Life — April 26, 1929 — page 33: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The New Books by Skippy (Putnam $2.50) Perry is Percy Crosby's first Githens novel. It is a book for adults. I might go farther and say it is a book for thinking adults, for not all the readers of Percy Crosby's newspaper strip will recog- nize their old friend in this more se- rious. mood. No reader of Lire needs to be in- troduced to “Skippy.” In the book, he is the same old choir-singing, ban- ister-sliding youngwun (you know the hateful word I mean)—with a dif- | ference. That difference is old age, the ter- | rible maturity which comes at twelve or thirteen, bringing with it the first realization that life is not all it might be, the first vague recognition of trag- edy. Skippy, of course, is younger than that. He’s about ten, going on eleven, but wise beyond his years. It seems to me he has always been go- ing on eleven... . Then there is Sooky, bright little Sooky of the long, flop-sleeved coat and the lace curtain underwear, who'd be insulted if you pitied him. The book is as much Sooky’s as Skippy’s. But most of all, it’s Percy Crosby's. Sentimental—sometimes painfully so, Crosby never fails to make the most of his characters and situations. There is no one quicker on the laughs or the sobs, and he mixes them both. At Sooky’s funeral: “Barrelhead says we don’t get ten cents for this singin’ ’cause—” “Beetle!” answered Skippy, stepping on his foot ... Then, later, “Well, we'll have to get a new bunch together, and we'll call it ‘The Gas House Gang’. An’ of course I'll be captain.” Skippy is not to be cubby-holed by any existing standards. It is packed tight with rich nuggets of pure humor, but it isn’t a funny story. It has enough sadness to drag salt tears from a truant officer, but it is not a sob story. It has a theme, a Purpose, IT am sorry to say, but that can be overlooked. It is practically required reading for this course. eee Prays (Scribner's $2.50) by John Galsworthy, is a complete collection of all the plays he has written up to Present time. It includes “The have a monopoly on Cool and stingless shavin Te, (THE COUPON BRINGS SEVEN COOL SHAVES FREE) E instant you begin your first shave with Ingram’s Shaving Cream your face is conscious of a brand new sensation, and long after you have rinsed away the soap from your skin your face will be cool ++-cool...COOL...COOL! For Ingram’s is the shaving cream definitely planned to take the sting out of the morning shave and leave a clean cheek and a fresh, cool skin when the job is done. Never mind your Whiskers, think about your Face Don’t put upwith the hot pin-pricks of shaving one day longer. We in- vite you to be “on the in- side of this monopoly of cool morning shaves.” No lotions need apply when Ingram’s is foaming tichly on your face. For INGRAMS Suavinc CREAM “Never mind your Whiskers, think about your Face’’ Ingram’s is its own skin lotion, and because of three special healing and cooling ingredients, it tightens and tones the skin. It’s a shaving cream, a lotion and a tonic all in one! Te you will just go to two minutes’ trouble, you'll be rewarded with a life time’s happiriess of clear, cool shaves. That little coupon just be- low brings you seven glorious and cool morning shaves! Our sample is no beauty to look at, but it’s the greatest gatherer of friends that any company ever had! Don’t fail to try Ingram’s. Your face will be grateful all your life. Clip the coupon! Do it now! FREE BRISTOL-MYERS CO., Dept. E 4° 110 Washington St., New York I'd like to try seven cool Ingram shaves, Nai Address____ Gy. © BM. Co, 1909 comicbooks.com