LA PLUME: The Correspondence Medium Devoted to the Connoisseur of the Unusual
Brooklyn, New York: La Plume, circa 1960. Eight issues: Nos. 4-10 and 14.
Long before the internet, Grindr and other dating apps, like-minded people with shared intimacy interests relied on personal ads printed in alternative newspapers and magazines. In the 1960s, one could also subscribe to this small brochure mailed direct to your post office box offering connections to men and women all over the world looking for a connection. As they note in their marketing, “La Plume has been specifically created and designed to cater to the whims of those with a keen interest in the exotic, the unusual, and the modern way of life.”
The booklets contain brief personal advertisements, photographs, and a special code assigned to each person. Find someone of interest, write a letter, and send it to La Plume, which then forwards it to the potential connection (for a $2 fee). Issue 4 contains small pencil checks, mainly next to “broad-minded” couples looking for the same. The publication caters to a wide-ranging audience with several personals concerning “transvestite” individuals, and men and women seeking same-sex connections.
The booklet was referenced as evidence in a 1965 hardcore pornography case against an East Rutherford, New Jersey police lieutenant who placed an advertisement under a pseudonym in the publication.
Published five to six times per year, LA Plume also carried advertising that would appeal to its readers, such as Strip Checkers, a health supplement called Love Potion No. 9, and sterile lubricant with hormones.
Stapled booklet (3 ½“ x 8 ½”), printed on newsprint with a spot color. Occasional checkmarks, one page partially clipped in Issue 4; otherwise very good overall. Scarce, no listings in OCLC or commerce. Item #78814
Price: $600.00