Friday, March 14, 2014

Paperback 752: French Model / Cecil Barr (Beacon B133)

Paperback 752: Beacon B133 (1st pb, 1957)

Title: French Model
Author: Cecil Barr
Cover artist: photo cover

Yours for: Not For Sale (part of the Doug Peterson Collection)

Beac133

Best things about this cover:

As Doug said to me as he handed me the book: "Motorboat fail."
That guy is *totally* a Cecil.
"Starring Darrin's boss from "Bewitched" and a *very* grown-up Marcia Brady!"
His trousers are gigantic.

Beac133bc

Best things about this back cover:

  • Far, far sexier than the cover...
  • ...Until you start reading the words. That's a whole lot of yuck, very very fast.
  • As far as future possible aliases go … I call dibs on "Shockproof Daffodil"


Page 123~

"I'm going to watch you dress, Daffodil. Is this what you're going to wear? It's ravishing, of course, but only you could wear it. What arms, my dear, and I say, what legs! No wonder old Amy—don't rush it, darling, have a heart. Do you mean to say no soutien-gorge? But of course not. Let me—don't be a fool, Daffodil, what are you afraid of. Firm as little rocks. Ugh, you darling! I'm not one of Amy's sort, more's the pity, or what a time I should be having."

My French is a little rusty, but allow me to translate: Daffodil's lady friend/maid is watching her dress and feeling her up while wishing out loud that she was a lesbian (like the mythical "Amy") so she could … watch Daffodil dress and feel her up? It's not clear what Amy would be doing, but one imagines she'd be avoiding laughably unsexy phrases like "Firm as little rocks" and "Ugh, you darling."

~RP

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4 comments:

Thalia said...

from Wikipedia-- Manchester-born novelist Jack Kahane began the Obelisk Press after his publisher, Grant Richards, went bankrupt. Going into partnership with a printer, Kahane, as Cecil Barr, published his next novel Daffodil under his own imprint. A writer and publisher of "db's" ("dirty books"), Kahane mixed serious work with smut in his list. Obelisk Press published Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer (novel) and other works which other publishers would not touch for fear of prosecution, among which Lady Chatterley's Lover and some of Joyce's works.

DengZichao said...

"His trousers are gigantic" should be the tagline on at least one of these things.

DemetriosX said...

Daffodil and Brian are such convincingly French names.

Anonymous said...

She's hot, but that '50s 'do has to go...