Books in Brief

DEATHS FOR THE LADIES, AND OTHER Disasters, by Norman Mailer (Putnam, $4 cloth, $1.95 paper). Two hundred and fifty pages here? Probably. They are not so much as numbered, so relentlessly does chastity assert itself. Sample a hand page: What’s authority Depriving you of, Mr M? Facing page, very low down: Depravity. Before long, the snow-blind read- — er has gathered that Mr M despises — above all the literary game, by way of revenge on which he has — -exacted, perhaps at knife point, from a firm of business men their agreement to manufacture a book | containing chiefly blank paper, and — on its behalf carry out, with sink- — ing hearts, blushing cheeks, churn- — ing stomachs, all the tomfoolery — of marketing, promoting, distributing, invoicing, accounting and ~ presumably remaindering. For, as _ he notes at one point, 2 A writer who has power should use it to extract such benefits from his publisher as give his words room to breathe. The chief function of the words, on the other hand, is to compel the expenditure of more and yet more paper ($350 the ton). But Putnam may yet come out on top. “This book or parts thereof,” their legal department meaningfully serves note, “must not be reproduced in any form without permission.” If they can make that stick, the exercise book market will have changed masters, without a share being sold or a shot fired. H. KENNER

THE BUREAUCRAT’S COLORING BOOK, by Francesca Knight and Lois Roberts (Athene Press, $1.25). I like this coloring book. I want to make one, too. It will be all about Jack and Jackie and their girl friends and boy friends. Color them pink. Deep pink. Jack is running. Run Jack run. Bobby is running. Teddy – is running. Caroline is too little to run. Look! There is Mr. Khrushchev. Jack is going to play with Mr. Khrushchev. They are playing Countries. See how many countries Jack is giving to Mr. Khrushchev. There is mean old Mr. Blough. He is a businessman. He is a son of a bitch. N. MCCAFFREY

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DEATHS FOR THE LADIES, AND OTHER Disasters, by Norman Mailer (Putnam, $4 cloth, $1.95 paper). Two hundred and fifty pages here? Probably. They are not so much as numbered, so relentlessly does chastity assert itself. Sample a hand page: What’s authority Depriving you of, Mr M? Facing page, very low down: Depravity. Before long, the snow-blind read- — er has gathered that Mr M despises — above all the literary game, by way of revenge on which he has — -exacted, perhaps at knife point, from a firm of business men their agreement to manufacture a book | containing chiefly blank paper, and — on its behalf carry out, with sink- — ing hearts, blushing cheeks, churn- — ing stomachs, all the tomfoolery — of marketing, promoting, distributing, invoicing, accounting and ~ presumably remaindering. For, as _ he notes at one point, 2 A writer who has power should use it to extract such benefits from his publisher as give his words room to breathe. The chief function of the words, on the other hand, is to compel the expenditure of more and yet more paper ($350 the ton). But Putnam may yet come out on top. “This book or parts thereof,” their legal department meaningfully serves note, “must not be reproduced in any form without permission.” If they can make that stick, the exercise book market will have changed masters, without a share being sold or a shot fired. H. KENNER

THE BUREAUCRAT’S COLORING BOOK, by Francesca Knight and Lois Roberts (Athene Press, $1.25). I like this coloring book. I want to make one, too. It will be all about Jack and Jackie and their girl friends and boy friends. Color them pink. Deep pink. Jack is running. Run Jack run. Bobby is running. Teddy – is running. Caroline is too little to run. Look! There is Mr. Khrushchev. Jack is going to play with Mr. Khrushchev. They are playing Countries. See how many countries Jack is giving to Mr. Khrushchev. There is mean old Mr. Blough. He is a businessman. He is a son of a bitch. N. MCCAFFREY