Clinch Cover Conservation
January 12, 2008
Anyone who has seen me comment before knows I have absolutely nothing against the “Clinch Cover”, in fact I love the “Clinch Cover”. You want to know a secret? It was Johanna Lindsey and her nude men clinching the fair damsel that got me reading Romance. That is a simple fact of life. The “Clinch Cover” started in the 80’s and that is when I started reading Romance. So, I keep kicking this idea around. I would love to see a large format coffee table style book documenting the “Clinch Cover” and maybe giving write ups on the cover artists and authors that mined this particular genre of Romance and made it the behemoth it became.
I would so love to see the publishers and authors and artists get their due in large format lovin for making Romance what it is today. Maybe some people would rather sweep this under the carpet because it lacks the taste, class and quality they so strive to present as they write those hot steamy Lurve scenes with wild abandon. But… I say put it on out there with pride and let time show the true value of a fine naked man with a nice ass on the cover.
PS! Thank you Elisa for the sweet new scan of Johanna Lindsey’s ~ Tender Is The Storm. That so rocks! Such good memories of trying to see more of his sweet sweet tush. Oh, and I just bought that Fires Of Winter too, sweet humpy-hunk-of-man there. Guys be sure to stop by Elisa’s site and pay respects to her Johanna Lindsey Lovin. As a writer she may not have had any say on those covers, but man, what an impact she made.
You should do it. I’d rather it be a clinch and bodice ripper than those Sims having teh sex that litter my ebook collection.
And don’t forget to include Christina Dodd’s 3 armed woman cover. That one is a classic.
http://www.christinadodd.com/excerpt.php?excerptid=3
(click on infamous cover link)
You mean like that one???
Wait. Was that there before? Or did you just add it? AM I BLIND?
hehehehehehe I’ll never tell.
Tender is the Storm. Man, that dude is going for it. I don’t remember that scene in the book.
I love the clinch cover. I have also created a page for the first cover of Johanna Lindsey and I’m the proud owner of most of it (also Tender is the storm, beautiful!!!)
http://www.cafeaulivre.it/romance/johanna_lindsey-covers.htm#Title
I need a really good scan of Tender Is The Storm.
That nekked man is the finest of all clinchers.
You got one elisa???
Wow that Tender is the Storm cover is pretty risque for it’s age!
I scanned it for you… tell me if you need a big size
http://www.cafeaulivre.it/romance/images/tenderisthestormcv-lindsey.jpg
P.S. if you need some other scanner, here is my library
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/elisa.rolle
all the books tagged in print I have to possibility to scan for you
Elisa
How sad is this? I never look at covers. I have all these books in their first edition formats, and i never noticed how risque they were! You’ve given me a whole new appreciation for my favorite books.
I do love the idea of coffee table book of the classics, though.
Sarah
[stares] Does that top one show a couple engaged in inter-mammary sex?
Please tell me that it’s just my dirty mind, and intentional titty-wank *wasn’t* on the shelves in my local bookshop when I was young and impressionable.
Jules, I have never heard that term before. Holy Moly. Love it.
What, no Fabio covers? I though he was the male cover model of Johanna Lindsey’s dreams!
Fabio? When you got that rather randy hunk up there in Tender Is The Storm?
And he’s doing the titty wank! Which sounds like a new dance move.
OMG! Jules that was exactly my first thought too. You perv! I was like OH MY O_O he’s titty f–no that can’t be right, that cover is way too old for that kinda thing!
Do you know that in some edition they put a red dot on the “bum” of the man? Luckily I have the first edition, without red dot… But the red dot was not on the picture, but part of the cover, you can’t take it off. Elisa
Okay, if we start seeing “titty-wank” showing up in het romances a few months down the line, we’ll know which comment thread to blame, won’t we?
Hey, I’ve got an m/m/f in the “to write” queue…
Tender is the storm? With that picture? Some art department was in a very singular mood the night they created that brilliant goddamn cover!
Your idea for a book rocks.