Between the Covers

Softcover. A collection of 68 issues of *The Ladder*, the first nationally distributed lesbian magazine in the United States, published in San Francisco from 1957 to 1968. All are octavos with stapled illustrated wrappers and are between 18pp. and 40pp. per issue. Early issues have various colored covers featuring the image of two silhouetted woman set to climb a ladder, while later issues feature a mix of original photographs and artwork. Overall, near fine with some light wear and oxidation at the staples; one issue with waviness from exposure to water.

The magazine was created in 1956 by the Daughters of Bilitis, a San Francisco-based group of lesbian women who gathered together to socialize as an alternative to gay bars, which at the time were subject to frequent harassment by law enforcement. *The Ladder* sought not only to connect lesbian women but to dispel notions of shame for their same-sex attraction, discuss their shared history of persecution, educate readers as to their legal rights, and to convey their desire for public acceptance.

Daughters’ co-founders Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, both with journalism backgrounds, served as the first editors, with most contributors writing under various pen names to protect their identity. The content of the magazines included articles, news reports, interviews, poetry, and fiction, along with a steady flow of letters from readers eager to engage in the conversation. The readership grew to more than 700 subscribers but the list was kept secret at the time for fear of exposure by authorities.

Contributions to *The Ladder* include numerous book reviews by Barbara Grier, which formed the basis for her bibliography *The Lesbian in Literature*; dozens of original short stories and poems; news from the East Coast Homophile Organization (ECHO), annual convention reports from Daughters of Bilitis, The Mattachine Society, and ECHO; an account of a police raid of the Tay-Bush Café in San Francisco for “lewd dancing”; and a lengthy letter from African-American playwright Lorraine Hansberry supporting the efforts of the publications and drawing similarities to the plight of African-Americans.

In the early 1960s Martin and Lyon stepped down to make way for new editors including Barbara Gittings and Helen Sandoz, who explored the evolving viewpoints and dynamics within the growing lesbian community during that turbulent decade. Unfortunately, internal rifts within the Daughters of Bilitis and mounting tension that arose between those who believed in quiet assimilation and those who sought public support as part of the modern feminist movement, put an end to the *The Ladder*, which ceased publication in September of 1972.

A sizable run of this landmark publication at the forefront of lesbian thought in the mid-20th Century.

List:

1957

*The Ladder – March 1957, Vol. 1, No. 6*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1957. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 18pp.
*The Ladder – May 1957, Vol. 1, No. 8*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1957. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 30pp.
*The Ladder – June 1957, Vol. 1, No. 9*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1957. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 30pp.
*The Ladder – July 1957, Vol. 1, No. 10*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1957. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 30pp.

1958

*The Ladder – May 1958, Vol. 2, No. 8*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1958. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – June 1958, Vol. 2, No. 9*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1958. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 26pp
*The Ladder – July 1958, Vol. 2, No. 10*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1958. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – August 1958, Vol. 2, No. 11*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1958. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – September 1958, Vol. 2, No. 12*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1958. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – October 1958, Vol. 3, No. 1*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1958. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 34pp.
*The Ladder – December 1958, Vol. 3, No. 3*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1958. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 18pp.

1960

*The Ladder – May 1960, Vol. 4, No. 8*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1960. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – August 1960, Vol. 4, No. 11*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1960. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – September 1960, Vol. 4, No. 12*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1960. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp. With publisher’s label affixed to the front wrap, as issued with some copies.
*The Ladder – October 1960, Vol. 5, No. 1*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1960. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – November 1960, Vol. 5, No. 2*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1960. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – December 1960, Vol. 5, No. 3*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1960. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.

