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69 Barrow Street: Collection of Classic Erotica - Book 18
While my first visit to New York was with my father in 1948, it wasn’t until the summer of 1956 that I actually lived in the city. I’d completed my first year at Antioch College and was to spend August through October in the mailroom at Pines Publications on East 40th Street. (They had a paperback line—Popular Library—and a string of magazines, ranging from surviving pulps like Ranch Romances to movie magazines and a Readers Digest imitation.) I’d arranged to room with two other Antiochians, Paul Grillo and Fred Anliot, and we spent the first week on the top floor at 147 W 14th, the second on the ground floor at 108 W 12th (that building’s gone now), and then found a first-floor one-bedroom apartment at 54 Barrow Street, where we stayed through October before passing the place on to another Antioch contingent. It was a wonderful apartment in a perfect location, and for a while it was where the folksinger crowd assembled on Sunday evenings after the singing in Washington Square shut down for the night. (Then the crowd outgrew the space, and moved to somebody’s loft on Spring Street.) It was in the kitchen at 54 Barrow Street that I wrote the first story I ever sold, published in Manhunt as You Can’t Lose.
A year later I was back in New York; I’d found an editorial job at a literary agency and liked it it enough to drop out of school to keep it. I shared an apartment at the Hotel Alexandria on West 103rd Street with Bob Aronson until the Army took him, at which time the hotel let me move to a single room a few floors below. While I lived on 103rd, I spent most of my time in the Village.
By the fall of 1958 I was back at Antioch, more focused on writing than classwork. I’d begun selling magazine stories whileI was at the literary agency, and began writing novels once I’d left, and Harry Shorten was eager to publish them at his new venture, Midwood Tower Books. My third book for Harry, following CARLA and A STRANGE KIND OF LIVE, was 69 BARROW STREET.
I’d had the idea of a novel set at a multiple dwelling—in this case, a Village brownstone—with the characters interacting and living their lives. One model for it would have been 79 PARK AVENUE, an early work of Harold Robbins, when A STONE FOR DANNY FISHER let the world take him seriously as a writer of American realistic fiction. (Then he wrote THE CARPETBAGGERS, and that was the end of that.) I decided—nudge nudge, wink wink—that 69 BARROW STREET would be an appropriately suggestive title.
Jesus, 54 Barrow Street. Fred Alliot and Bob Aronson, both of whom I’d run into now and then over the years, are gone now. Paul Grillo and I lost touch with each other fifty-plus years ago…
Years and years later, I found out that 69 PARK AVENUE had been Harold Robbins’ original title. His publishers made him change it. My publishers had no such compunctions, and 69 BARROW STREET it was and shall remain. And now it’s back in print, and graced once again by Paul Rader’s magnificent cover art.
A year later I was back in New York; I’d found an editorial job at a literary agency and liked it it enough to drop out of school to keep it. I shared an apartment at the Hotel Alexandria on West 103rd Street with Bob Aronson until the Army took him, at which time the hotel let me move to a single room a few floors below. While I lived on 103rd, I spent most of my time in the Village.
By the fall of 1958 I was back at Antioch, more focused on writing than classwork. I’d begun selling magazine stories whileI was at the literary agency, and began writing novels once I’d left, and Harry Shorten was eager to publish them at his new venture, Midwood Tower Books. My third book for Harry, following CARLA and A STRANGE KIND OF LIVE, was 69 BARROW STREET.
I’d had the idea of a novel set at a multiple dwelling—in this case, a Village brownstone—with the characters interacting and living their lives. One model for it would have been 79 PARK AVENUE, an early work of Harold Robbins, when A STONE FOR DANNY FISHER let the world take him seriously as a writer of American realistic fiction. (Then he wrote THE CARPETBAGGERS, and that was the end of that.) I decided—nudge nudge, wink wink—that 69 BARROW STREET would be an appropriately suggestive title.
Jesus, 54 Barrow Street. Fred Alliot and Bob Aronson, both of whom I’d run into now and then over the years, are gone now. Paul Grillo and I lost touch with each other fifty-plus years ago…
Years and years later, I found out that 69 PARK AVENUE had been Harold Robbins’ original title. His publishers made him change it. My publishers had no such compunctions, and 69 BARROW STREET it was and shall remain. And now it’s back in print, and graced once again by Paul Rader’s magnificent cover art.
- GenresEbooks
184 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1959
9 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence Block
761 books2,998 followersLawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 14, 2016
Early Lawrence Block, his third novel, according to the afterward in the ebook version. Pretty awful. Too much exposition and the dialogue is mostly inane. Set in Greenwich Village circa 1959. Sex, drugs, and artists. Not without some merit, however, as Block, with Stella tried to create a dark and domineering character. He also tried to get inside the characters point of view and did manage to slip into free indirect at times, but for the most part the narration is shallow exposition and that does this one in.
