Described as the Holy Grail of Beatnik (and Mod) novels, Terry Taylor’s only published book, unavailable for decades, documents one summer in the life of the unnamed sixteen year-old narrator. Leaving his home and job he dabbles with spiritualism, is seduced by an older woman and moves into dealing dope. His London is sharp suits, jazz, drugs, “spades”, nightclubs, sex.

Rare secondhand copies of the first edition have sold for £300+ on line.

Introduction by Stewart Home.

Terry Taylor was the young lover of Ida Kar, whose National Portrait Gallery collection includes many images of the author. His exploits inspired the classic London novel Absolute Beginners by Colin MacInnes, and a life in which hallucogenic drugs featured large. He spent time in Goa and hung out with William Burroughs in Tangier before spending the 80s running a successful sandwich shop in Rhyl.