"A classic evocation of childhood . . . a masterly mixture of up-country drawl and Huckleberry Finn."—The New Yorker
A hugely popular bestseller when it first appeared in 1957, Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. is Robert Paul Smith's nostalgic and often wry look back on his 1920s childhood. Smith agitates against what he perceives as the over-scheduled and over-supervised lives of suburban children as he celebrates privacy, boredom, and time to oneself away from adults. Arcane games and pastimes including mumbly-peg, horse-chestnut collecting, and Indian scalp burns pervade the book, alongside tales of young love—"I loved the smell of kerosene. Rose smelled of kerosene. I loved Rose."—and hard-won observations by Smith the elder. Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. still conveys the essence of adventure that forms the basis of a fondly recalled childhood. Ten black-and-white illustrations"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Robert Paul Smith was born in Brooklyn, grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, and graduated from Columbia College in 1936. He authored four novels as well as Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. and its companion, How to Do Nothing with Nobody All Alone by Yourself.
“Mr. Smith is sympathetic. Mr. Smith is also very funny . . . heartwarming.”
- The New York Times Book Review
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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paperback. Condition: Good. Seller Inventory # 0938530232-3-30119152
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Seller: HPB-Emerald, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_421719862
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Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.35. Seller Inventory # G0938530232I3N01
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Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.35. Seller Inventory # G0938530232I4N00
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Seller: 100POCKETS, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: Near Fine. Jim Spanfeller (Illustrator) (illustrator). First Edition, First Printing. Text/BRAND NEW & Bright. Softcover/NF w/faint creasing to lower front corner & corner tips. First published 1957, and, again relevant today. Classic, humorous and nostaligic personal biography of childhood days of Robert Paul Smith (1915 - 1977). Brooklyn born Smith, 1936 graduate of Columbia College, wrote for CBS and 4 novels, experienced both bachelor living in New York City and as a settled family man. This volume is a nostalgic evocation of the inner life of childhood written when he had offspring of his own --- it is an appeal for respect of privacy to children, to know the value of unstructured time, joys of boredom, benefits of freedom from adult supervision. A record of the overstructured, overscheduled, oversupervised suburban life of the child in the suburban 1950's, which, ironically "hovering parents" of today re-play, even to make impossible an ". appointment with myself to sit on the front steps and watch some grass growing", Seller Inventory # 017065
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