This post is part of an ongoing series featuring items from the newly acquired Julio Mario Santo Domingo Collection.
Most likely we have all heard the slang of the word “fuzz” to describe a police officer. There appears to be little reliable information to back up the supposition that people indeed used the word during the 60s or if it just crept into popular usage because people “thought” that is what people called the cops. In any case this volume Fuzz against junk : the saga of the narcotics brigade was written by Akbar Del Piombo and is a satire about narcotics usage and the police. Akbar is actually the nom de plume for Norman Rubington, who was more well-known as an artist. Rubington’s collages and manuscripts can be found at the Beinecke Library at Yale under the Norman Rubington papers, 1951-1990. After leaving Yale in 1943 for the Army Corps of Engineers, Rubington received training in map-making, mosaic overlay from aerial photos, and photo interpretation for military intelligence. He also continued to sketch and paint and gained success as an artist after serving his time in the military in both Europe and America before he turned to book illustration.
Rubington started creating collages from 19th-century engravings and produced a set of satirical works including Fuzz against junk. It is believed that this unique style of animation was the forerunner to Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Look at more of these amazing collages in Fuzz against junk : the saga of the narcotics brigade /Akbar Del Piombo ; pictorials by Rubington. 2d American ed. New York : Beach Books, Texts & Documents, 1969. PS3507.E528F82 1969 located in the Hollis catalog.
Thanks to Alison Harris, Santo Domingo Project Manager for contributing this post.