In response to Todd Robbins' posting recently in the MMD, here is the
foreword notes to the 1930 book, "The Saga of Frankie & Johnny", by the
man that literally "wrote the book" and researched it: none other than
the king of the Roaring Twenties illustrators himself, John Held, Jr.

 - - -

"A SHORT PREFACE"

When a youth I learned the song of "Frankie and Johnny" from a colored
piano player, who was called "Professor" in a parlor house.  The parlor
house was owned and run by a lady who was called Madam Helen Blazes.
You may conclude that mine was a misspent youth, but the knowing of
these ladies and the houses that they ran has enabled me to fashion
this book of woodcuts from fond memories.

The history and origin of this song has been studied by better minds
than mine.  Versions in the hundreds have turned up, but basically the
saga is the same.  Versions have been evolved to fit the locality, but
the story of the eternal triangle remains identical.  Details are
rearranged to fit geographic conditions.

In this illustrated edition, I have taken only the rudimentary verses.
I have tried to keep off local tangents.  To many this song will
undoubtedly seem incomplete, as verses differ in different parts of
the land.  The singers of Frankie and Johnny, who have only the true
version, are legion, so every man for himself.

The engraving of these blocks has taken many hours and a strong right
arm, but in doing them I have lived again a wild free existence in an
Inter-Rocky Mountain settlement with my friends the whores, the
gamblers, the hop-heads and the lenient police, who used to know
"The Mormon Kid."   [Held grew up in Utah.  -- MF]

(Copyright 1930 John Held, Jr., Walter V. McKee, Incorporated in the
City of New York.)

 - - -

This book is the definitive "Frankie and Johnny".  Its woodcuts are
world famous and, incidentally, they first turned up in a radical
new type of upstart publication -- the first issue of Playboy Magazine
-- recognized by a visionary young man by the name of Hugh Hefner as a
convenient and affordable way to spice up the pages of his new venture,
along with an unknown young starlet who posed "with only the radio on."

The words to the version in this book are quite suggestive by any era's
standard, and remind the reader that any wholesome depiction of "Main
Street USA" at the turn of the century is only a figment of a certain
Walt Disney's imagination, and "sanitized for our protection!"

This is a book I urge any lover of music and/or art to find and own.
I happen to own a rare first edition, but on any given day at this
indispensable web site there are dozens of later editions of this book
for sale.  They range in price from only a few dollars to (maybe)
$85.00.  Just go to
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/books/misc/bibliofind.html/

John Held Jr. wrote and illustrated many other books depicting songs
and scenes from saloons of the era.  He is also the creator of the
quintessential 1920's "Flapper" girl, and also the creator of the
"Gay Nineties" saloon woodcut look as well.  He is currently undergoing
a rediscovery himself!

Cheers,

Mark Forer