A lovely friend passed this old paperback on to me and I think it deserves an airing here.
What a great cover, eh? It's from 1960. Its stars look to me like they could also have been in one of those rockabilly bands, like the Polecats or the Stray Cats...
Of course the book is not quite as shocking as the cover and preface would like to suggest... or maybe that's just to my modern eyes?
One of the regretful consequences of loosening mores is the impossibility of being bad in a fun way.
ReplyDeleteThere don't seen to be any false barriers. Harmless lines that kids can get a kick out of crossing. Near innocent things...rowdy behavior that, while feigning shock, adults find titillating...all in good fun.
The lengths you'd have to go to shock somebody today...:o.
That cover is dead cool.
Good point, e.f. First thing that came to mind when I read your comment was 'scrumping'! Don't know if you call it that over there? - taking apples from someone else's apple tree. The sort of thing kids used to do and would be severely reprimanded for, although I think most people thought it was pretty harmless (as you say, the adults doing the telling off were probably feigning their reaction a bit -and remember doing it themselves once...)
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