LARRY TOWNSEND
"Legendary"
27 October 1930 - 29 July 2008
Editor's Note: This new thumbnail biography, having been approved and updated by the leather world's number one eyewitness, Larry Townsend, is reprinted from Jack Fritscher's leather-heritage book Gay San Francisco: Eyewitness Drummer: A Memoir of the Sex, Art, Salon, Pop Culture War, and Gay History of Drummer Magazine - The Titanic 1970s to 1999, which, published June 20, 2008, also includes the Introduction to The Leatherman's Handbook Silver Anniversary Edition, as well as Larry's "Eyewitness Drummer Introduction," his last published writing.
Spill a drop for lost brothers.
Larry Townsend was the pseudonymous author of dozens of books including Run Little Leather Boy (1970) and The Leatherman's Handbook (1972) at pioneer erotic presses such as Greenleaf Classics and the Other Traveler imprint of Olympia Press. Growing up as a teenager of Swiss-German extraction in Los Angeles a few houses from Noel Coward and Irene Dunne, he ate cookies with his neighbor Laura Hope Crews who was Aunt Pittypat in Gone with the Wind. He attended the prestigious Peddie School, and was stationed as Staff Sergeant in charge of NCOIC Operations of Air Intelligence Squadrons for nearly five years with the US Air Force in Germany (1950-1954). Completing his tour of duty, he entered into the 1950s underground of the LA leather scene where he and Montgomery Clift shared a lover. With his degree in industrial psychology from UCLA (1957), he worked in the private sector and as a probation officer with the Forestry Service. He began his pioneering activism in the politics of gay liberation in the early 1960s. In 1972, as president of the "Homophile Effort for Legal Protection" which had been founded in 1969 to defend gays during and after arrests, he led a group in founding the H.E.L.P. Newsletter, the forebear of Drummer (1975). As a writer and photographer, he was an essential eyewitness of the drama and salon around Drummer in which his novels were often excerpted. His signature "Leather Notebook" column appeared in Drummer for twelve years beginning in 1980, and continued in Honcho to 2008. His last novel, Time Masters, was published April 2008; his last writing was an introduction to Gay San Francisco: Eyewitness Drummer (June 2008). His partner of 44 years, Fred Yerkes, passed on July 8, 2006. To research biographical details about Larry Townsend that were approved for accuracy by Larry Townsend, type "Larry Townsend" into the SEARCH feature at www.DrummerArchives.com
Welcome to the world of Larry Townsend,
one of the most honored and respected gay writers in the
Larry Townsend is best known as author of the Leatherman’s Handbooks. The original was first published in 1972 by Olympia Press. Leatherman’s Handbook II was released ten years later by Carlyle Communications (publishers of Honcho and a number of other magazines). Both books are still in print. Prior to release of the handbooks, and during the subsequent years, Larry has written over forty other books (novels and anthologies.)
He established his own small press, L. T. Publications, in the early seventies, and under this imprint published seventy-four large format books, containing his own stories and those of other talented writers, including: Victor Terry, Fledermaus, Macbeth, plus some other well-known authors who wrote for these collections under pseudonyms. The L.T. Publications editions were mostly illustrated with photos (many by the author) and drawings by such luminaries as Sean, Zane, Mack, Ettienne, and Olaf.
Although most of Larry’s books were leather/SM themed, he also wrote a number of science fiction stories and historical pieces—the most notable of which is the hard cover CZAR!, his novel based on the life of Ivan, the Terrible (not a gay-themed tale, but one containing more than its share of cruelty and torture.) You can also find his advice column in each issue of Honcho magazine.
Announcing the publication of Larry's thrilling new science fiction novel Time Masters. For sales inquiries, please email Orders@LTPublications.com
Earth is threatened by two powerful, but diverse entities. These dangers are observed by aliens from the Great Galactic Imperium, who are driven to help by apparently sincere humanitarian considerations. But they also have a secondary motivation, in that Earth had to have been an important component at the time of their own creation. Many of the time-space tunnels left by an ancient and now extinct race, and which allow alien space vessels to travel vast distances in extremely compressed time, seem to terminate very close to Earth. Thus the leaders of the Imperium badly want to continue the scientific investigations they already have underway. Add to this that the individual aliens comprise a handsome, lusty group with some healthy SM interests, and we have the essence of a story in keeping with Larry's long standing tradition.
To read the first chapter, click here
More About Larry
Aside from his work as a writer, Larry was a well-known activist in the gay movement during the seventies and early eighties. He served as president of H.E.L.P., Inc. and was founding president of The Hollywood Hills Democratic Club, the first gay-oriented CDC club in
Fred, Larry’s long-time companion of 44 years, passed away in July 2006, which interrupted this prolific writer’s output for most of the year. Larry still resides in his home in the Hollywood Hills with two wise, adoring cats.(For those who remember Larry’s fabulous Dobermans, it’s sad to tell that this era seems to have ended with Mueller’s death from cancer over two years ago. He was fourteen.) As mentioned above, Larry's new science fiction novel Time Masters, is due to be released very shortly and will soon be available for purchase here on his official website. Be sure to check back frequently for updates. Larry is already at work on the sequel as well as a number of other exciting projects.