"These tiny stories, in which a wide variety of animals show us how human we really are, are completely uproarious." — Saturday Review of Literature"These fables are as cogent and necessary today as they were before and after the Great War when Thurber's plainspoken, satiric fables provided a way to speak out in an era of political suspiciousness, false hopes, and mistrust. These fables are, indeed, for our time." —Michael J. Rosen, from the Introductio...

American humorist James Thurber’s classic short story is about a man who escapes the tedium of his mundane life by retreating into his vivid imagination. This title features a new introduction by Rosemary A. Thurber, James Thurber’s daughter, as well as a selection of Thurber drawings.

A collection of humorous essays, accompanied by the author's own bizarre drawings, presenting Thurber's unremitting retort to the multitude of "self-help" books which were widespread in the 1930s and whose successors are still with us today.

A comprehensive collection of the American humorist’s best work—including “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”—plus original drawings and a chronology of Thurber’s own troubled lifeJames Thurber, whimsical fantasist and deadpan chronicler of everyday absurdities, brought American humor into the 20th century. His comic persona, a modern city-dweller whose zaniest flights of free association are tinged with anxiety, remains hilarious, subtly disturbing, and instantly re...

The Classic Collection of James Thurber gathers four of the author’s most iconic works into one beautifully illustrated volume, celebrating the wit, imagination, and sharp social insight that made Thurber one of America’s most beloved humorists. At the heart of the collection is “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, the timeless story of an ordinary man who escapes the dullness of everyday life through extraordinary daydreams. Mitty’s richly comic fantasies, shifting from heroism to absurdity...

"An authentic American genius . . . Mr. Thurber belongs in the great lines of American humorists that includes Mark Twain and Ring Lardner." — The Philadelphia InquirerJames Thurber's unique ability to convey the vagaries of life in a funny, witty, and often satirical way earned him accolades as one of the finest humorists of the twentieth century. A bestseller upon its initial publication in 1945, The Thurber Carnival captures the depth of his tal...

In "My Life and Hard Times," James Thurber constructs a masterful blend of memoir and humor, meticulously weaving together anecdotes from his upbringing in Columbus, Ohio, during the early 20th century. The literary style is characterized by its vivid imagery, sharp wit, and whimsical narrative voice, making the mundane aspects of life resonate with comedic brilliance. As part of the American literary canon, the book reflects the early 20th-century shift towards personal narrative and absu...

I have not actually known Thurber for sixty years, since he was only sixty-two on his last birthday, but the publishers of this volume felt that "sixty" would sound more effective than "sixty-two" in the title of an introduction to so large a book, a point which I was too tired to argue about.James Thurber was born on a night of wild portent and high wind in the year 1894, at 147 Parsons Avenue, Columbus, Ohio. The house, which is still standing, bears no tablet or plaque of any des...

Benvenuto Cellini said that a man should be at least forty years old before he undertakes so fine an enterprise as that of setting down the story of his life. He said also that an autobiographer should have accomplished something of excellence. Nowadays nobody who has a typewriter pays any attention to the old master's quaint rules. I myself have accomplished nothing of excellence except a remarkable and, to some of my friends, unaccountable expertness in hitting empty ginger ale bottles w...

Walter Mitty, a mild-mannered forty-year-old man, drives into Connecticut with his wife for their weekly shopping trip. Tired of his drab, schedule-driven life, Walter escapes into five elaborate daydreams, and finally becomes the hero he always hoped to be.“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” was originally published in a 1939 issue of The New Yorker. It is considered to be an American classic, and author James Thurber’s masterpiece. It has been adapted for film, first in 19...

In "The Thurber Carnival," James Thurber masterfully weaves a tapestry of humor, satire, and poignant commentary on human nature. This remarkable collection of sketches, short stories, and cartoons showcases Thurber's distinctive literary style, characterized by a blend of absurdism and sharp wit. Set against the backdrop of early 20th century American society, the work explores themes of love, familial dynamics, and the quirks of everyday life, all while highlighting Thurber's playful use...

From iconic American humorist James Thurber, a celebrated and poignant memoir about his years at The New Yorker with the magazine's unforgettable founder and longtime editor, Harold Ross"Extremely entertaining. . . . life at The New Yorker emerges as a lovely sort of pageant of lunacy, of practical jokes, of feuds and foibles. It is an affectionate picture of scamps playing their games around a man who, for all his brusqueness, loved them,...