Handsome Books

"Murder Me for Nickels." Peter Rabe. Gold Medal #996, 1960. Cover art by Robert McGinnis. Fine, unread condition. $25.

"Dressed to Kill." Milton Ozaki. Graphic Publishing Co. #141, 1956 (Reprints Graphic #79, 1954). AMAZING cover by Walter Popp. Very Good + Slight crease along spine. $20.

"The Nicest Girl in the School." Angela Brazil. Blackie & Son, ND. Color frontis and four monochrome illustrations by Arthur A. Dixon. Very Good. Minimal rubbing and bumping. Gift inscription on front pastedown dated 1922. $25.
British writer Angela Brazil (1868-1947), was largely responsible for modernizing girls' fiction during the early 20th century. She published 49 novels and dozens of short stories, mostly about life in girls' boarding schools. Unlike the didactive and moralistic juvenile literature of the 
Victorian era, Brazil's stories were written from a girls' point of view. She treated adolescence not as a problem, but as a time of adventure and growth. Her characters were active, independent, and self-aware, capable of forming alliances and overcoming challenges. Brazil's boarding schools were somewhat idealized: they are usually situated in dramatic locales, and the educational style is progressive, with exciting activities and plenty of free expression. Her plot-lines focus on relationships between the girls; deep friendships especially, but also the inevitable jealousy and exclusion. Not everyone approved of Brazil's ideas, though, and her books were often banned. In 1936, one London headmistress gathered all of Brazil's books from her students and set them on fire! Many readers and scholars see le***an themes in Brazil's work. There is plenty of kissing between pupils, and a lot of intense feeling all around. Passionate friendship between adolescent girls does not necessarily have erotic implications, however, and "romantic friendship" in general was more common in Brazil's time. Still, the author did give the rather uncommon name "Lesbia" to some prominent characters, who may be based on the author herself. Brazil never married, but she had two bosom friends; one from her own school-days; the other a schoolgirl she met in her 30s. Brazil was a great entertainer, and loved to throw parties for children, or parties for adults featuring children's food and games. Her ideas continue to inspire contemporary writers, notably J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series.