August 4, 2017
Nearly 60 years after its initial publication, the only people still reading this book are die-hard Lawrence Block fans.
Block estimates that this was the third novel he ever wrote, completed while he was in his early 20's. Although not a good book by most standards, 69 BARROW STREET is shockingly competent and engaging for a sleazy pulp novel written by a college kid in 1959. As a work of pure entertainment, the book is both strange enough and well-written enough to be called a success.
The story is this: Ralph is an aspiring painter whose life is controlled by a depraved, bisexual beauty named Stella. Ostensibly, Ralph and Stella are lovers, though she treats him as a cuckold and pushes him to commit all sorts of atrocious behavior, up to and including rape. Just when Ralph begins to think himself irredeemable, he meets Susan, the newest resident in their apartment building. After striking up a friendship with her and convincing her to pose nude for him, Ralph slowly finds himself falling in love. Trouble is, she's a lesbian and just so happens to be sexually attracted to Stella, though she prefers Ralph as a person. Ralph hopes to cure her of her lesbian tendencies; Stella hopes to seduce her and break her spirit. Who will win out in the end?
Now, if the above synopsis sounds like a recipe for literary disaster, that's cause it is. There's no reason why a story like this should even be readable, let alone good. And yet, Block almost makes it work--not simply as a superior example of 1950's smut, but as an actual novel whose plot and characters you genuinely care about. Ultimately, however, the story falls flat, simply because Stella and Susan's character arcs wind up feeling unconvincing, even silly.
But irrespective of its flaws, the main reason I can't give 69 BARROW STREET a positive score is because it falls under the category of "erotica." Sex is the constant theme of this novel, although the graphic nature of its content is largely implied. Interestingly, most of the sex scenes are used to highlight how loathsome and/or pathetic these characters are, yet the book hypocritically titillates us with the same sexual deviancy it criticizes or even condemns. And while many such scenes arguably serve to further the story, some cannot be justified as anything other than softcore porno.
69 BARROW STREET is a clear example of an author writing material that is beneath him. Most authors would write this kind of book on autopilot, just to put food on the table. To Block's credit, he seems to give every book his all. And while that's not enough for me to recommend it, I couldn't help but be impressed by the fact that Block demonstrated such incredible potential so early in his career.
Block estimates that this was the third novel he ever wrote, completed while he was in his early 20's. Although not a good book by most standards, 69 BARROW STREET is shockingly competent and engaging for a sleazy pulp novel written by a college kid in 1959. As a work of pure entertainment, the book is both strange enough and well-written enough to be called a success.
The story is this: Ralph is an aspiring painter whose life is controlled by a depraved, bisexual beauty named Stella. Ostensibly, Ralph and Stella are lovers, though she treats him as a cuckold and pushes him to commit all sorts of atrocious behavior, up to and including rape. Just when Ralph begins to think himself irredeemable, he meets Susan, the newest resident in their apartment building. After striking up a friendship with her and convincing her to pose nude for him, Ralph slowly finds himself falling in love. Trouble is, she's a lesbian and just so happens to be sexually attracted to Stella, though she prefers Ralph as a person. Ralph hopes to cure her of her lesbian tendencies; Stella hopes to seduce her and break her spirit. Who will win out in the end?
Now, if the above synopsis sounds like a recipe for literary disaster, that's cause it is. There's no reason why a story like this should even be readable, let alone good. And yet, Block almost makes it work--not simply as a superior example of 1950's smut, but as an actual novel whose plot and characters you genuinely care about. Ultimately, however, the story falls flat, simply because Stella and Susan's character arcs wind up feeling unconvincing, even silly.
But irrespective of its flaws, the main reason I can't give 69 BARROW STREET a positive score is because it falls under the category of "erotica." Sex is the constant theme of this novel, although the graphic nature of its content is largely implied. Interestingly, most of the sex scenes are used to highlight how loathsome and/or pathetic these characters are, yet the book hypocritically titillates us with the same sexual deviancy it criticizes or even condemns. And while many such scenes arguably serve to further the story, some cannot be justified as anything other than softcore porno.
69 BARROW STREET is a clear example of an author writing material that is beneath him. Most authors would write this kind of book on autopilot, just to put food on the table. To Block's credit, he seems to give every book his all. And while that's not enough for me to recommend it, I couldn't help but be impressed by the fact that Block demonstrated such incredible potential so early in his career.
June 8, 2017
A 1962 Midwood paperback by Block's early pen name Sheldon Lord is
guaranteed to be pulpy, sexy, possibly raunchy. This book is about Greenwich Village in the early sixties, described as being the former location of many artists and writers, but now filled with junkies,
queers, perverts, and the dregs of society.
