Tio Pepe, 1963 first edition, by Mary Laswell.

Written by Mary Laswell. Illustrated by Robert MacLean. First edition, 1963. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. The Riverside Press.

"Even before he was fully awake, Professor Elijah Potts knew he was in Mexico. Ever since his sixtieth birthday, he had experienced with increasing frequency the odd sensation of not quite knowing where he was when he first woke up. He decided that it came from traveling and moving about in search of interesting folklore during the summer vacations from the University in Schenectady where he taught Folklore and Fables of the Americas. But there was no doubt in his mind as to where he was this effervescent morning."

FRONT FLAP

"Tio Pepe is the proprietor of a delightful Mexican bar, the Cada Noche un Amor (A Love Every Night). In spite of his age, his activities lend truth to the name of his establishment. Tio Pepe is a man of prowess. His wife, who he married from the purest of motives - her dowry - is only concerned lest he center his attentions on a single object, in this particular summer the young and beauteous Cha Cha.

"Professor Elija Potts is oldish (sixty plus), but his activities are more modest than those of his formidable host, nor can he cause concern to the companion of his bosom, for Professor Potts is a bachelor and American folklorist who has discovered the joys of summer vacations in this small paradise of good food and drink over the border."

Mary Lasswell (1905 - 1994) was a Scottish-born American author of humorous novels about life in Southern California, Texas, Mexico, and Newark, New Jersey. She was born in Glasgow to American parents and grew up in Brownsville, Texas, where she learned Spanish before English. She started her writing career with Suds in Your Eye (1942), a funny story about three elderly women who lived in a junkyard in San Diego. The book was a success and was adapted into a Broadway play. Lasswell wrote five more books about the same characters, as well as other novels, cookbooks, and editorials for the Houston Chronicle. She is remembered for her witty and warm-hearted stories that celebrated friendship, resilience, and adventure.

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Condition: Very Good/Good. Dust jacket: On the front, chipped along upper edge, open tear lower right, wear along the fore edge; on the back, chipped along the upper edge, light soiling from handling; corners bumped; chipped at head of the spine, open tear at tail; front flap chipped at lower edge. Blood red-embossed orange cloth cover boards are lightly faded at upper and lower edges and spine. Name on front fly leaf else pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.