"Wait And See"

[iain]

I recently had a very vivid and sudden recollection of a kid's picture book I read when I was pretty young... 7 or 8 maybe? Which would have put it back in the mid-1980s. I've been looking a while now, and I can't find any record that it ever existed.

The story revolves around a guy being frustrated with everyone in his town always putting him down (I think about his inventions?) and so he builds a giant robot that looks like himself to get revenge. At one point before the giant robot, there was a pet show, and he brought his robot bulldog. I can see the robot bulldog very clearly in my mind.

I thought "Wait And See" might have been the title, but that hasn't turned up any results. It was a recurring theme of the book though, someone would laugh about the guy's latest failed invention, and he'd say "Wait and see."

Most of what I remember about it though was the illustrations. It was very stylized, and appeared to take place in like, early 20th century America or the UK... lots of bowler hats or derbies, big curly moustaches, and I think pants with stripes. Gothic or victorian houses. Elaborate brass machinery. I think the illustrations were also kind of monochromatic. Might have been just line art with an ink or watercolor wash, if that even, but they were very detailed and quite interesting. For some reason, I associate it with Tommy dePaola and Maurice Sendak, although I don't think they're actually involved in any way, or that the art styles are even that similar. Maybe just that lack-of-perspective kind of illustration where everything is in flat planes, like layered scenery on a stage. Or maybe I was just reading a lot of those guys around the same time. Who knows?

Update: FOUND (kinda).

I found a bookstore that has one copy.

www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL

The book is called Wait and See. It was published in 1978. It's just out of print apparently, and never been digitized. The author/illustrator's name is Friso Henstra.

gay novel from the early 80s?

[dine]

I recently remembered a book I last read in the early 80s, but can't recall the exact title (or author) - I *think* it was called something like The Stairs on Avenue C but googling that and some keywords like 'book' 'novel' or 'gay' got me nowhere. it was a paperback about a gay guy in New York City (who lived on Avenue C?); and I vaguely remember the cover illustration was a doubling-back staircase - I think the cover was greenish. It was definitely no masterpiece and I think relatively negatively slanted; I can't remember if the protagonist turned out to be a serial killer or died, but that's the sort of impression I have. it was early in my discovery of gay lit, and I was gulping down anything I could lay my hands upon. and now I'm vaguely curious about it but unable to gratify that curiosity.


anyone have any pointers for where I might look?