See this book? Ever read it?
Neither did Eleazar Smith, a 72 year old owner of a bookstore in Los Angeles. The book is Sweeter Than Life by Mark Tryon, not his real name, but then there is no Mark Twain either. I've written about Mr. Tryon's publisher, Vixen, before. But this post is about Eleazar.
Eleazar had the bad luck to sell a copy of Sweeter Than Life to an undercover cop in Los Angeles in 1956. Why the cop went to a bookstore to purchase a book of fiction which had lesbian characters is beyond me, but we can assume he didn't just happen in and like the cover. Gee...maybe there was no crime in Los Angeles that day.
Smith, who had instructed employees in the shop not to sell books from that section of the store to minors, was nonetheless convicted in 1958 of possessing an obscene novel, a conviction which was upheld by a second LA court. He was sentenced to 30 days in Jail. Not for selling, by the way, but simply because he had the book in his store.
Three years later Eleazar's lawyer argued before the United States Supreme Court that Mr. Smith could hardly be held responsible (or jailed) for having the book in his store as he had not even read it. Thank God the Supreme Court agreed and reversed the conviction, because I don't think the clerks in the Barnes and Noble a few miles from here have read everything in there.
This post is just to dispel any notion that what I am writing about on this blog is just boob jokes.
Is Sweeter Than Life dangerous? I don't know, I've never read it...but there are 4 copies currently available on Amazon, used...and the price starts at $2.75. Maybe the cop sold his copy or traded it for a violent murder book.
Read the Supreme Court Decision prompted by old man Smith HERE. Don't worry...I won't hold you responsible if you don't.
