Doubleday: 1965
The funny, touching, entertaining true story of two cats and their adventures with the MacDonald family.
On the back cover there is a pictue of JDM, lying stretched out on the couch, reading, with one of the cats nestled up against his feet.
*****************************************************************************************************
Fawcett: 1963
MacDonald’s story of Judy Garland....he was not really pleased with the end result.
*************************************************************************************************
This book of letters reflects the rise and fall of Rowan and Martin's “Laugh In.” It’s a picture of a successful novelist and of a comedian dealing with success, and it is a portrait of how a friendship may live and die. At the suggestion of a mutual friend, Rowan and MacDonald began writing without having met. Their letters are frequent initially, and each writer assumes a role: MacDonald/advisor and Rowan/seeker of such. There is an abrupt break-off in 1974 as Rowan's marriage disintegrates.
*****************************************************************************************
Reading For Survival is the last published work of John D. MacDonald. It was the fruition of a project first proposed by Jean Trebbi in 1985. Jean was the Executive Director of the Florida Center For The Book, and persuaded JDM to write an essay as Florida’s contribution to the “Literary Heritage of the States,” a program of the Library of Congress Center For The Book.
In the foreword to Reading For Survival Trebbi notes that JDM had a difficult time with the project, and he expressed second thoughts about the whole matter, and he noted that he written many pages, none of which were acceptable to him.
JDM finally wrote Trebbi that one way to make his words “ fall usefully upon deaf ears is to use such colorful language that it will be quoted, sooner of later, to a great many non-readers.”
Trebbi suggested that he use a conversation beetween Meyer and McGee as a device, and JDM replied:
“Why indeed...I am very sorry for taking so damn long.”
It has been twenty-seven years since JDM died, but the final essay will indeed be read --and re-read --for its comments on many of the issues of that day, which continue to haunt us today.
If you want a copy for $15.00 please contact Tara Zimmerman at: Zimmermann, Tara <TZIMMERM@broward.org>