The Depression Alphabet Primer

Book excerpt: As a precaution against tip-overs, he had to show his map at the peephole, even though he scrubbed the onions nightly on the agony box at the blind pig. As usual, valentinos were trading kale for juniper juice at the bar and putting the eye on tootsie rolls. - Enjoy the colorful vernacular of a bygone era in this magnificently researched alphabetic guidebook to the slang of the 1930s. Often referred to as the Dirty Thirties, it was a time marked by economic hardship, unemployment and excessive crime. The words and phrases reflect this, mirroring the concerns and vices of the day with a myriad of colloquialisms. Typographic flourishes and illustrations by award-winning artist Tony Millionaire breathe life into the idioms and elevate this volume to the status of lasting tribute.