Stiff Dean (4 results)

Ernie Bushmiller (illustrator). The Milk and Honey Route is a rare and revealing firsthand account of life on the road during the Great Depression, written by the pseudonymous Dean Stiff, a former hobo turned observer. Subtitled A Handbook for Hobos, this 1930 classic blends gritty travel narrative, sociological observation, and survival guide, offering a window into the underground world of America's transient workers. Part folklore, part manual, and part exposé, the book details the codes, dangers, and camaraderie of life on the rails. With dry wit and raw honesty, the author describes freight-hopping, jungle camps, law enforcement ("bulls"), and the unique culture of those chasing the elusive promise of work and freedom?the so-called "milk and honey" of the open road. A fascinating artifact of American history, The Milk and Honey Route remains essential reading for collectors of Depression-era literature, historians of the American underclass, and those interested in the lore of hobos and the hidden side of the American Dream. Some wear on the dust jacket, all pages present, pencil written on inside page of book, back inside cover slightly torn from age, no torn or bent pages. *RARE FIND: Deckle Edges & Unopened Pages (that remain uncut) *** Outer edge of book is raw cut. Some pages within the book have unopened pages and are printed, but folded from the manufacturer, uncut at the turning point of the page. *All Roden Grove logos in images are watermarks, not stamps on the physical product.

Quarter-Cloth. Condition: Fine-. First Edition. First Printing of this pioneering study by the noted Chicago-School sociologist. Crown 8vo (190 x 130mm): xiii,[3],13-219,[1]pp, with 16 full-page drawings (including frontispiece) by Ernie Bushmiller. Publisher's black cloth spine with paper label printed in black, illustrated yellow paper-covered boards, top edge stained yellow, others uncut. Wanting the dust jacket. Includes chapters on panhandling, dressing well, and poetry, and 20-page glossary of hobo terms. An exemplary example, tight, square, and clean throughout (very lightly read, if at all). "Hobohemia" was already beginning to vanish when Anderson published his first book in 1923, The Hobo, the Sociology of the Homeless Man. That study pioneered participant observation as a research tool for revealing the features of a society; it was the first field research monograph of the Chicago School of Sociology and the first in the landmark University of Chicago Sociological Series. With this sequel, Anderson hoped to offer further insight into Chicago's urban jungle and bring about better understanding between hobos and the rest of the Chicago community. Drawing on his own experience, Anderson pictures life in Halsted and State Streets in Chicago, detailing the customs and class distinctions, language, songs, morals, and intellectual life of these men, who, for widely varying reasons, chose the homeless life. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).

First Edition. Ernie Bushmiller dustjacket art and illustrations. Uncommon and interesting book on hobo life. Almost Near Fine, contemporary previous owner gift inscription at front endpaper, in nearly Very Good dustjacket, some small edge chips and closed tears, quarter sized chip at lower spine end, nickel sized chip at top rear panel.

Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good -. New York: Vanguard Press, 1931. First Edition. Octavo (19.5cm); publisher's cloth in yellow pictorial dust jacket retaining original price ($1.50); xiii,[3],13-219pp. Dust jacket margins chipped and worn, especially along top edge of rear panel with long closed tear, light dust-soil, cloth corners and spine ends a bit bumped, else a Very Good copy in the rare jacket. The American sociologist's comic guide to living the life of a hobo, covering issues like dealing with social workers, "mooching, mopping and faking," and even grappling with the "sex question." The volume concludes with a glossary and who's who in Hobohemia.