Two "Tijuana Bible"-style comic books from our collection - the first telling the tale of Boots, a corn-fed country girl trying to make it in the Big City, and the second of Gracie, the lusty lass who simply can't get enough.

Tijuana Bibles is a bit of a misnomer - they were originally US-made and available all over the country in the 1920s-1940s, usually in magazine stands, cigar shops, bowling alleys, secondhand bookstores, and went by other names too: two-by-fours, jo-jo books, eight pagers, etc. In 1940s California the reputation (though false) spread that they originated in anything-goes Tijuana, hence the catchy nickname which sticks to present times.

This wasn't some obscure phenomenon either. In their pre-WWII heyday, TJ Bibles numbered in the millions and were an essential part of any red-blooded teenager's precious pornographic hoard. While they're universally crude & obnoxious (we've got offensive Jewish caricatures & fart jokes in these two alone), there were often also flashes of real wit.

One of my favorite aspects are the inventive anatomical euphemisms they come up with: "mastodonic johnson bar" and "mighty joy prong" spring to mind, among others. And as historical documents they're a pretty good time-capsule for the slang of the period(s), you can get a real sense of some terms, idioms, and the rhythms of colloquial speech (even if it *is* highly exaggerated) that are sanitized out of the era's mainstream writing.

Just another unique American contribution to the grand heritage of world literature. More of these to come...