Dan Burley's Jive

These two rare books are now available in one volume, including all original illustrations. This retro volume combines two brilliant and long out-of-print books, Dan Burley's "Original Handbook of Harlen Jive" (1944) and "Diggeth Thou?" (1959) by Dan Burley. Burley was a journalist and sportswriter who worked for various African American newspapers and magazines, including the "Chicago Defender", "Chicago Crusader", "New York New Amsterdam News", "Jet", and "Ebony" in both Chicago and New York in the 1920s through the 1950s. Although he did not invent jive, throughout the 1940s Burley's handbook fostered it, popularized it, and broadened its use beyond the cloister of the jazz community. Jive acted as an invisible conduit between the new urban linguistics and the inevitably square world. Burley's goal was to inform readers about this new language, as well as to entertain. Dan Burley's "Original Handbook of Harlem Jive" offers a history of and definition for jive, followed by examples of folktales, poetry, and Shakespeare 'translated' into jive. The work also includes a jive glossary for easy reference. Burley followed up the success of the handbook with "Diggeth Thou?" , which includes more stories told in jive. These two works are now available together in one volume, including all of the original illustrations and an informative introduction by editor Thomas Aiello. These rare books sparkle with wit and humor and offer a flashback to the world of New York's and Chicago's hepcats and chicks. With only a handful of original copies left in library special collections, Aiello's work will allow Burley's fascinating take on jive to reach a new generation of readers and scholars. Those interested in African American history and culture or linguistics will be captivated by Burley's work. An excerpt from Dan Burley's "Original Handbook of Harlem Jive": 'The Soliloquy from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in "Harlem Jive: A Parody". To Dig, or not to Dig, Jack, that's the Question; Whether 'tis the proper play to eat Onions. And wipe the eyes, while laying down one's deepest Jive; Or to snap open one's fine switch, turn out the joint, making cats take low, by much head cutting.