John Kendrick Bangs
1) The Idiot
Today, quirky or eccentric outsiders are often afforded a measure of tolerance or even respect. In the nineteenth century, however, these original thinkers were often regarded as dangerous crackpots and subjected to scorn -- or worse. John Kendrick Bangs' The Idiot follows the ups and downs of one such unfortunate fellow in a most amusing fashion.
American editor and writer John Kendrick Bangs eased into humor writing and satire by anonymously submitting a few essays for publication amidst his busy career at a number of prominent publications. One of his most lasting creations is an opinionated buffoon called the Idiot. In this amusing collection, the Idiot holds forth on a number of his pet subjects, ranging from marriage to literary criticism.
A house-boat floats down the river Styx, which must be crossed to enter the afterworld. At the end of A House-Boat on the Styx Captain Kidd hijacks the boat. In this sequel, the houseboat club-members hire Sherlock Holmes (at that point in history declared dead by his creator) to investigate the matter.
Prolific novelist Stuart Harley has published many books, but wealth and popular acclaim have continued to elude him. In an attempt to help him secure his fortune, Harley's publisher recommends that he write stories with more appeal to female audiences. Harley agrees and begins to work, but he soon finds that his plucky heroine—one Marguerite Andrews—has developed a mind of her own and is not overly keen on going along with his plans.
...Renowned journalist and essayist John Kendrick Bangs worked at the helm of many of the most important news magazines of his day -- and all the while, he was submitting his own short humor pieces, poems, and other blurbs to mass-market publications, often anonymously or using a pen name. This holiday-themed collection brings together some of Bangs' finest work, and it's sure to bring some festive cheer to you and yours.
The souls of the dead must cross the Styx, to pass into a Hades-like afterworld. In the first of the twelve stories compiled in A House-Boat on the Styx, the man who ferries the souls across sees a houseboat floating downriver and fears for his livelihood. He is appointed janitor on the boat, where the remaining stories take place between characters from history and mythology.
What happens when a brilliant but eccentric tinkerer sets his mind on improving the conditions of mankind through the power of science? John Kendrick Bangs' follow-up to The Idiot details this one-of-a-kind inventor's ideas -- some brilliant, some batty -- in this eminently readable romp.
Over the course of his career, John Kendrick Bangs gained prominence as one of the most beloved humor writers of his era. In this charming collection of short stories, Bangs muses on the emergence of the suburban middle class in the United States with his trademark wit and humanity.
American writer John Kendrick Bangs was an innovator who removed the ponderous solemnity from the typical ghost story and replaced it with his own trademark wit and imagination. The Enchanted Typewriter is part of Bangs' Associated Shades series, which features famous people who have passed on to the afterlife. In these stories, the famed 18th-century writer James Boswell has been appointed to the role of editor for the newspaper
...What would happen if master detective Sherlock Holmes sired a son with the daughter of one of his archenemies? That's the supposition at the center of R. Holmes & Co., which pits criminal mastermind Raffles against Holmes and goes on to tell the story of how Holmes fell for Raffles' daughter Marjorie, with whom he later had a child, the Raffles Holmes of the book's title.
This collection of literary-themed verse from satirist and man of letters John Kendrick Bangs is sure to please book lovers. Filled with allusions to authors and their works and characterized by a light, playful tone, every poem in Cobwebs from a Library Corner is a witty delight.
Part of John Kendrick Bangs' beloved Idiot series, based around the exaggerated exploits of the eponymous antihero, this collection features the Idiot's opinions on a number of diverse topics, including women, taxation, and international diplomacy. As always, the Idiot's silly soliloquies are packed with equal parts ridiculous fallacy and sly wit.
14) Paste Jewels
This linked story cycle from sharp-witted humorist John Kendrick Bangs delves into the delights and tribulations of married life. Beginning with the wedding of starry-eyed lovebirds Jane and Thaddeus, Paste Jewels is a rollicking and insightful look at long-term love.
If you prefer your ghost stories to have a stout dose of rollicking wit, add Toppleton's Client to your must-read list. A lawyer moves into a new office and soon discovers it is haunted—and worse yet, the lingering spirit wants to engage the lawyer's services to oust another supernatural being that is squatting, so to speak, in his physical body.
American author John Kendrick Bangs carved out a unique niche for himself in the literary pantheon by penning dozens of satirical works focusing on historical figures. In the ersatz biography Mr. Bonaparte of Corsica, he mercilessly skewers bombastic French emperor Napoleon.
Included are:
THE STRIKE OF ONE, by Elliott Flower
THE CELEBRATED JUMPING FROG OF CALAVERAS COUNTY, by Mark Twain
A DOUBLE-DYED DECEIVER, by O. Henry
LAURA, by Saki
TEETH IS TEETH, by Ellis Parker Butler
ARAMINTA AND THE AUTOMOBILE, by Charles
The collaborative efforts of twelve different authors writing a chapter each, The Whole Family is a 1908 novel conceived of by writer William Dean Howells and directed by Elizabeth Jordan, the editor Harper's Bazaar at the time. Howells' wished to explore how an entire family might both affect and be affected by a marriage. The narrative became somewhat of a mirror for the at-times contentious relationships between its various authors. The
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