#541 - Unique World One Eros Goldstripe ebooks
Unique World, Number One
Eros Publishing Co. Inc.
Wilmington, Delaware
1971
digital replica
and
optimized for ebook viewing
The final issue of Bizarre Life magazine (number 17) was probably published at the end of 1970 or early 1971. Then, under the new Eros Goldstripe brand, Bizarre World lived for one issue. [As High Heels magazine survived as a title in the transition from Selbee to Eros Goldstripe, it would seem that the same could have been done with popular Bizarre Life.]
In the process of moving operations from New York to California in the early 1970s, Mr.Burtman may have been advised that his flagship lifestyle magazine be completely divorced from his sometime publishing partner Gordon McCausland. Through Consolidated Publishing in Toronto, he had jointly published several issues of Bizarre Life in collaboration with Mr. Burtman. At about this time, Mr. McCausland was seen in the Caribbean and suddenly vanished from the planet.
Mr. Burtman may have been advised that the words Bizarre World and Bizarre Life were too similar, risking lawsuits over ownership. A common sense approach to naming might suggest that the successor title in the lifestyle genre be a complete break with the past and disappearing partners. This is all speculation, but it’s the only explanation I can think of for producing but one issue of Bizarre World. To further illustrate the odd sequence of transitions, the front cover of Unique World says “Number One” while the table of contents page says “Number 2”. If this magazine has retained Bizarre World as its title, it would indeed be Number 2.
Whatever motivated the name changes, issue one of Unique Worldis about as good as they get. The focus is on dominant females in leather and high heels who whip a man for alleged wrong-doing.
Men receive the discipline they require
In four separate sets of photographs, not seen in other magazines, one or two women use an assortment of whip, crop, studded spanker and cat to rehabilitate the male in the house. Voluptuous beauties show their curvaceous assets in stockings, sandals, pumps, boots, corset, gloves, leather jumpsuit, push-up bra, and mask This magazine could fairly have been titled Disciplinarians in Fetish Attire. Few words are used, or needed, to describe the dramatic narratives that the photographs depict. The men are cuffed, tied up, beaten, smacked, stripped, and poked with stiletto heels.
Models dress up
• A Day in the Life of a Bizarre Model shows a pretty redhead in boots, pumps, corset and shiny dresses. These photos give us a peek into the offices of Eros Publishing company in New York.
• Presenting Ronnie Bell shows the luscious brunette in a dress-up progression that includes shiny boots and a cat o‘ nine tails in its finale.
Bizarre Fiction
• James Farrimore’s “Torture in Paradise” tells of exotic Eugenie, who whips Ralph when he fails to accomplish assigned tasks. Then, she spanks him, which brings him happiness. Her resident giant eunuch acts mainly as messenger.
• The set of 16 pictures by Gregor illustrates the anonymous story titled “The Whip Hand”. A cruel, arrogant, self-indulgent bride transforms her meek husband into a sex slave during the first day of their marriage.
I believe that Unique World, One, was the first publication of the Gregor pictures since they were sold by mail in the 1950s. This story was the inspiration for Bizarre Honeymoon [product SKU #440].
Comic serial
The second episode of Gene Bilbrew’s comic serial, “The Dominated” restates the main motif of the magazine: women punishing their men. In this case, a wife exercises authority over her husband. A sample of Mr. Bilbrew’s work in his declining years.
Many incidental, filler illustrations by both Mr. Bilbrew and Eric Stanton.
Other content
• Bizarre Belle on the Home Front presents snapshots of a masked homebody in knee-high boots with extra-nice heels and thigh-high boots.
• Bizarre News Around the World collects publicity photos.
• Asian sweethearts model chastity belts
• Personal ads, mostly left over from Bizarre Life
• Letters from readers, and the editor’s replies to them, make numerous references to a magazine called Bizarre World in the first issue of Unique World.
Digital replica
The 100 pages of the original are presented in the digital replica in their original sequence. Too many pages of the original have six or more pictures. This is a poor presentation for the excellent photographs as the fetish divas they picture appear small on the pages. This may have been necessitated by the use of 35mm film, hugely popular at this time, which provides small negatives.
The brightness, contrast and color of the photographs have been adjusted. Many specks have been retouched. All words, pictures and pages in the original, including ads, are in the digital replica ebook.
Optimized ebook
The optimized version breaks pages apart. Sometimes arranged as many as 9 to a page, the optimized version positions each photo and illustration on its own, wide ebook page. This technique shows pictures filling the screen from top to bottom. Because so many of the photographs are small, many pictures show graininess, a rough texture, soft edges or a whisper of moiré.
The optimized version does not include photographs from personal ads or letters as these are mostly re-used and too small. Photos from Bizarre News Around the World are not included in the optimized version because they are generally too dark or copied from secondary sources. Also omitted in the optimized version are the chastity belt photographs, as they are large pictures in the digital replica and probably didn’t belong in the original.
Despite shortcomings, the optimized ebook offers the best way to see the originally small images. More than 160 brightened pictures are collected in a convenient fetish album, designed to reduce the need for zooming and scrolling and anticipate the curiosity of the viewer.
Fans of femdom imagery and fiction will enjoy the two ebooks that are based on this conscientiously assembled magazine. The original publication was an excellent product for its time and provides first class content for this digital iteration.
Two ebooks, one optimized , delivered by download from your 30th Street Graphics account.