These titles have been listed for sale on my eBay for some time now, and a number of them have gone, there are still some very rare titles listed for sale.
A short-lived (1968-1969) Los Angeles publishing imprint, a subsidiary of Milton Luros’s Parliament News, Inc, specializing in highbrow erotica. Many Essex House novelists were young serious writers (several of them poets), and some used scenarios drawn from sf and fantasy, including future Dystopias, as settings for their pornography. About half the 42 titles published by Essex House were sf/fantasy; they included novels by Philip José Farmer, Richard E Geis, David Meltzer (perhaps the most distinguished), Michael Perkins (1942- ) and Hank Stine (see Jean Marie Stine), of which a number were ambitious, some literary, and most somewhat joyless – even emetic – and redolent of 1960s radicalism. The unusual aspirations of this imprint are generally attributed to its young editor, Brian Kirby, who also edited the pornographic books of the sister imprint, Brandon House. [PN]
further reading
- Maxim Jakubowski. “Essex House: The Rise and Fall of Speculative Erotica” (September 1978 Foundation #14) [pp50-64: mag/]
- Michael Perkins. The Secret Record: Modern Erotic Literature (New York: William Morrow, 1976) [nonfiction: hb/]
– See more at LINK
ANDERSON, (JERRY):Trans. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 176. Original.wrappers.– First edition.
BRADBROOK, (GARY):Get It On! North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House,
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 160. Original pictorial wrappers.-First Edition.
BUKOWSKI, (CHARLES): Notes of a Dirty Old Man. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House,
[Milton Luros]1969. 8vo. pp. 255. Original pictorial wrappers.– First Edition.
DALLAS, (PAUL V.). :Binding with Briars. North Hollywood,Calif.: Essex House,
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo.pp. 263. With a Postscript by Hilary E. Holt. Original wrappers.
DEDEAUX, (P.N.). :Tender Buns. North Hollywood,Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo.pp. 192. Original wrappers.– First Edition.
DEDEAUX, (P.N.). :The Nothing Things. North Hollywood,Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo.pp. 160. Original wrappers.– First Edition.
DOYLE, (KIRBY) :Happiness Bastard. North Hollywood,CA.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo.pp. 206. Original wrappers.– First Edition.
FARMER, (PHILIP JOSÉ) :A Feast Unknown. Vol. IX of the Memoirs of Lord Grandrith. Edited by Philip José Farmer. [With a postscript by Theodore Sturgeon.]North Hollywood: Essex House, 1969.
8vo. pp. 286. Original pictorial wrappers.– First Edition.
FARMER, (PHILIP JOSÉ) :The Image of the Beast. An Exorcism Ritual 1. North Hollywood: Essex House.
8vo. pp. 255. [With a postscript by Theodore Sturgeon.] Original pictorial wrappers.– First Edition.
FARMER, (PHILIP JOSÉ):. Blown. An Exorcism Ritual 2. North Hollywood: Essex House.
8vo. pp. 208. Original pictorial wrappers.– First Edition.
GALLION, (JANE.):Biker. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
8vo. pp.159. Original pictorial wrappers.– First Edition.
GEIS, (RICHARD E.):Ravished. [With a Postscript by HarlanEllison.] North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp. 255. Series no.0113. Original wrappers.
GEIS, (RICHARD E.):Raw Meat. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 224. Original wrappers.– First Edition.
LAMONT, (GIL):Roach. North Hollywood, Calif.: EssexHouse
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 172.Original pictorial wrappers, reproducing a picture by Egon Schiels. – First Edition
MACPHERSON, (MICHAEL):Abducted. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp. 176.Original pictorial wrappers – First edition
MARlOWE ,(ALAN.S):Over Easy. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 208.Original pictorial wrappers – First edition
MELTZER, (DAVID):Orf. North Hollywood, Calif.:Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp160. Original wrappers.With a postscript by Stephen Bellon First Edition.
MELTZER, (DAVID):The Agency. North Hollywood, Calif.:Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp160. Original wrappers. Vol. One of The Agency Trilogy.– First Edition.
MELTZER, (DAVID):The Agent. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp. 160. With a Postscript by Norman Spinrad. Original wrappers.– First Edition. Vol. Two of The Agency Trilogy.
MELTZER, (DAVID):Lovely. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 159. With a Postscript by Frank. M. Robinson. Original wrappers.– First Edition. Book 1 of the Brain Plant series.
MELTZER, (DAVID):Healer. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 176. With a Postscript by Jack Hirschman. Original wrappers.– First Edition. Book 2 of the Brain Plant series.
MELTZER, (DAVID):Out. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 192. Original wrappers.– First Edition. Book 3 of the Brain Plant series.
MELTZER, (DAVID):How Many Blocks in the Pile?. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp. 160. With a postscriptby Norman Spinrad. Original wrappers.
MELTZER, (DAVID):The Martyr. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 176. With a postscript by Frank M. Robinson. Original wrappers.– First Edition.
MELTZER, (DAVID):Glue Factory. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 192. First Edition.
PERKINS, (MICHAEL) :Blue Movie. North Hollywood, Calif: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp. 176. Original wrappers.– First edition. Signed presentation copy.
PERKINS, (MICHAEL): Down Here. North Hollywood, Calif. Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp.159. Original wrappers.– First edition.
PERKINS, (MICHAEL): Estelle. The Second Half of a Double Feature. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 160. Original wrappers.– First edition. A sequel to Blue Movie.
PERKINS, (MICHAEL) : Evil Companions. North Hollywood,Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo.pp. 176. Original wrappers.
PERKINS, (MICHAEL): Queen of Heat. North Hollywood, Calif. Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp.160. Original wrappers.– First edition. Signed presentation copy.
PERKINS, (MICHAEL):Terminus. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 160.Original wrappers.– First edition.
PERKINS, (MICHAEL):Whacking Off. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 160. Original wrappers.– First edition.
PORTER, (GIL): Coupled. North Hollywood, Calif. Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1968. 8vo. pp. 208.Original wrappers.– First edition. With a Postscript by Jack Hirschman.
RAMIREZ, (ALICE LOUISE): The Geek. North Hollywood, Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo. pp. 190. With a Postscript by Philip José Farmer. Original wrappers.– First Edition. Dedicated to Harlan Ellison, Norman Spinrad and Hank Stine. Publisher’s file copy, with embossed stamp on front wrapper reading ‘Not For Sale.Office Copy.’
STINE, (HANK):Thrill City. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo.pp. 159. Original wrappers.-First edition
STINE, (HANK):Season of the Witch. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo.pp. 224 With a Postscript by Harlan Ellison. Original wrappers.-First edition
TOLEDANO, (HENRY):The Bitter Seed. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo.pp. 350. Original wrappers. With a Postscript by Philip José Farmer.-First edition.
TOLEDANO, (HENRY):A Sort of Justice. North Hollywood, Calif.: Essex House
[Milton Luros], 1969. 8vo.pp. 272. Original illustrated wrapper.-First edition.
As stated at the top of the page, extra images and full description of condition on request.
See LINKS:
Books Wanted: Amorous Exploits of a Young Rakehell, Guillaume Apollinaire JUNE 1953 Printing
According to Milton Luros, who was a long time customers of mine (for Antiquarian Erotica), Essex House was Money-Losing imprint and therefore Closed-Down (by ML).