first edition Hardcover
(c.1975) · Hicksville NY
by Poth, Bill
Hicksville NY: Exposition Press. Near Fine in Very Good dj. (c.1975). First Edition. Hardcover. [minimal shelfwear to book; jacket moderately scufff, light wear to extremities, one tiny closed tear and associated short diagonal crease at top of rear panel]. This "unforgettable account of a boy's enlightening journey into manhood" is an overlooked piece of gay-themed fiction (missed by Young), dealing at least in part with the protagonist's relationship with his boyhood tutor, which apparently remains unconsummated -- although (per the jacket blurb) "both experience anxiety, and both suffer anguish [but] a sense of honor keeps them from proclaiming their love for each other." The plot involves a neglected boy (mother dies shortly after his birth, father is indifferent) who is taken in by his grandfather, "a wealthy and prominent Philadelphia businessman" -- a description which readily fits the author's own father, a successful Philadelphia brewer whose red brick and brownstone mansion, built in 1887, still stands at the corner of 33rd and Powelton. (It's now a fraternity house connected with Drexel University.) . (Inventory #: 26339)