Sam Steward – Author
Samuel Steward (1909–1993), author, professor, and tattoo artist, wrote erotic fiction under the pen name Phil Andros and worked as a tattoo artist under the name Phil Sparrow, operating Phil Sparrow’s Tattoo Joynt in Chicago (1956–1963) and the Anchor Tattoo Shop in Oakland (1964–1970). A friend of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas in 1930s Paris and a research collaborator with Alfred Kinsey’s Institute for Sex Research, Steward later contributed stories to Drummer under Jack Fritscher’s editorship. Fritscher met Steward in 1969 and recorded an audiotape interview with him in 1972 for the Journal of Popular Culture, at Steward’s stipulation that it not be used publicly during his lifetime. Fritscher’s essay “Samuel Steward: Secret Historian — The Talented Mr. Steward” reviews Justin Spring’s 2010 biography, Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade.