'The Little White Book'

The Little White Book was written in answer to the little red school-book which was written by two Danish school teachers in 1969 (Soren Hansen and Jesper Jensen), which gave advice to teenagers about sex and drugs and about the importance of challenging authority. Alister Taylor published at least six English-language printings in New Zealand and Australia in 1972.

the little red school-book was groundbreaking but controversial in its frank advice to young people on how to live within adult systems, particularly the education system. It caused an international furore and was banned in several countries.

The Little White Book was published in New Zealand by The Founder Press in 1972. It was translated and revised from the original Swedish version. Supporters of the book included Patricia Bartlett and members of the Society for the Protection of Community Standards.

The book was intended to be a corrective to 'a world that has gone crazy with sex. A world that panders to abnormalities and perversion' (p. 11). The authors hoped that The Little White Book 'will be a sheath of armour for your battle' (p. 13).

The Little White Book addresses many topics of conservative concern including school ('To get the best, we must all conform', p. 14), underground magazines, 'drop-outs', Eastern and Communist influences, drugs ('strange new gods', p. 18), sex ('sex is for the marriage bed alone', p. 25), marriage, adultery, contraceptives ('No is still the best oral contraceptive', p. 35), abortion, pornography, venereal disease, masturbation, homosexuality, 'dirty old men', 'peeping toms', 'freedom vibrations', 'a guide to clean living' for girls and boys, etc.