Wacky, the Small Boy

New York: Simon and Schuster (1st Edition/Stated 3rd Printing, 1939) Hardcover with red cloth boards, 85 pages. Dust jacket missing. Corners of front cover very lightly bumped. Clean and unmarked, with a square, tight binding. Pages lightly toned. A really nice copy!

About the Book: WACKY, THE SMALL BOY, a best seller in 1939, was an affectionate account of Fred Schwed's role as a stepfather.

About the Author: Fred Schwed, Jr. (d. 1966 at age 64) was an American stockbroker turned author, known for his book on Wall Street, Where Are the Customers' Yachts? Schwed was born in New York. Schwed's father, Frederick Schwed, was a member of the New York Curb Exchange (renamed in 1953 to AMEX). He was a professional trader on Wall Street but lost much of his wealth in the stock market crash of 1929. He subsequently published a children's book, WACKY, THE SMALL BOY, and later, Where Are the Customers' Yachts? Published in 1940 by Simon & Schuster (New York), the book is often cited by finance people such as Warren Buffett, Jack Bogle, and Michael Lewis as one of the most authentic, timeless, hilarious, and true descriptions of the culture of Wall Street and investment firms.

About the Illustrator: Gregor Duncan (1910 - 1944) was an American artist who specialized in pen-and-ink drawings for magazines, books and newspapers. Bill Mauldin in The Brass Ring wrote: "Duncan, one of the finest and most promising artists I've ever known, was killed at Anzio while making sketches for Stars and Stripes. It's a pretty tough kick in the stomach when you realize what people like Greg could have done if they had lived. It's one of the costs of war we don't often consider." The late 1930s to early 1940s was an incredibly productive period for Duncan. From 1939 through the first half of 1942, Duncan illustrated nine books. In 1939 Duncan illustrated what would became his personal favorite, WACKY, THE SMALL BOY.