HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

The Best American Humorous Short Stories (1945)

by Robert N. Linscott (Editor)

Other authors: Robert Benchley (Contributor), Sally Benson (Contributor), Ellis Parker Butler (Contributor), James M. Cain (Contributor), Marc Connelly (Contributor)26 more, Clarence Day (Contributor), Finley Peter Dunne (Contributor), Walter D. Edmonds (Contributor), George W. Harris (Contributor), Joel Chandler Harris (Contributor), Bret Harte (Contributor), O. Henry (Contributor), Arthur Kober, Ring Lardner (Contributor), Sinclair Lewis (Contributor), St. Clair McKelway (Contributor), Ruth McKenney (Contributor), Donald Moffat (Contributor), Dorothy Parker (Contributor), S. J. Perelman (Contributor), Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Contributor), John S. Robb (Contributor), Leonard Q. Ross (Contributor), Damon Runyon (Contributor), Donald Ogden Stewart (Contributor), Frank R. Stockton (Contributor), Frank Sullivan (Contributor), Booth Tarkington (Contributor), James Thurber (Contributor), Mark Twain (Contributor), Artemus Ward (Contributor)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations
852319,829 (3.71)None
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Short stories, American; Humorous stories, American; Fiction / Anthologies; Fiction / Humorous;
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

Showing 2 of 2
This book added quite a bit to my awareness of early-to-mid 20th century humor. Not that I couldn't have thought of most of these authors if I thought about it, but who would have thought about whether Life with Father began life as a book? I ended up skipping a lot of the early stories that were heavy on the dialect, but all in all, this added quite a bit to my to-read list. James Thurber, Sally Benson, and Clarence Day top my list to check out. ( )
  beautifulshell | Aug 27, 2020 |
When I was in 6th grade, Sr. Marina, SSND (Catholic school survivors will recognize those initials), asked me to read a story aloud from our class reader. My test was to pronounce the word “zephyr,” and when I got it right, she asked me if I knew what it meant. I must have read it somewhere, because I said, “a warm wind.” I loved reading aloud, and the story was so funny, I had a hard time reading over the class’ laughter. I have tried to find that story, and this Modern Library edition published in 1945 represents my latest effort in that search.

Many of the stories include dialect and slang difficult to decipher. A few I knew well, such as “Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry. All the great humorists of the first half of the 20th century are here. A lot of dated and “un-PC” humor but good laughs still abound. Some sound like routines from an old Marx Brothers’ film, and some are downright hilarious. The two by Ring Lardner, “Mr. and Mrs. Fix It” and “Three Without Doubled,” had me in stitches. I had forgotten how funny Lardner’s stories could be.

My story involving a camping trip, mosquitoes, and bears (alas, all I remember) does not live in this book. The search continues. 4 stars

--Jim, 3/24/09 ( )
  rmckeown | Mar 24, 2009 |
Showing 2 of 2
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Linscott, Robert N.Editorprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Benchley, RobertContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Benson, SallyContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Butler, Ellis ParkerContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Cain, James M.Contributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Connelly, MarcContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Day, ClarenceContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Dunne, Finley PeterContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Edmonds, Walter D.Contributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Harris, George W.Contributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Harris, Joel ChandlerContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Harte, BretContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Henry, O.Contributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Kober, Arthursecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Lardner, RingContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Lewis, SinclairContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
McKelway, St. ClairContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
McKenney, RuthContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Moffat, DonaldContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Parker, DorothyContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Perelman, S. J.Contributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Rawlings, Marjorie KinnanContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Robb, John S.Contributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Ross, Leonard Q.Contributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Runyon, DamonContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Stewart, Donald OgdenContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Stockton, Frank R.Contributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Sullivan, FrankContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Tarkington, BoothContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Thurber, JamesContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Twain, MarkContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Ward, ArtemusContributorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Please do not combine this work, which was edited by Robert N. Linscott, with the work of the same title edited by Alexander Jessup. The contents are almost completely different, even though both are numbered 87 in the Modern Library series.

Contents: Swallowing an oyster alive / John S. Robb -- How daddy played hoss / George W. Harris -- The Shakers / Artemus Ward -- Mrs. McWilliams and the lightning / Mark Twain -- Journalism in Tennessee / Mark Twain -- Brother rabbit takes some exercise / Joel Chandler Harris -- How brother rabbit frightened his neighbors / Joel Chandler Harris -- How Mr. Rooster lost his dinner / Joel Chandler Harris -- Colonel Starbottle for the plaintiff / Bret Harte -- A piece of red calico / Frank R. Stockton -- Mr. Dooley on the game of football / Finley Peter Dunne -- Pigs is pigs / Ellis Parker Butler -- The ransom of Red Chief / O. Henry -- Little gentleman / Booth Tarkington -- Three without doubled / Ring Lardner -- Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It / Ring Lardner -- Death of red peril / Walter D. Edmonds -- Travel is so broadening / Sinclair Lewis -- The crazy fool / Donald Ogden Stewart -- Mr. and Mrs. Haddock abroad / Donald Ogden Stewart -- Benny and the bird-dogs / Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings -- The legislature / James M. Cain -- The little hours / Dorothy Parker -- But the one on the right / Dorothy Parker -- The snatching of Bookie Bob / Damon Runyon -- An interesting cure / Frank Sullivan -- Gendarmes and the man / Donald Moffat -- Carnival days in sunny Las Los / Robert Benchley -- The guest / Marc Connelly -- Primrose path / Sally Benson -- The secret life of Walter Mitty / James Thurber -- The night the bed fell / James Thurber -- The night the ghost got in / James Thurber -- University days / James Thurber -- The man who hated Moonbaum / James Thurber -- Father and his hard-rocking ship / Clarence Day -- The prince / Ruth McKenney -- Chocolate for the woodwork / Arthur Kober -- The terrible vengeance of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N / Leonard Q. Ross -- Hand in nub / St. Clair McKelway --Down with the Restoration / S.J. Perelman -- Kitchen bouquet / S.J. Perelman -- Dental or mental, I say it's spinach / S.J. Perelman.
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Short stories, American; Humorous stories, American; Fiction / Anthologies; Fiction / Humorous;

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.71)
0.5
1
1.5
2 1
2.5
3 2
3.5
4 2
4.5
5 2

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 206,782,319 books! | Top bar: Always visible