The Doubleday Fart

I am fascinated to learn (via Brainiac, "Fact of the Day", who heard it from the NYTimes, "The Time of Their Lives: The Golden Age of Great American Book Publishers, Their Editors and Authors" by Al Silverman):

Doubleday, a proudly "middlebrow" company, was founded by Frank N. Doubleday, who suffered from flatulence. As a result, none of the characters in the books he published were allowed to pass wind.

Some of you who are already acquainted with the fact that I am most definitely an old fart, will not be surprised by my interest. I have already, apparently, written what appears to be the definitive "gay fart story", called "Time Out", to be found in its unexpurgated form in the anthology Best Gay Erotica 2004, stories selected by Kirk Read, edited by Richard Labonté (Cleis Press, December 2003). The farts were replaced by sneezes in the story's first publication, although I don't think that instance was due to publisher's flatulence, although I never actually asked.

I am aware of Benjamin Franklin's book on the subject, but perhaps it's time for a more modern study of the topic.

Posted on September 23, 2008 at 23.16 by jns · Permalink
In: All, Curious Stuff, Old Fartdom

One Response

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  1. Written by S.W. Anderson
    on Friday, 26 September 2008 at 01.45
    Permalink

    I won't respond with this just blows me away. For reasons that should obvious, ahem.

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