Scratch the Surface

by Edmund Schiddel

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Edmund Schiddel wrote controversial fiction that dealing with the dark side of human nature. He set his novels in Bucks County, often focusing on the broadcast industry. Schiddel's most famous work was his Bucks County trilogy, which consists of The Devil in Bucks County, Scandal's Child, and The Good and Bad Weather. The first of these satirizes life in an artist's colony, presumably New Hope. The book ridicules the gossip, hypocrisy, and erotic lifestyle of Bucks Countians. The second novel of the trilogy focuses on a private school in the area, perhaps Lawrenceville. Common character types in Schiddel's novels include the successful Manhattan businessman who commutes to and from the city, the bored society wife, the reclusive artist, and the local resident. Many citizens of New Hope objected to Schiddel's picture of life along the Delaware River.

College of William and Mary, BA, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1933

Novels and Short Stories
Scratch the Surface, 1939
The Other Side of the Night, 1954
Break-Up, 1954
The Girl with the Golden Yo-Yo, 1955
Safari to Dishonor, 1956
Love in a Hot Climate, 1957
The Bucks County Trilogy:
The Devil in Bucks County, 1959, made into movie
Scandal's Child, 1963, made into a movie
The Good and Bad Weather, 1965
The Devil's Summer, 1965
The Swing, 1975
Good Time Coming,
Bad Boy, 1982
short stories for Mademoiselle, Town & Country
poetry for Tone magazine

Teaching and Professional Appointments
Department of Labor, Statistician, New York, 1933-1935
Radio and TV scriptwriter and producer, 1935-1939
Self employed writer, 1939-1982