James Thurber Books

"This book contains a selection of the stories & drawings the old boy did in his prime, a period which extended roughly from the year Lindbergh flew the Atlantic to the day coffee was rationed. He presents this to his readers with his sincere best wishes for a happy new world."--Preface Saturday Review called it "one of the absolutely essential books of our time". A bestseller when published in 1945, the omnibus, most of which 1st appeared in The New Yorker, draws from such classics as My World & Welcome to It, My Life & Hard Times, Fables for Our Time & Famous Poems Illustrated, The Owl in the Attic, The Seal in the Bedroom & Men, Women & Dogs. "It is time that we stopped thinking of James Thurber as a mere funny man for sophisticates & recognized him as an authentic American genius," wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Mr Thurber belongs in the great line of American humorists which includes Mark Twain & Ring Lardner." Foreword Preface 1 Stories not collected in book form 2 From My world & welcome to it 3 From Let your mind alone 4 From The middle aged man on the flying trapeze 5 My life & hard time, complete 6 From Fables of our time & Famous poems illustrated 7 From The owl in the attic 8 From The seal in the bedroom 9 From Men, women & dogs

James Thurber, one of the greatest American humorists, was not a man to shrink from danger - as long as he was safely ensconsed behind his typewriter or drawing board. Thurber on Crime is a collection of the master's ruminations on everyday villainy: stories, articles, essays, drawings, and reflections on the evil that men and women do. Several of the pieces are appearing here for the first time in book form. One of Thurber's major contributions to American letters is his view of the "little man" - Walter Mitty and his brothers - doing battle with the world. In the pages of Thurber on Crime, the little man fights international spies, gets mixed up in gangland vendettas, and plans the perfect murder.

The memoir offers an insightful glimpse into the life of James Thurber during his tenure at The New Yorker, highlighting his experiences with the magazine's influential founder, Harold Ross. Through a blend of humor and reflection, Thurber shares memorable anecdotes and the unique atmosphere of the publication, capturing the essence of a transformative period in American literary history. The narrative showcases both the challenges and triumphs of working in a creative environment, offering readers a personal connection to the magazine's legacy.

 “Thurber is...a landmark in American humor...he is the funniest artist who ever lived.” — New RepublicWidely hailed as one of the finest humorist of the twentieth century, James Thurber looks back at his own life growing up in Columbus, Ohio, with the same humor and sharp wit that defined his famous sketches and writings. In My Life and Hard times, first published in 1933, he recounts the delightful chaos and frustrations of family, boyhood, youth, odd dogs, recalcitrant machinery, and the foibles of human nature.

SUMMARY: The tale of a demanding princess who wanted the moon and got it.

Here, in the companion volume to "Fables For Our Time", are 47 fables including "The Wolf Who Went Places", "The Bragdowdy and the Busybody", "The Human Being and the Dinosaur" and "The Peacelike Mongoose".

"Thurber in his heyday was one of those international names, like Garbo, Ruth or Mussolini, that immediately summoned up a point of view: partly, no doubt, because he sounded like one of his own characters but more certainly because of his drawings. He did not make jokes in his mouth, like so many clowns, but somewhere between the optic nerve and the unconscious, an area where the slightest tilt can lead to torment and madness. But thank God he compiled this book while youthful high spirits could still put funny hats on his nightmares and he could still be diverted by jokes that had nothing to say about anything: "I said the hounds of Spring are on Winter's traces, but let it pass, let it pass." I used to repeat this line so often as a boy, that it lost all humor, and finally all meaning, and I still loved it. That's art and that's Thurber."*From the Introduction by Wilfrid Sheed

The first book of prose published by either James Thurber or E. B. White, Is Sex Necessary? combines the humor and genius of both authors to examine those great mysteries of life -- romance, love, and marriage. A masterpiece of drollery, it stands the test of time with its sidesplitting spoof of men, women, and psychologists; and more than fifty funny illustrations by Thurber.

James Thurber is universally admired for his hilarious sense of humour, off-beat imagination and unique take on the world around him. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, in which a young man's fantasies have a much more powerful hold on him than reality, is probably his best-known prose work, but this selection also contains wonderfully entertaining essays, poetry and cartoons gathered from all of Thurber's collections. Poking fun at his own weaknesses and those of other people (and dogs) - the English teacher who looked only at figures of speech, the Airedale who refused to include him in the family, the botany lecturer who despaired of him totally - James Thurber is essential reading for everyone who loves to laugh.