Poison penmanship : the gentle art of muckraking / by Jessica Mitford.

Contents: Introduction -- Trial by headline -- St. Peter don't you call me -- Proceed with caution -- You-all and non-you-all -- Americans don't want fancy funerals -- "Something to offend everyone" -- Don't call it syphillis -- Maine chance diary -- Let us now appraise famous writers -- A talk with George Jackson -- My short and happy life as a distinguished professor -- The best frenemies -- Checks and balances at the sign of the dove -- The dove strikes back -- Waiting for O'Hara -- Egyptomania

"Poison penmanship" is conceived not only as a collection of occasional pieces ... but also as a how-to book for aspiring muckrakers. Jessica Mitford was a member of one of England's most legendary families (among her sisters were the novelist Nancy Mitford and the current Duchess of Devonshire) and one of the great muckraking journalists of modern times