The salon is named for London-born Alexander Pope, one of the leading poets and satirists of the 18th century. In 1975 the original owner of the salon opened up shop in Berkeley. He proposed "The Rape of the Lock" as the name for his establishment. In an ironic twist, Berkeley officials in the home of Free Speech disallowed the name. Alexander Pope was the next logical choice. "The Rape of the Lock" (1717) was written in an attempt to smooth tensions between two families after a young man, Lord Petre, in jest, cut off a lock of Miss Arabella Fermor's hair. She and her family were not amused by this prank, and Pope's poem was meant to make light of the situation so that good relations (and possibly negotiations toward a marriage) might be re-established. Pope treats the subject matter as a mock epic, calling his work a "herio-comical poem." Though Pope's work reminds us not to take a lock of hair too seriously, there is no substitute for feeling and looking your best. Pope himself probably could have used a bit of sprucing up himself. Because of a debilitating disease, he is described as about four feet six inches high, very humpbacked, and deformed. In addition to extreme pain his odd looks left him somewhat unloved. Rumor has it that he was left, shall we say, ungratified. Poor fella. The current owners purchased the business in 1978 and have enjoyed the story of the name for 28 years. They agree the current name fits their sensibilities far better than the original. Herb Caen noted the salon and it's namesake Alexander Pope, in one of his signature columns on "Bagdad by the Bay" in 1985. -- Liz Pagano