4 From the Circle ebook MOBI 1959

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Printed in 1959.

From the inside cover:
"FOUR FROM THE CIRCLE is not the first book of short stories dealing with the theme of homophilie love. But it is a unique publication in that it presents four highly entertaining stories of people who are a part of the here-and-now world of today, people who can be readily identified by every reader, even though the characters are, for the most part, moving in a foreign setting. All of these tales have appeared in English in the tri-lingual homophile magazine, DER KREIS (The Circle), now in its 27th year of publication in Zurich. Details telling how to subscribe to DER KREIS are included in the back of this book. Some of the spelling and punctuation (particularly the French-style quotation marks) may look strange to American readers, because none of it was changed as the stories were "lifted" from the pages of DER KREIS to make up this book. But the whole, the editors hope, will make one more little volume of literature on the subject of how homosexuals live, love and feel."

The name Der Kreis (The Circle) has long been known to scholars of post-war gay European history, but often only from passing acquaintance. This journal was published in Zurich from 1942 to 1967 (and under other titles from 1932 to 1941) and was sold solely by subscription. This monthly magazine offered short stories and poems, reviews of books and films, editorials and letters to the editor, news reports and art illustrations. According to Kennedy, a typical issue contained thirty-six pages, of which sixteen were in German, eight each in French and in English, and four were illustrations. The illustrations were chiefly photographs of more or less undressed young men, but reproductions of works of art by classical and contemporary artists provided what full-frontal nudity the editor allowed to appear. Inserted by hand into each issue was a sheet of personal ads intended "for members only."