Showing results for "robert benchley"

Robert Benchley's comic collection turns modern life, history, and public spectacle into a nonstop exercise in deadpan absurdity. It opens with mock-serious wit about the "decline of sex," cheerfully mangling science, nature, and psychoanalysis into lessons for young men, then widens its target to intellectual fads, civic irritation, and the urge to explain everything. New York sidewalks become obstacle courses, while Paul Revere's midnight ride is recast as a salesman's business trip for ...

''The Best of Robert Benchley'' showcases the rapier-sharp wit and absurdist humor of one of the 20th century's most influential American humorists, serving as a definitive introduction to the man who was the cornerstone of the Algonquin Round Table, an influential, witty group of New York City writers, critics, and actors—including Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley himself—who met daily for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel and were known as "The Vicious Circle." Robert Benchley more than all...

''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; or, David Copperfield'' is a collection of humorous essays by American's great humorist Robert Benchley. The book features essays that often humorously portray an average American struggling with everyday complexities. Benchley had a fertile mind for the use of wordplay. His little works displayed a strong knowledge of puns and farce. The title of the book itself has no actual meaning related to the contents. He just liked the title. His type of humor has vi...

Robert Benchley's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; or, David Copperfield is a delightful and whimsical collection of essays that showcases the humorist's unparalleled wit and absurdist charm. A master of satire and wordplay, Benchley takes readers on a hilarious journey through a wide range of topics, blending the everyday with the bizarre in his inimitable style. From musings on modern inconveniences to absurd reinterpretations of literary classics, Benchley's essays are a brilliant explorat...

In ''Pluck and Luck'' there are two main types of Benchley writing here, genre parody and slice-of-life humor. The former are the most unhinged bits of the book, in which popular literary styles of the day and various types of stuffed-shirt academic writing are folded, spindled, and mutilated. The best way to let you know what to expect from these pieces is to think of those monologues Groucho delivers in most of the Marx Brothers movies, then drop Goethe references into one. That's Benchl...

"Of All Things" is a delightful collection of essays by Robert Benchley, showcasing his unique wit and humor. Benchley, a prominent figure in American literature, captures the absurdities of everyday life with a light-hearted touch. His writing reflects a keen observation of human nature, often blending satire with a charming narrative style. The essays range from reflections on mundane tasks to whimsical musings about society, making the book a timeless read that resonates with anyone who...

America's great classic master of wit and humor gives us a plethora of hilarity in this collection. Polyp with a Past -- The Young Idea's Shooting Gallery -- Open Bookcases -- How to Sell Goods -- When Not in Rome Why Do As the Romans Did? -- African Sculpture -- "In This Corner-"--"I Am in the Book" -- Hockey Tonight! -- A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas -- The New Wing -- When Genius Remained Your Humble Servant -- Shakespeare Explained -- Gardening Notes -- The Passing of the Orthodox Para...

''Inside Benchley'' is the celebrated anthology of humorous essays by American writer Robert Benchley first published in 1942. The collection is particularly notable for being illustrated by the artist Gluyas Williams, whose drawings were long considered the perfect visual counterpart to Benchley's wit. The book serves as a "best-of" compilation, featuring around 50 of Benchley's funniest pieces originally written for publications like The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. The essays typically c...

Love Conquers All is a collection of humorous essays by American writer and humorist Robert Benchley, known for his witty observations and comedic take on everyday life. Published in 1921, the book reflects Benchley’s unique ability to blend humor with insightful commentary, exploring themes of love, relationships, and the absurdities of human behavior. Each essay captures the quirks of romantic encounters and the often hilarious misunderstandings that accompany them, drawing readers into ...

''My Ten Years in a Quandary, and How They Grew'' is a 1936 collection of 105 short humorous essays by Robert Benchley. The book was a best-seller upon release. The collection is considered one of Benchley's most brilliant. A reviewer at America wrote, that My Ten Years in a Quandary, and How They Grew is "bristling… with tiny, droll essays on almost every subject imaginable, and inducing in the reader a state of sustained hilarity." Robert van Gelder of the New York Times wrote, "if there...

Complete and unabridged, with 58 full-page plates by Thomas Moran, Julian Onderdonk and George Bellows. Short pieces on the small indignities of modern life - dentists, family photographs, French lessons, the man in the next seat. Benchley was drama critic for Life and then the New Yorker, and half the American humorists of the next generation copied his timing. This edition is bound with 58 plates of painting from 1881 to 1929, among them Charles Dana Gibson, Edvard Munch and George Bello...

Complete and unabridged, with 58 full-page plates by George Bellows, Ernest Lawson and Childe Hassam. Short pieces on domestic warfare, office life and the impossibility of being an adult, by the man who made the modern American humorous essay. The title is ironic and the essays are about defeat. This edition binds 58 plates of painting, 1888–1929, among them Charles Dana Gibson, Edvard Munch and Louis Charlot, alongside the three parts of the text.