Rough Trade

8½ × 11 inches, black & white

Rough Trade was a gay pulp fiction imprint from 1979 to 1987, publishing over 200 novels. Each book had a cover illustration and many interior illustrations created by gay artists of the time helping launch the careers of many young men, some of whom remain anonymous to this day. These images, from the first 11 books of the series, are by REX.

Rough Trade is REX's earliest published work — five pulp-format magazines produced in the 1970s that capture the raw energy of New York's leather underground.

The complete set represents the foundation of REX's artistic legacy.

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