1961

*The Ladder – September 1961, Vol. 5, No. 12*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1961. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – October 1961, Vol. 6, No. 1*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1961. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – December 1961, Vol. 6, No. 3*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1961. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
1962
*The Ladder – January 1962, Vol. 6, No. 4*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1962. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – February 1962, Vol. 6, No. 5*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1962. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – April 1962, Vol. 6, No. 7*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1962. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – May 1962, Vol. 6, No. 8*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1962. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – Spetember 1962, Vol. 6, No. 12*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1962. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – October 1962, Vol. 7, No. 1*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1962. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – November 1962, Vol. 7, No. 2*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1962. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – December 1962, Vol. 7, No. 3*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1962. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.

1963

*The Ladder – January 1963, Vol. 7, No. 4*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1963. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – February 1963, Vol. 7, No. 5*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1963. Magazine. Edited by Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – April 1963, Vol. 7, No. 7*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1963. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – May 1963, Vol. 7, No. 8*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1963. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – June 1963, Vol. 7, No. 9*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1963. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – July 1963, Vol. 7, No. 10*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1963. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – December 1963, Vol. 8, No. 3*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1963. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.

1964

*The Ladder – January 1964, Vol. 8, No. 4*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1964. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – April 1964, Vol. 8, No. 7*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1964. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – November 1964, Vol. 9, No. 2 *. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1964. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – December 1964, Vol. 9, No. 3*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1964. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.

1965

*The Ladder – January 1965, Vol. 9, No. 4*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1965. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – February-March 1965, Vol. 9, No. 5 and 6*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1965. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – May 1965, Vol. 9, No. 8*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1965. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – June 1965, Vol. 9, No. 9*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1965. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – July-August 1965, Vol. 9, No. 10 and 11*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1965. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – September 1965, Vol. 9, No. 12*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1965. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – October 1965, Vol. 10, No. 1*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1965. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.

1966

*The Ladder – June 1966, Vol. 10, No. 9*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1966. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – July 1966, Vol. 10, No. 10*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1966. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – August 1966, Vol. 10, No. 11*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1966. Magazine. Edited by Barbara Gittings. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – September 1966, Vol. 10, No. 12*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1966. Magazine. Edited by Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin. Stapled wrappers. 26pp.
*The Ladder – November 1966, Vol. 11, No. 2*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1966. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 30pp.
*The Ladder – December 1966, Vol. 11, No. 3*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1966. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 30pp.

1967

*The Ladder – January 1967, Vol. 11, No. 4*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1967. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 32pp.
*The Ladder – February 1967, Vol. 11, No. 5*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1967. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 24pp.
*The Ladder – April 1967, Vol. 11, No. 6*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1967. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 32pp.
*The Ladder – May 1967, Vol. 11, No. 7*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1967. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 32pp.
*The Ladder – June 1967, Vol. 11, No. 8*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1967. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 32pp.
*The Ladder – July 1967, Vol. 11, No. [9]*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1967. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 32pp.
*The Ladder – August 1967, Vol. 11, No. 10*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1967. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 32pp.
*The Ladder – September 1967, Vol. 11, No. 11*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1967. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 32pp.
*The Ladder – December 1967, Vol. 12, No. 1*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1967. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 32pp.

1968

*The Ladder – January 1968, Vol. 12, No. 2*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1968. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 40pp.
*The Ladder – February-March 1968, Vol. 12, No. 3*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1968. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 40pp.
*The Ladder – May-June 1968, Vol. 12, No. 7*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1968. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 32pp.
*The Ladder – July 1968, Vol. 12, No. 9*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1968. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 30pp.
*The Ladder – August 1968, Vol. 12, No. 10*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1968. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 46pp.
*The Ladder – September 1968, Vol. 12, No. 11 and 12*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1968. Magazine. Edited by Gene Damon [pseudonym of Barbara Grier]. Stapled wrappers. 30pp.
*The Ladder – October-November 1968, Vol. 13, No. 1 and 2*. San Francisco: Daughters of Bilitis 1968. Magazine. Edited by Helen Sanders [pseudonym of Helen Sandoz]. Stapled wrappers. 47pp.

Item #445399