A Handy Guide for Beggars, Especially Those of the Poetic Fraternity

David “Grizzly” Smith is on a public-domain tear, with his second American classic title in as many weeks. This time he’s recorded and released as a serialized audiobook A Handy Guide for Beggars, Especially Those of the Poetic Fraternity:

“Being sundry explorations, made while afoot and penniless in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. These adventures convey and illustrate the rules of beggary for poets and some others.”

Published in 1919, this is poet Vachel Lindsay’s description of his travels “afoot and penniless” across the southern and eastern United States, staying with strangers, reciting or trading poetry for dinner, and along the way, describing in stories and poetry, mostly stories, the people and places he encountered. Think “Travels With Charlie,” minus the dog and the Winnebago, and much, much earlier.

From the Dedication and Preface:

“There are one hundred new poets in the villages of the land. This Handy Guide is dedicated to the younger sons of the wid earth, to the runnaway boys and girls getting further from home every hour, to the prodigals still wasting their substance in riotous living, be they gamblers or blasphemers or plain drunks; to the heretics of whatever school to whom life is a rebellion with banners; to those who are willing to accept counsel if it be mad counsel.”

If you remember the 1960′s, you’ll feel right at home. If you wish you remembered the 1890′s, here’s your chance. You might also feel right at home, at that.

As his usual, David has made the entire serialized audiobook — all 21 episodes – available for download. So if you like hitting “get all” inside of your podcatcher, just grab the default feed. Or if you like to spread out your listening pleasure, working in the episodes with the dozens of other podcasts you’re already listening to, you’ll want a custom feed that sends you episodes on your own schedule.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download





This entry was posted by Evo on Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 7:22 am and is filed under New Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “A Handy Guide for Beggars, Especially Those of the Poetic Fraternity”

  1. Grizzly Smith Says:
    March 6th, 2009 at 7:38 am

    Thanks for the kind words. Just listening again to the first chapter, myself. Starts out kinda slow, I admit — and I know how it ends. He was a poet, after all.

    Hang in there, folks, get past the poetry, and the stories are kinda funny, and sentimental. I had great fun reading it, and I think you’ll enjoy it, too!

    Griz

  2. psionandy Says:
    March 19th, 2009 at 4:53 am

    Just listening to this, one episode at a time so unlike Grizzly I don’t know how it ends yet.

    However what I do know is that the book is beautifuly read, the stories and fun and Its shown me a glimpse into a time and place that I knew nothing about.

    Thank you so much for your hard work in putting this together…

  3. Grizzly Smith Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 10:33 pm

    You’re welcome.

    Ya know, PodioRacket wanted me to record something explaining why I record PD books for Podiobooks.com. Now I have an answer.

    Griz

Leave a Reply