Introducing the brilliant new comic strip by Dan Archer, illustrator of Swinesend: Britain's Greatest Public School. You can find out more about Dan and his work by visiting his website, his blog (on which he posts lots of recent work) and his MySpace profile.

NOTE: To view a larger version of the cartoon, please visit www.crappublicschools.org/dan/

JUNE 2007: No Fire Without Smoke

"may I recommend the funniest website of all time: The Crap Public Schools Association."

The wonderful Rowan Pelling in today's Telegraph.

We are offering a bottle of whisky (to over 18s) and a signed copy of 'Swinesend: Britain's Greatest Public School' to the person who submits the most inventive photograph of themselves clutching a copy of the latter. It might be in front of a public school. It might be underwater in its swimming pool. Or, like the one I had taken last week, it might be in front of the grave of school story writer Talbot Baines Reed. It's up to you. Photographs can be submitted to this group or to photos@crappublicschools.org. Or both. They will be displayed at www.crappublicschools.org and on one of those flash widgets on the CPSA profile.

An additional mystery prize is on offer to the first person who verifiably gets 'Swinesend' banned by a public school.

Copies of the book are available at Amazon.co.uk.

Bottles of whisky are available all over the place. But it's not often a free one comes your way.

Great news. Two of us at the CPSA have got the lead article in today's T2 in The Times. There's a cracking online debate too, which you can find here (though the displayed comments do keep changing). The topic is "State v public school: is one better than the other?"

So far we have been accused of "doing the country a great disservice." Lively stuff.

CPSA

We've finally put together a version of Bursaropoly, in homage of the wonderful public school fee fixing scandal. Naturally, there is only a limited number of places in which to put schools, and I don't think we've quite nailed it yet. Where, for instance, Rossall? Surely that should be one of the brown properties?

In the spirit of democracy, we invite you to help us refine this version before we post it up at http://www.crappublicschools.org tomorrow. Which schools should go where, and why? Please let us know on the CPSA blog or message board.

Dan Archer, the excellent illustrator of Swinesend: Britain's Greatest Public School has agreed to create a monthly picture blog for the Crap Public Schools Association. Dan is a brilliant cartoonist and caricaturist who has worked for clients such as The Times, Penguin Books, The Bookseller and, of course, Atlantic Books.

Dan's first post will appear soon, but in the meantime we highly recommend you check out his work at www.archburger.com and his blog, The Daily Howl, at archburger.blogspot.com.

Of course, if you can't face leaving the happy confines of MySpace, you can simply visit Dan's profile here: http://myspace.com/archburger

Well would you? And why?

I know I wouldn't....

I've just discovered one place that's selling Swinesend even more cheaply than Amazon, which itself is offering 34% off. Brown Books (no, I haven't heard of them either) appear to be offering 35% off - ie selling an £8.99 book for £5.84...

So, when the small authors' cut is divided by three, less 15% for our agent.... no, it's too depressing a calculation to make...

Memo: don't give up the day job. Oh, damn...

What were (or are) the musical fashions at your school? Back in the late 80s and early 90s, whilst rest of the country was swooning over Bros, the boys at my school were flicking their floppy fringes to the likes of The Cure, Joy Division, The Wedding Present, Camper van Beethoven and the Violent Femmes. If a bit more edgy, they might plump for Dinosaur Jr. If somewhat wet, the Lloyd Cole and the Commotions was the order of the day.

But times change. And schools vary. But nearly all public school boys and girls make sure they're listening to something just a little bit more "interesting" that the folk up at the local comprehensive.

What was the playlist when you were at school? Answers below please.

CPSA