General Antiques and Collectibles Spring Auction
Lot 169:
Description
C-17786
Group of four original 8-page underground comic booklets, known as "Tijuana Bibles." Titles include: • Eddie Cantor in The Torso Teaser • Around the World with Mae West • Burns & Allen – Little Can You’ve Had a Busy Day Lotta Tocas • Joan Crawford and William Powell in Cable with Doug Fairbanks Printed on low-grade newsprint with illustrated covers, these satirical and risqué booklets caricatured celebrities of stage and screen, a hallmark of Depression-era underground culture. Tijuana Bibles-small, cheaply produced pornographic comics-were clandestinely distributed across the United States in the 1930s-40s. Their anonymous creators spoofed Hollywood stars, politicians, and comic strip characters, making them both controversial and highly collectible today as artifacts of pulp Americana.
Each booklet shows age toning, edge wear, and handling marks, with staples present and bindings intact. Colors on covers remain clear and bold for their age.
Each approx. 4" W x 5.5" H
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