"The Specialist" by Chic Sale
became a best seller by accident.

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Chic Sale was a comedian and 'performed' this story hundreds of times before he wrote it down.

Chic Sale's humorous monologue was about a carpenter who built outhouses.

Chic Sale was an actor. Starting in vaudeville, he appeared on the legitimate stage, and then in films in the early days of Hollywood. As a member of Rotary, he would attend meetings in the cities where he was performing. He was often asked to provide some "little" entertainment after the luncheons. Since many of his routines required elaborate props, he chose to do a short monologue, written for the occasion. It was a comedy piece about Lem Putt, country carpenter and specialist in building outhouses. 

Chic's homespun humor was appreciated by mixed audiences and not just the men folk.

In the beginning Chic Sale considered "The Specialist" for men only, and it took a long time to make him decide he could tell it to a mixed audience. Proud to have always performed true family entertainment, he thought to tell the "privy" story in front of women was a little out of line. The ladies felt otherwise. They knew their knowledge of rural living was just as great as their men folk and wanted to hear Lem Putt's story first hand. Gradually Mr. Sale's reluctance to perform "The Specialist" monologue at mixed gatherings was lessened, and he had a wonderful time making people laugh about the carpenter who was a specialist. 		 THE SPECIALST by Chic Sale is a delightful tale of homespun humor.
Lem Putt actually existed, and Chic Sale knew him, and both lampooned and respected him in the telling of this humorous story.

The monologue was published in 1929 
and became a best seller.

Chic became aware that his charming, and funny, monologue was being stolen by other performers. Years in the theater had taught him that it was nearly impossible to protect one's gags or stories. What to do! He didn't want to lose his story! The best advice was for him to publish it in book form, and then it would be protected by the copyright laws. The book sold immediately, each month doubling the previous month's sales. Within a few short years over a million copies had been sold throughout the country.

Both of Chic Sale's books 
are still in print.

Since then "The Specialist" has been translated into nine languages and published in twelve countries. It has never gone out of print in the United States and is still available, as is the sequel, "I'll Tell You Why," which Mr. Sale wrote the next year. Chic Sale died in 1936, but the joy he brought to the world has never died. 		 THE SPECIALIST is a book of light hearted humor, and has been read by millions of people throughout the world. After the success of THE SPECIALIST, further exploits of Lem Putt were compiled by Chic Sale in I'LL TELL YOU WHY.

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