If you ever needed proof no subject was taboo for Greenleaf Classics, this is it. 1970’s Viet-Nookie was written by James L. Brown under his pen name L.J. Brown for Greenleaf’s Candid Reader line, and we can just imagine Greenleaf honchos William Hamling and Earl Kemp going back and forth: “No, we can’t.” “Yes, we can.” “No, we can’t.” “Yes. We can.” More likely, they both thought it was a great idea. Later in 1970 the two would go too far and be convicted of obscenity for distributing a book called Presidential Report of the Commission on Obscenity and Pornography, which was an illustrated send-up of the actual federal report of the same name. But that’s another story entirely. The art here is by Robert Bonfils, by the way, and you can see more of his genius here and here.
1959—Dark Side of Moon Revealed
The Soviet space probe Luna 3 transmits the first photographs of the far side of the moon. The photos generate great interest, and scientists are surprised to see mountainous terrain, very different from the near side, and only two seas, which the Soviets name Mare Moscovrae (Sea of Moscow) and Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire).