The Jazz Age comedy of manners about a straitlaced banker and two bon vivant ghosts that inspired the classic film starring Cary Grant.Bank manager Cosmo Topper has settled into a stable, respectable, and thoroughly boring life. In need of a little adventure, he decides to buy a secondhand car—a detail he neglects to tell his staid wife, Mary. But Topper's little secret turns into an unexpectedly wild ride when he discovers the automobile is haunted by its previous...

In "Biltmore Oswald," Thorne Smith crafts a satirical romp through the life of an inept but endearing protagonist, Oswald Biltmore, who navigates the chaotic waters of society with a blend of slapstick humor and sharp wit. Adopting a playful narrative style, Smith employs a conversational tone punctuated by absurdity, inviting readers into a world where the boundaries of reality are stretched. Set against the backdrop of the 1920s, the novel employs elements of fantasy and irreverent socia...

The beloved characters--mortal and immortal--of Topper return in this uproarious romp through the south of France. One of Thorne Smith's best-loved comedies, it proves once again that he is the undisputed master of urbane wit and sophisticated repartee.

Thorne Smith best-remembered for humorous novels, many turning on some fantastic plot device which thrusts the protagonist into grotesque predicaments, often via unwitting transformation. The 1926 publication of „Topper” brought the author immediate acclaim. Elegant, fun-loving George and Marion Kerby are the toast of the town, until they wreck their flashy car and discover they’ve become, well, ghosts. Making the best of a bad situation, they decide that being dead is the perfect opportun...

A lawyer with an unfaithful wife finds salvation becoming a partner in the maddest department store anyone could imagine, drinking like a fish and finding love with Miss Honou Knightley, custodian of the store's pornographic books department. Another wondrous American Thirties farce from Thorne Smith.

Another magical, mischievous Thorne Smith classic. Though Thorne Smith’s most popular works involve elements of fantasy and science fiction, the clever novel „Turnabout” takes his penchant for incorporating supernatural and magical themes in his work and puts one such plot twist to use as a comedic tool. A classic battle of the sexes, it was published in 1931 and follows a married couple who fall prey to the tricks of an Egyptian idol who grows weary of the seemingly never-ending spats bet...

It all begins when Cosmo Topper, a law-abiding, mild-mannered bank manager, decides to buy a secondhand car, only to find it haunted by the ghosts of its previous owners: the reckless, feckless, frivolous couple who met their untimely demise when the car careened into an oak tree. The capricious ghosts make it their mission to rescue the inhibited banker from the staid “summer of suburban Sundays” that is his life. With their ectoplasmic reappearances and whimsically insane actions, they l...

Thorne Smith has done it again. He has captured what appears to be the story of an ordinary married couple with everyday troubles, and has created an off-the-wall comedy with all sorts of twists and turns. After listening to Tim and Sally Willows bicker daily for years, an Egyptian idol decides to do something about it. He switches bodies on them! Suddenly, each one is forced to look at life from the other's point of view. 'Tim' has to learn how to do his hair, put on makeup, and elude the...

Biltmore Oswald: The Diary of a Hapless Recruit (1918). A series of comic stories written for the Naval Reserve journal The Broadside while Smith was in the Navy.

Thorne Smith’s imaginative novel „Skin and Bones” takes the concept of suffering for one’s art to a whole new level. This classic book contains the humorous and fantastical story of Mr. Quintus Bland, the eminent photographer, whose efforts to perfect X-ray film had, one evening, the unfortunate effect of leaving Mr. Bland in the position of an X-ray film himself; in other words, him found himself no more than a walking skeleton. Bland’s flesh does not merely become invisible but intangibl...

We meet this affluent bachelor, the epitome of a 'mad' scientist, as he adventures to delights with his leprechaun girlfriend. After transforming statues into people (and vice versa) in his home town, he moves to the Greek gods in the Metropolitan Museum. You'll have quite a few laughs mixed in with social commentary. Read it.Hunter Hawk is the epitome of a 'mad' scientist. An affluent bachelor, tired of sharing his home with his bossy sister and her family, sets off on a delightfu...

The novel likely follows the misadventures of the titular character, Biltmore Oswald, as he navigates various humorous situations and eccentric characters. Oswald is often portrayed as a bumbling and hapless protagonist who finds himself in absurd and comical predicaments.Thorne Smith's writing style in "Biltmore Oswald" is characterized by its irreverent humor, witty dialogue, and imaginative scenarios. Through Oswald's escapades, Smith may satirize various aspects of society and poke fun...