Garretts & Pretenders: a History of Bohemianism in America

Published in 1933, the first edition of this classic narrative chronicled the lives of America's bohemians, from Edgar Allen Poe in the early 1800s to Walt Whitman and Ambrose Bierce. The book caused a sensation when it was released in March 1933, with reviews and excerpts printed in magazines such as Esquire, American Mercury, and other popular titles of the time. Complete with a comprehensive index, the book was a major historical source for many years. This updated edition, first published in 1960, includes a meticulous and well-researched account of the Beat Generation, from Jack Kerouac to Allen Ginsberg, and their literary achievements. Not merely a sentimental collection of tales of days gone by, this is a fascinating study of vibrant and eccentric times. Complete with cartoons, illustrations, and photographs, this is an accurate depiction of the lives and manners of America's bohemians. AUTHOR BIO: Albert Parry was the author of the landmark 1933 book Tattoo, Secrets of a Strange Art as Practised by the Natives of the United States, and was an early contributor to the "reefer madness" craze with his article "The Menace of Marihuana" in the December 1935 issue of American Mercury.