Deeply indebted to his unhappy childhood, Marcus Maelstrom is quickly drawn to theories of free-living and free-thought among an artistic set for whom self-determination and uninhibited. behaviour are the all-important pursuits. Basically ingenuous, he is helped in this adjustment by an almost total lack of humour, but handicapped by a conventional streak to which he is reluctant to admit. He is enormously impressed by the prevalent cult of the sordid in life and literature, but is generally happier with it at one remove. Thus he meets - without ever really becoming one with - a variety of dedicated free-thinkers who, on a level far above that of beer, detergents, cigarettes and toilet necessities, are concerned with setting To-day's Trends. And needless to say, he also comes together with a number of women with theories entirely their own. If this first novel amuses you, it is fairly certain that your more committed friends already judge you as a little superficial - as unprepared to face with proper seriousness the fundamental issues of contemporary life (sex, for instance) as presented in so generous a measure in a number of recent novels, documentaries and inner-suburb theatres in which social significance is as prominent as the washing on the kitchen line. The publishers will therefore be happy to supply a plain wrapper on request. Published 1961 by London: Centaur Press