City notebook Book

No harm this book caused me. A casually narrated tour through NYC neighborhoods and bars in the early '60s, generally easy banter about swimming nude in the YMCA pool, about an uncle on Staten Island, St Patrick's Day, FBI (foreign-born Irish), Chinatown, Fulton St Fish Market etc. Generally clever hits and misses. One LOL about beatniks trying to steal his job. Funny mild rant about folk singers in Washington Square. Stray mention of Ginsberg and Kerouac and a nice bit about not understanding the work of his friend Beckett but enjoying it the way he doesn't understand the ocean but likes to swim in the surf and let the water wash over him. Read this because 1) I spent too much time in the belly of a bar named after him in Boston long ago and 2) it was very favorably mentioned in Bolano's Between Parentheses. The drawings are worthwhile black-line sketches. Not much insight into New York or anything but a little time spent with a generous, genial bloke. First edition (without a dust jacket) found on our new friend Amazon for a penny plus shipping.