Herbert Asbury's histories of low life have been among my
favorites for years. His books were reprinted often enough
that any regular visitor of used book stores can locate his
books. They are well worth the effort. One of my favorites
that has not been mentioned is his 1950 history of
prohibition THE GREAT ILLUSION. Like so many of my favorites
from this period, Asbury was a former journalist. Gene Fowler
was the best known, checkout his SKYLINE which tells of his
years on the Hearst newspapers of the twenties. Almost
totally forgotten is one of the most entertaining
ex-journalist/historians Stanley Walker. His THE NIGHT CLUB
ERA is great fun as is the strangely titled MRS ASTOR'S
HORSE. I say he is forgotten but Johns Hopkins reprinted his
prohibition history THE NIGHT CLUB ERA in 1999 so it is
available.
Very belatedly, I have always admired Dorothy B. Hughes but I
chose to read her DREAD JOURNEY last month and found it very
tedious. She was a fine writer and a great critic but I did
not care for that book.
Our writer this month is a long time favorite. I am now
reading IF I HAD TEARS, perhaps the most difficult to obtain
of his mystery novels, and will comment on it later. For
those who have asked about INCREDIBLE INK. I also hesitated
at the price but it is very well worth it.
Richard Moore
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