Ed Wood Wednesdays: The Wood Paperback Odyssey, Part Six by Greg Dziawer

Written by Ed Wood? Greg says no.

Practicing Peters

Some relevant copyright listings.

We've previously shared a chunk of poetically weird photo-captions from the series of adult paperbacks released by the Pendulum-family of publishers circa 1970-1972, from a deeply personal Holy Grail of mine, the fabled source by Dr. T.K. Peters. A comprehensive sex study rooted in his work as a marriage counselor in Atlanta after his "retirement" from Oglethorpe University—enjoying his sunset years with his wife Grace—at the Dunwoody Preserve, an effortlessly ahead-its-time endeavor per the usual for "Kim."

I must confess that I can't resist paging Dr. Peters yet again. In this week's Ed Wood Wednesdays, we're diving into one title from the T.K. Peters source, one of the most-legendary of them all. Did Ed even write it? (If you've been here before, that's a rhetorical question.)

Sexual Practices in Witchcraft and Black Magic Book 1 (SP 111, 1971, volume XVII of SECS Press' Sexual Encyclopedia for Adults), credited to Frank Lennon with Dr. T.K. Peters, is listed on Ed's resume, generally a reliable source. Leo Eaton was the sole author, and it reads nothing like Ed, densely laden with truly factual research and unusually serious for this milieu. Though not penned by Ed, it is, nonetheless, deservedly one of the most beloved of the series. If Ed had any involvement, perhaps it was in the photo-captions, the mind-altering sexual haiku that defined the distinctive Pendulum tone across hundreds of paperbacks and upwards of a thousand mags in less than a half dozen years. 

Here are some of my favorites, less than a third, exactly as they appear:

• The Satanic priest incourages the congregation to sexual excesses.

• Most satanic cults go all in for all forms of sado-masochism. 

• Group sex plays an important part in Satanism.

• The penis is the phallic symbol of the Dark Lord.

• Often the satanist chapel is decorated with all forms of S-M equipment.

• Intercourse through the back entrance is a favored form of position in black magic.

• Some witches are out-and-out masochists.

• Torture often has a sexual connotation in witchcraft.

• Pain and pleasure find a common ground in black magic.

• Witches often enjoy painful penetration.

• Erection is produced by Satanic imaginings.

• Ejaculations represent the climax of the ceremony.

• Intercourse is a blending of Satanic forces. 

• The Devil's herb is used to inspire intercourse.

• Masturbating the priest is a sign of loyalty.

• The black magic novitiate is subservient to the master.

• Black magic rites are often practiced in private homes.

• Some rituals defy comprehension by ordinary persons.

• Black magic rituals are often held in the nude.

• Ritual orgiasts often experience sexual frenzy.

• Sex is essential in magic.

• Some rites call for the master to urinate in the mouth of a girl.

• Cunnilingus is not unknown in practitioners of black magic.

In their own jewel-like way, these are complex and challenging Socratic arguments. 

The book itself—"An analysis of sexual rituals and customs as employed by Satanists and witches in their worship of the Devil."—was filed for copyright in 1970 under Leo Eaton's name, credited to the pseudonym Frank Lennon. The pseudonym has a complex history across the spectrum of the T.K.Peters works, some by Leo, some by Ed, some by both. We'll continue to explore the facts behind the true authorship of this incredible series in future episodes of Ed Wood Wednesdays.