New Books and Panties

That’s the reprint done and dusted. Not that I had anything much to do with it. The whole point of having a publisher is after all to free up from the business of handling that end of the process. Not for me the ink-stained hands and the ear-shattering noise of the printing-press. Not for me the tedium of taking orders, invoicing them and shipping them to bookshops around the globe. And not for me the tedium of trying to actually get paid for my work. That is what a publisher does and, to date at least, The History Press seem well qualified in this regard. So, hopefully, those bookshops which have sold-out the first edition will shortly be selling out this second edition. Onwards and upwards etc.

As for that header – New Books and Panties. Well it’s a not very successful play on Ian Dury’s debut album.  Wiki, and I am confident that they are right, says:
‘Released in the UK on Stiff Records on 30 September 1977. Usually thought of as the first album by Ian Dury and the Blockheads (his backing band from 1977 to 1982), the album is credited solely to Dury as the Blockheads were not officially formed until Stiff's 'Live Stiffs' package tour the month after its release, and two members of the Blockheads do not play on the album. Although it is often cited as one of the first classic UK punk albums, the record covers a diverse range of musical styles reflecting Dury's influences and background in pub rock, taking in funk, disco, British music hall and early rock and roll, courtesy of Dury's musical hero Gene Vincent. Dury's lyrics also eschew the anti-establishment stance associated with punk music, preferring cheeky love songs or character stories based on the working-class people of the East End and Essex, the areas where he grew up. The songs are frequently ribald and profane, but also contain humour and affection for his characters.’

But of course you knew that already.
The book of course continues to be available, either as an instant Kindle download or in full frontal paperback form, at: The A-Z of Curious Aberdeenshire

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