FIRST CHILDHOOD

A book for a specialized audience and a small sale. The study of childhood as seen by a boy brought up in the '80's on an English estate, and of his failure to adapt himself to the established pattern. Parents -- grandparents -- playmates and neighbors -- school experiences (less detailed but no more idealized than those in BLOODY MARY'S) -- an accidental introduction to music -- all handled with delightful bits of writing, with a child's rather than a man's logic and viewpoint, and with a cold-blooded appraisal of the people he did not like. Pleasant enough reading, but difficult to sell. The author's name does not carry weight -- the subject matter is too abstract for challenging interest.