painting and married it to cover art by a different artist from STRANGE THIRSTS, (Beacon B264, 1959) to create a “new” cover for ONE KIND OF WOMAN. According to Rader’s notes, he was never paid for that art.

114. June 1963 – Turbaned girl in bath towel holding dress in front of long mirror, smoky blue background.

Midwood F298 – MADE TO ORDER by Hamilton, 1963.

When Midwood Books began publishing Paul Rader paperback covers in 1958, Rader created his most celebrated work. He did this by taking the art of the pin-up, formerly used mainly on calendars and advertising, and adapting that look for mass-market paperback book covers. Over the next twelve years, it became clear that Paul Rader was the 1960s heir apparent to the classic pin-up legacy of Charles Dana Gibson, George Petty and Alberto Vargas.

115. June 1963 –Stenographer in white blouse and blue skirt with orange background.

Midwood F366 – TALL, BLONDE AND EVIL by Hamilton, 1964. Delayed - this cover did not appear until more than six months after Mr. Rader sold it to Midwood. Fifteen or so other Rader covers will appear in the interim.

Rader’s TALL, BLONDE AND EVIL art was seen again in MAN’S June 1969 issue, illustrating “The World is Full of Married Men” by Jackie Collins. Rader’s signature has disappeared, and his 1969 notes do not mention any second rights payments from MAN’S Magazine.

116. July 1963 – Girl in stormy lake. Wet yellow blouse and shorts.

Midwood F307 – NO WAY BACK by Russell Trainer, 1963.

June 1963 – Mike Shayne (June) – 2nd rights. $37.50.

This entry sounds as if the June 1963 issue of Mike Shayne should have a Rader cover. That cover is a reprint, but does not appear to be a Rader and is not credited to him. There are other MIKE SHAYNE MYSTERY MAGAZINE covers by Rader; perhaps this is a reference to one of them.

116. (sic, numbering error) July 1963 – Blond girl with red background, close-up head and man’s arm.

Midwood F367 – HIS FOR THE TAKING by Draper, 1964.