[Ads-l] Flash Press

[George Thompson]

JL -- You may have read several novels by George Thompson, the
pornographer, but have you read The Amorous Intrigues and Adventures of
Aaron Burr, published ca. 1861?
I noticed it while reading a bibliography of American fiction.  The
compiler, Lyle Wright, let his bibliographical reserve slip for a moment
and described it as a "scabrous" work.  I took this as a recommendation.
The book was at that time available in a microfilm set called "Wright's
American Fiction"; it's now also in the digitized form of that collection,
called American Fiction.
I thought that I had taken some notes from the book, but it seems I found
nothing of interest in it.  It was entirely devoid of slang, scabrous or
otherwise, and had no interesting glimpses of old New York City.  His
amorous adventures were many, but all of the same formula: Vidi, Vinci,
Veni, or, I saw, I conquered, I came.  The lasses involved offered little
resistance to his charm.  There was one episode that I thought hinted that
one of them went down on him.  However that may be, there's danged little
in it to arouse modern jaded sensibilities, but it may have served to get
the lads of 160 years ago somewhat flustered.  I hope so.

GAT


On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 3:23 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> George, I explored several of Thompson's novels back in the '70s and '80s
> and found them far less pornographic, if more melodramatic, than the
> current "Young and the Restless."
>
>  Here a smirk, there a smirk...
>
> JL
>
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 2:07 PM George Thompson <george.thompson at nyu.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > I did very extensive reading in these magazines 20 years ago or more,
> when
> > they were only available in a 3-reel microfilm collection, made by the
> AAS
> > but not for sale -- available only through interlibrary loan.
> >
> > They were very interesting, for several reasons.  I was interested in the
> > slang, but there was a good deal to be teased out of them about low-life
> in
> > NYC.
> > One or two were strikingly illustrated -- see the masthead of the
> Broadway
> > Omnibus reproduced in the article.  It seems from my notes, that only one
> > issue of the Omnibus was in the microfilms -- unfortunate.
> > A few issues of a few of these journals were reported by other libraries.
> > It would be nice if Readex has found these and included them.
> >
> > In short, I'll look forward to getting access to the database.
> >
> > And, regrettably, I do not descend from George Thompson, the
> distinguished
> > pornographer.  Nor from anyone else of distinction in any field, as far
> as
> > I know.
> >
> > GAT
> >
> > On Wed, Mar 24, 2021 at 4:55 PM MULLINS, WILLIAM D (Bill) CIV USARMY
> DEVCOM
> > AVMC (USA) <0000099bab68be9a-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > Article by Jonathan Green about the "Flash Press" -- 19th cent.
> sporting
> > > newspapers.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.readex.com_readex-2Dreport_issues_volume-2D16-2Dissue-2D1_flash-2Dpress-2Dnew-2Dyorks-2Dearly-2D19th-2Dcentury-2Dsporting-2Dunderworld&d=DwIFAw&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=v2Wtu7DQZxSBMSJv-oEMNg&m=7_moOr98WWUepM5LrtvNd22RGfQ7jFLEQziKs3XQmlY&s=T8CDNCveZHAv7UYoFl7tRDnTtJZeYXofdJCFDU0kBMA&e=
> > >
> > > Too bad Readex doesn't offer individual subscriptions . . . .
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society -
> > >
> >
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.americandialect.org&d=DwIFAw&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=v2Wtu7DQZxSBMSJv-oEMNg&m=7_moOr98WWUepM5LrtvNd22RGfQ7jFLEQziKs3XQmlY&s=Fd4sqZE7S5Z9A6042bUjk4xI1KUeXxBU71_MzO9dWtQ&e=
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > George A. Thompson
> > Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
> > Univ. Pr., 1998.
> >
> > But when aroused at the Trump of Doom / Ye shall start, bold kings, from
> > your lowly tomb. . .
> > L. H. Sigourney, "Burial of Mazeen", Poems.  Boston, 1827, p. 112
> >
> > The Trump of Doom -- also known as The Dunghill Toadstool.  (Here's a
> > picture of his great-grandfather.)
> >
> >
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.parliament.uk_worksofart_artwork_james-2Dgillray_an-2Dexcrescence-2D-2D-2Da-2Dfungus-2Dalias-2Da-2Dtoadstool-2Dupon-2Da-2Ddunghill_3851&d=DwIFaQ&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=v2Wtu7DQZxSBMSJv-oEMNg&m=1oG8oDH5QFz4KjjY2P7zhraNZf56meYEaRsfjhA-qeg&s=gfeei3_7qmwXQ8YSR0Q0HPrlBpS5pi4mGA_ep8xXnZk&e=
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society -
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.americandialect.org&d=DwIFaQ&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=v2Wtu7DQZxSBMSJv-oEMNg&m=1oG8oDH5QFz4KjjY2P7zhraNZf56meYEaRsfjhA-qeg&s=awDvZlZyC_YeYWONAZazFMxtuicpn0kpjoJJxKywFvY&e=
> >
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society -
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.americandialect.org&d=DwIFaQ&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=v2Wtu7DQZxSBMSJv-oEMNg&m=1oG8oDH5QFz4KjjY2P7zhraNZf56meYEaRsfjhA-qeg&s=awDvZlZyC_YeYWONAZazFMxtuicpn0kpjoJJxKywFvY&e=
>


-- 
George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998.

But when aroused at the Trump of Doom / Ye shall start, bold kings, from
your lowly tomb. . .
L. H. Sigourney, "Burial of Mazeen", Poems.  Boston, 1827, p. 112

The Trump of Doom -- also known as The Dunghill Toadstool.  (Here's a
picture of his great-grandfather.)
http://www.parliament.uk/worksofart/artwork/james-gillray/an-excrescence---a-fungus-alias-a-toadstool-upon-a-dunghill/3851

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org