"I'm proud to say I knew the man who wrote this book. It is pure writing, never pretentious or forced, never melodramatic, but honest storytelling of the highest order. This is how to do it, if anyone wants to know: how to write simple prose from a young boy's point of view and hold the reader spellbound." - Elmore Leonard
Charles Willeford knew how to tell a story and he knew how to write. His Hoke Mosley crime novels set in Miami are some of the most vivid novels in my memory. As is The Shark Infested Custard, another Florida novel. Or, The Burnt Orange Heresy — a crime novel that explores art, morality, and commerce like nothing else I’ve ever read. The list goes on. Suffice it say, in my opinion, Willeford is one of the most interesting writers I’ve ever read. If you like Bukowski, Willeford has a similar world-view, sense of humor, and matter-of-fact style.
This book is non-fiction. Autobiography, to be exact. Written in first-person using a deceptively friendly conversational style, Willeford relates the story of his childhood and adolescence as an orphan. He moves from railroad yards to hobo tent cities, to soup kitchens and deserts around Los Angeles and across the United States. The ensuing tale is at once a picaresque adventure through Depression-era America and a portrait of the writer as a young man of seemingly little promise but great spirit.
This copy was sent to me by his widow, Betsy some 30 years ago. I happened to put up a copy of a rare Willeford paperback on eBay and she bought it. When I saw the buyer’s name, I refused to take her money and sent it to her at my own expense, happy to have the chance to do something for her. She emailed me thanks and asked if there were any of Charles’s books I was missing, and I named this one and the Shark Infested Custard. A week later, a generous package arrived from her with the two books, plus a copy of the privately printed, low print run A Guide for the Undehemorrhoided - worth hundreds today.
I wrote her back to thank her and she said, simply, that she wanted to “share the love.”
I have this book in an edition that collects it with his follow-up book that tells of his days in the Army. This trade paper edition, published in Britain in 1991, is much nicer. It is proportionate, fits well in the hands, is typeset well, and has a great cover. The photos of Charles and his family are printed larger and significantly more clarity than in the collected edition. For this reason, this is the most sought after edition of this book, which has been reprinted several times and, in fact, is currently in print for about $20. As of this listing, there are two copies for sale on AbeBooks; one for $125, and the other for ten times that amount.
In very good condition. Crease on front cover - barely visible on outside (see photos).
"I'm proud to say I knew the man who wrote this book. It is pure writing, never pretentious or forced, never melodramatic, but honest storytelling of the highest order. This is how to do it, if anyone wants to know: how to write simple prose from a young boy's point of view and hold the reader spellbound." - Elmore Leonard
Charles Willeford knew how to tell a story and he knew how to write. His Hoke Mosley crime novels set in Miami are some of the most vivid novels in my memory. As is The Shark Infested Custard, another Florida novel. Or, The Burnt Orange Heresy — a crime novel that explores art, morality, and commerce like nothing else I’ve ever read. The list goes on. Suffice it say, in my opinion, Willeford is one of the most interesting writers I’ve ever read. If you like Bukowski, Willeford has a similar world-view, sense of humor, and matter-of-fact style.
This book is non-fiction. Autobiography, to be exact. Written in first-person using a deceptively friendly conversational style, Willeford relates the story of his childhood and adolescence as an orphan. He moves from railroad yards to hobo tent cities, to soup kitchens and deserts around Los Angeles and across the United States. The ensuing tale is at once a picaresque adventure through Depression-era America and a portrait of the writer as a young man of seemingly little promise but great spirit.
This copy was sent to me by his widow, Betsy some 30 years ago. I happened to put up a copy of a rare Willeford paperback on eBay and she bought it. When I saw the buyer’s name, I refused to take her money and sent it to her at my own expense, happy to have the chance to do something for her. She emailed me thanks and asked if there were any of Charles’s books I was missing, and I named this one and the Shark Infested Custard. A week later, a generous package arrived from her with the two books, plus a copy of the privately printed, low print run A Guide for the Undehemorrhoided - worth hundreds today.
I wrote her back to thank her and she said, simply, that she wanted to “share the love.”
I have this book in an edition that collects it with his follow-up book that tells of his days in the Army. This trade paper edition, published in Britain in 1991, is much nicer. It is proportionate, fits well in the hands, is typeset well, and has a great cover. The photos of Charles and his family are printed larger and significantly more clarity than in the collected edition. For this reason, this is the most sought after edition of this book, which has been reprinted several times and, in fact, is currently in print for about $20. As of this listing, there are two copies for sale on AbeBooks; one for $125, and the other for ten times that amount.
In very good condition. Crease on front cover - barely visible on outside (see photos).