Screw (magazine)
Screw magazine, launched in November 1968 by writer Alvin Goldstein and editor James Buckley, emerged as a notable publication in the realm of adult entertainment and commentary. It featured nude photographs, sex-related articles, personal ads, and evaluations of sexual aids, X-rated films, and erotica, while also addressing broader topics such as politics and societal norms. The magazine quickly gained popularity, doubling its size and reaching a monthly circulation of over 100,000 copies.
Screw's provocative content attracted legal scrutiny, culminating in a police raid in 1969 that led to a high-profile court case. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the magazine was not obscene, although subsequent legal battles resulted in convictions for obscenity at the state level. Despite these challenges, Screw continued to publish, reflecting the complexities of media freedom and the cultural landscape of its time. The magazine holds historical significance as both a product of the counterculture movement and a participant in the ongoing discourse about sexuality and expression in media.
Subject Terms
Screw (magazine)
Type of work: Magazine
First published: 1968
Publishers: James Buckley (1944- ) and Alvin Goldstein (1937- )
Subject matter: Adult sexuality and political satire
Significance: When this magazine was tried under state obscenity laws and ruled obscene in 1973, the decision called into question the legality of all American sex magazines
In November, 1968, writer Alvin Goldstein and editor James Buckley, both of the underground newspaper New York Free Press, put together the first issue of Screw magazine. A sex magazine containing nude photographs, sex commentary, personal advertisements, and ratings of sexual aids, X-rated films and sex novels, Screw also commented on politics, war, and societal mores and fetishes. Within several years, the magazine doubled its physical size and had a circulation of more than 100,000 issues a month.
On May 30, 1969, New York City police raided the offices of Screw and confiscated copies of issues allegedly libeling local politicians. Buckley and Goldstein were eventually tried by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that Screw was not obscene. Four years later, in Miller v. California, the Supreme Court decided that individual states could set their own definitions of obscenity. During that same year a jury in Wichita, Kansas, convicted Buckley and Goldstein on eleven counts of obscenity. They were also found guilty in the New York State Court of Appeals. An appeal to the Court was rejected. Despite these convictions, Screw continued to appear.