A sudden rash of suicides quickly spirals out of control, as all the adults do away with themselves in a wave of existential ennui. With the "oldies" dead, teenagers inherit the world, suddenly free to smash, loot and love as they like. Motorcycle gangs hold wild orgies in abandoned apartments and prowl through the shambles of disintegrating London in search of disappearing stocks of lipstick, gasoline and food, now the currency in a new world of unspeakable violence . . .  

Dave Wallis's chillingly convincing counter­culture classic Only Lovers Left Alive (1964) has counted the Rolling Stones, Jim Morrison and Jim Jarmusch among its many admirers. Unavailable for decades, it returns to print at last in this edition, which features a new introduction by Andrew Tullis and the original jacket photograph by Bruce Fleming.