Says author Daniel Pinkwater of this novel of sociological import: "I honestly don't remember writing this. Are you sure there hasn't been some mistake?"

    Joe Adamsom guides the reader around Avery's flipped-out universe - surreal, violent and erotic. Through interviews with Avery's gagmen and script writers, together with sensitive analyses of such classics as Kingsize Canary and Red Hot Riding Hood, and with dozens of original sketches and a filmography, the book provides a comprehensive study of an important pioneer of animation.

    Chosen by Douglas Gray, the representative works in this collection include songs, ballads, and romances by familiar authors such as Malory, Henryson, Skelton, and More, as well as never-before published texts and some works previously available only in obscure editions. Gray provides the full text, along with a commentary and detailed glossary, for a number of works, including The Testament of Cresseid, Mankind, and Everyman. The book not only focuses not literary representations, but also offers a colorful picture of the time by setting private letters, scenes from chronicles, and extracts from books on alchemy, medicine, hunting, and fishing alongside Malory's moving account of the death of Arthur or charming stories from the Golden Legend. It also includes recipes for salmon, stewed partridge, and ones that promise to make hair grow, and tips for pilgrims going to the Holy Land. As a whole, The Oxford Book of Late Medieval Verse and Prose forms an impressive, entertaining affirmation of the period as one of ferment and achievement.