More than 1000 ripostes, paradoxes, and epigrams on sin, society, genius, wealth, men, women, religion, America, education, and smoking: «Work is the curse of the drinking classes,» «I can resist everything except temptation,» etcetera. Also excerpts from his trial testimony, where the tragedy implicit in Wilde's humor is nowhere more vivid.
Born in England in 1881, Sir P(elham) G(renville) Wodehouse delighted generations of readers with his whimsical tales of the deliciously dim aristocrat Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, his brainy, imperturbable manservant. Many are unaware, however, that Bertie had a prototype — Reggie Pepper — who stumbled into the same worrying situations involving old school chums with romantic troubles, irate female relatives, threatening suitors, and other troublemakers.This is the only collection to contain the first eight Jeeves short stories as well as the complete Reggie Pepper series. Included are such delightful tales as «Extricating Young Gussie,» «The Aunt and the Sluggard,» Leave It to Jeeves," «Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg,» "Absent Treatment, «Rallying Round Clarence,» «Concealed Art,» and more.Awash in an eternal glow of old-boy camaraderie, these stories offer hours of delightfully diverting entertainment sure to recaptivate Wodehouse fans of old as well as tickling the fancy of new readers, who will soon find themselves caught up in the splendidly superficial antics of Messrs. Wooster, Jeeves, Pepper, et al.
Wilhelm Busch (1832-1908), endowed with an equipotent facility with sketch-pad and rhyming dictionary, created some of the most arresting sketches and drollest verses the world has yet seen.In addition to the title piece, this book reprints “Ker and Plunk” (Plisch und Plum), “The Egghead and the Two Cut-ups of Corinth” (Diogenes and die bösen Buben von Korinth), “The Raven-robbin’ Rascals” (Das Rabennest), “Deceitful Henry” (Der hinterlistige Heinrich), “The Boy and the Popgun” (Das Pusterrohr), “Ice-Peter” (Der Eispeter), “The Boy and the Pipe” (Krischan mit der Piepe), “Firm Faith” (Fester Glauben), “The Two Ducks and the Frog” (Die beiden Enten und der Frosch), and “Cat and Mouse” (Katze und Maus).By turns malevolent, jovial, sardonic, diabolical, and bloodthirsty, these verses tellingly castigate hypocrisy, stodginess, stupidity, egotism, drunkenness, and other human foibles. The English translations, printed opposite the original German, are ingenious and faithful, with spice and sense both intact.
"The editors have performed a task for addicts will be grateful. There is nothing for the faithful to do but to sit down and fall to the banquet." — The New York TimesThis is the largest collection of Lewis Carroll's verse ever compiled. It contains almost every poem that Carroll ever wrote. It includes every prose appearing in his books published during his life, privately printed poems, ephemera, poems from manuscripts found among his papers, and from «The Rectory Magazine,» Collingwood's «Lewis Carroll Picture Book,» «Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll,» and rare 19th century periodicals. This is the only place of publication for much of this verse.This volume contains 150 different poems, offering perhaps the finest whimsy ever written. There are parodies, burlesques, riddles, whimsies, ballads, songs (one with Carroll's own music), extravaganzas, acrostics, and other types, including several of his serious poems. Many poems are annotated to explain contemporary allusions, and this edition retains 130 original illustrations by Tenniel, Frost, Holiday, Furniss, and Carroll himself.