Campus Tramp: Collection of Classic Erotica - Book 7

by Lawrence Block

There’s a song they used to sing at Antioch College, and it went something like this:

“She was just a little freshman
Victim of Admission’s whim
Then she met an upperclassman—we won’t name him—
And she had a child by him.

“Now he’s off in New York City
Rescued by the co-op plan
While she walks the streets of Yellow Springs, Ohio,
Looking for another man.”

Ah, they don’t write ‘em like that anymore, and it’s not hard to see why. And the sad story recounted in the song is not entirely unlike that of Linda Shepard, titular (so to speak) heroine of CAMPUS TRAMP.

The story of the book may be more interesting than the story told in the book. I wrote it in July of 1959, at the Hotel Rio on West 47th Street in New York. I’d just arrived from, yes, Yellow Springs, having spent a year writing books for Harry Shorten, editing the college newspaper, and giving short shrift to my academic studies. (This was my third year at Antioch. I was there for two years, took a year off to work at a literary agency, and then came back, only to discover that, having seen Paree, you couldn’t keep me down on the farm. I tried to drop out during the first semester, got manipulated into staying by my parents, and somehow finished the year. Now I was in New York, where I was to spend the summer writing, before returning for what was supposed to be my last year of school.)

Well. My agent came up with an assignment. William Hamling, publisher of science fiction and Rogue Magazine, had decided to initiate a line of erotic novels similar to what I’d been writing for Midwood. Could I write one?

I could and did, and thought it might be amusing to use Antioch as a setting, and to choose the characters’ surnames from the buildings and dormitory units on the Antioch campus. I picked the title CAMPUS TRAMP and sent it off, and they liked it well enough in Hamlingville (that would be Evanston, Illinois, IIRC) to ask for more.

Not long after I’d finished the book, I got a letter from Yellow Springs. The Student Personnel Committee, having taken a long look at my academic performance, advised me of their decision that I might be happier elsewhere. I thought this was very perceptive of them, that I would indeed be happier almost anywhere else, and the passive-aggressive lout I was at the time found this an ideal resolution to a situation I seemed incapable of resolving on my own. Their letter had left the door slightly ajar, if not wide open; I sensed I could talk my way back in, but why?

Then CAMPUS TRAMP came out, and a copy or two made it all the way to Yellow Springs, and a legend sprang up. I’d written the book as payback, it was said, a way to revenge myself upon the school that had expelled me. Now when I’d written CAMPUS TRAMP I’d still thought I was to return in the fall. And I was if anything profoundly grateful to the school for having cut the umbilical cord and sent me out into the world. No end of people knew better, even as they were sure they knew who the models were for the various characters—but that happens all the time. But never mind. One recalls the newspaperman’s line from THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE: “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend!”

I wish I knew who painted the cover, as it almost had to have been someone familiar with the college; that’s a remarkably accurate representation of Antioch’s Main Building, towers and all. Copies of the book commanded high prices at Antioch Senior Sales over the years, I’ve been assured, and Christian Feuerstein used to perform inspired readings of the text at what I can but assume were memorab

Genres: Ebooks, Fiction

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Lawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.

Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.

His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.

LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.

Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.

LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.

Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.

LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)

LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.

He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

CAMPUS TRAMP is the story of a young woman, new to college looking to find fulfillment and purpose through education at Clifton College. She gets an education, just not the one she deliberately set out for.

Linda Shepard's only sexual encounters where on the shy side of the explicit prior to arriving at college, free from her family and small town life, she instantly connects with a stand-up gentlemen but diverts her attention towards the rougher crowd after being briefly introduced to the local newspaper editor Don Gibbs.

Looking for love in the wrong places, she ends up having an almost fatal attraction, smothering Don with time (in and out of bed) to such an extent that her education suffers as does her relationship.

Cast out following Don's frank break-up, Linda finds herself broken hearted and cold bedded. Seeking the obliterate the pain of a love lost she pushes her most desirable asset, her body, on any young man willing to love her a little, if only to satisfy a craving.

CAMPUS TRAMP is like nothing I've read before and comes across as a mixture of sleaze and literature. An odd and unlikely combination yet apt in my opinion. Block explores the journey and pain of self discovery through the blatant disregard and destructive nature of self ridicule and carelessness to evolution via redemption and self awareness. CAMPUS TRAMP is much more than the title suggests and was a great pulp find.

Read the full review on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long before Lawerence Block hit the big time with his Matthew Scudder crime series he was cranking out two sleazers a month for the likes of Midwood and Nightstand. Campus Tramp, written under the Andrew Shaw byline, was Block's fifth novel. In comparing this to Donald Westlake's Campus Doll, I'd say it has more depth, more nuance, and more style and voice. The main difference is that Block seems to be having fun with it and Westlake seemed to be going through the motions by then. The plot here is straightforward: Linda is going away to college determined to lose her virginity. She quickly falls for the editor of the school paper, beds him, moves in and becomes obsessed. He dumps her and she proceeds to work her way through all the men on campus. On the verge of being kicked out of college, she rallies, quits the guys and the booze and starts cramming three weeks before finals. Until, just before her last final she finds out she is . . . wait for it . . . pregnant. What is she to do? Do hills look like white elephants? Not great, but not bad for a book written in a couple of weeks. Fun to see Block's early style developing.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read this book back in 1960 when I was 12 years old. Softcore porn was my version of Young Adult lit in those days. My father bought dozens of these paperbacks with wonderful sleazy covers for 35 cents each, and (unknown to him) I devoured them. It was my sex education, which was pretty weird because most of the sex was described as an embrace fading to dot dot dot... As the 1960's progressed, the books became far more graphic, and so did my education. Campus Tramp is in the early dot dot dot tradition, and it was much better written than most of the dot dot dots. You have to judge softcore as you would any other genre (such as horror) where there are certain unlikely conventions (such as bloodsucking zombies). In the softcore genre, the unlikely convention includes lots of unlikely sex. Given the convention, Campus Tramp is nicely written. Having just reread it after a 50 year gap, I'm glad to see I was exposed to some decent writing at that age when my schoolteachers were trying to expose me to the old white dead English masters. The new edition includes some irrelevant black and white photos for further titillation, equally softcore. Read this for fun without high expectations - and for a time capsule of 1959 morality - and enjoy the ride.

[Twistedtexas · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.5/10 - Early (1959) Lawrence Block erotica. Sure, not his finest work, but cool Blockisms abound.
From the afterward:

I'll be the last person to urge anyone to read it, but if you do, I suggest you adopt the attitude of the tomcat who had an affair with the skunk. As you'll recall, he told his friends he enjoyed it for as long as he could stand it.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

We're all likely reading this because it's Block. Didn't care about the characters, wanted to get through it quickly and the writing was rudimentary.

[Craig Childs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lawrence Block wrote this book when he was 21, in the summer after his junior year in college. He explains in his afterward to the e-book edition how he set this novel in a fictionalized version of his alma mater, Antioch College. Character surnames are taken from school dormitories. One of the main characters has a job as school newspaper editor, which was Block's job while he was on campus. In fact, this book has become a cult classic on the Antioch campus. According to IMDB, it was the basis for a 45-minute student film called Antioch Adventures.

The book itself has serious flaws--some innane plot twists, and over-reliance on sex scenes that are too metaphoric and certainly not graphic enough to qualify as erotica (if that was indeed the original intent). But the book does tackle some controversial themes for 1960 including living as a closet homosexual and abortion.

Even at the age of 21, Block certainly displayed a talent for sketching characters and driving a plot forward (even when it when stretches plausibility). All in all, I have to say I enjoyed it despite myself.

Surprisingly, this was actually the fifth book LB wrote, according to his afterward:

1. Strange Are the Ways of Love
2. Carla
3. A Strange Kind of Love
4. Born to be Bad
5. Campus Tramp

[Craig Childs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lawrence Block wrote this book when he was 21, in the summer after his junior year in college. He explains in his afterward to the e-book edition how he set this novel in a fictionalized version of his alma mater, Antioch College. Character surnames are taken from school dormitories. One of the main characters has a job as school newspaper editor, which was Block's job while he was on campus. In fact, this book has become a cult classic on the Antioch campus. According to IMDB, it was the basis for a 45-minute student film called Antioch Adventures.

The book itself has serious flaws--some innane plot twists, and over-reliance on sex scenes that are too metaphoric and certainly not graphic enough to qualify as erotica (if that was indeed the original intent). But the book does tackle some controversial themes for 1960 including living as a closet homosexual and abortion.

Even at the age of 21, Block certainly displayed a talent for sketching characters and driving a plot forward (even when it when stretches plausibility). All in all, I have to say I enjoyed it despite myself.

Surprisingly, this was actually the fifth book LB wrote, according to his afterward:

1. Strange Are the Ways of Love
2. Carla
3. A Strange Kind of Love
4. Born to be Bad
5. Campus Tramp

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike a lot of amateur stories I read this actually has a beginning, middle, and end with some character development. It's pretty racy by late 50s standards. I suppose since it was the late 50s there had to be a happy ending and moral to the story.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fair bit of nonsense and obviously an early work from Lawrence but I'm such a fan I'll read anything of his.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is what it is, only read if this is your thing, or you want to read everything from Lawrence Block