The Origins of Espionage

Writer Josh Pachter recalls the start-up of Espionage Magazine in “I Spy” from The Digest Enthusiast No. 7. Below is an excerpt from his article:

“Editor/Publisher Jackie Lewis and Associate Publisher Jeri Winston were already involved in the industry, putting out (so to speak) a number of magazines that, by comparison, made Penthouse look like Highlights for Children. If Playboy was soft-core porn and Penthouse was a little harder, Jackie and Jeri’s sex digests were fucking dirty. Perhaps in an attempt to redeem themselves in the eyes of the Lord, they famously asked their father, who had staked Bob [Guccione] to $5560 when Penthouse was in its infancy, to help them finance a non-porno publication that would feature spy stories and nonfiction articles about the world of espionage.”