And, it was where Ralph Lambert and Stella James lived. Stella was tall beautiful blonde and a tigress. Ralph was a failed artist who hadn't painted a thing in months and lived off Stella's inheritance. Ralph was bitterly unhappy with the arrangements and considered Stella a first
class bitch on wheels. There was no monogamy in this arrangement
either as far as Stella was concerned. She enjoyed both men and women and Ralph put up with it. It's an exploitation story about damaged people.
guaranteed to be pulpy, sexy, possibly raunchy. This book is about Greenwich Village in the early sixties, described as being the former location of many artists and writers, but now filled with junkies,
queers, perverts, and the dregs of society.
And, it was where Ralph Lambert and Stella James lived. Stella was tall beautiful blonde and a tigress. Ralph was a failed artist who hadn't painted a thing in months and lived off Stella's inheritance. Ralph was bitterly unhappy with the arrangements and considered Stella a first
class bitch on wheels. There was no monogamy in this arrangement
either as far as Stella was concerned. She enjoyed both men and women and Ralph put up with it. It's an exploitation story about damaged people.
February 28, 2022
1959 soft porn by author Lawrence Block writing as Sheldon Lord. Erotic happenings take place at 69 Barrow Street in New York City's Greenwich Village. Not as titillating as it probably was over 60 years ago.
May 17, 2017
An early glimpse into the master writer; if you put the depravity of the characters aside it is a quick read and paints a grimy image of 1959 Greenwich Village
June 12, 2022
This is porn without the good parts. It's not really well written or enjoyable. It's an easy read and it certainly is atmospheric and sets the stage, but provides little value beyond that.
November 1, 2025
You can call it terribly dated. And you can call it unrealistic male gaze fantasy. But you can't call it poorly written.
August 21, 2013
I am a big fan of Lawrence Block. His 1986 novel When the Sacred Ginmill Closes is a noir classic that I would put alongside the best Dashiel Hammett and James M. Cain stories. Hit Man is another classic that manages to be profound, funny, complex, and fun all at the same time. He has been consistently good dating back to some of his early potboiler pulps in the 1960's: Grifter's Game, After the First Death, The Girl With the Long Green Heart.
If you go back earlier than that, the quality of his pseudonymous work can get a little murky, although they are almost always fun to read. There are some so-called sex novels that are actually serviceable suspense thrillers (Candy, Lucky at Cards). There are some sex novels that try but don't quite manage to transcend their genre (Diet of Treacle). And then there is the really early stuff, some of it so bad it is actually good--sort of like the movie Sharknado.
69 Barrow Street is of the latter quality. A string of unlikely, bizarre sex scenes (never actually described due to decency standards of the day) hang together by the barest of plots. Filled with descriptions of people smoking pot at parties and becoming crazed animals. Lesbians who turn straight when they just find the right man. Over-the-top bloodshed. The prose is stilted and awkward.
The fact is, I enjoyed the book for its amateur quality and unintentional humor. It is fun to trace the progress of such a talented writer all the way back to his roots. Everybody has to begin somewhere, and even here you can still see Block's gift at inventing deeply flawed characters who do bad things but you still want to see them succeed. That, after all, is the secret to his writing.
If you go back earlier than that, the quality of his pseudonymous work can get a little murky, although they are almost always fun to read. There are some so-called sex novels that are actually serviceable suspense thrillers (Candy, Lucky at Cards). There are some sex novels that try but don't quite manage to transcend their genre (Diet of Treacle). And then there is the really early stuff, some of it so bad it is actually good--sort of like the movie Sharknado.
69 Barrow Street is of the latter quality. A string of unlikely, bizarre sex scenes (never actually described due to decency standards of the day) hang together by the barest of plots. Filled with descriptions of people smoking pot at parties and becoming crazed animals. Lesbians who turn straight when they just find the right man. Over-the-top bloodshed. The prose is stilted and awkward.
The fact is, I enjoyed the book for its amateur quality and unintentional humor. It is fun to trace the progress of such a talented writer all the way back to his roots. Everybody has to begin somewhere, and even here you can still see Block's gift at inventing deeply flawed characters who do bad things but you still want to see them succeed. That, after all, is the secret to his writing.
May 18, 2013
For Block fans, this is a curious example of his early soft-core days (at least soft-core for that time period). By comparison it fascinating to see his growth and maturity into one of the greatest mystery writers of all time.
On it's own, there are glimmers of the Block that will be, especially in the last third of the story, but the (surprisingly) moral voice of the book comes off a bit too heavy handed - cures for the perversion of homosexuality? It was a different time.
On it's own, there are glimmers of the Block that will be, especially in the last third of the story, but the (surprisingly) moral voice of the book comes off a bit too heavy handed - cures for the perversion of homosexuality? It was a different time.
May 5, 2013
Sleazy fun but with some story elements that are majorly outdated to the point of being offensive, made even more jarring by the fact that the author seems aware of how offensive/implausible they are.
Read
February 9, 2016One of his earlier books under this psuedoname. Just a story and sexually graphic in spots but I couldn't stop reading it. Well written but just a story about some people living in this apartment complex.
February 22, 2019
Another old Block re-release
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews