John Kendrick Bangs
What happens when a brilliant but eccentric tinkerer sets his mind on improving the conditions of mankind through the power of science? John Kendrick Bangs' follow-up to The Idiot details this one-of-a-kind inventor's ideas -- some brilliant, some batty -- in this eminently readable romp.
This collection of literary-themed verse from satirist and man of letters John Kendrick Bangs is sure to please book lovers. Filled with allusions to authors and their works and characterized by a light, playful tone, every poem in Cobwebs from a Library Corner is a witty delight.
Prolific novelist Stuart Harley has published many books, but wealth and popular acclaim have continued to elude him. In an attempt to help him secure his fortune, Harley's publisher recommends that he write stories with more appeal to female audiences. Harley agrees and begins to work, but he soon finds that his plucky heroine—one Marguerite Andrews—has developed a mind of her own and is not overly keen on going along with his plans.
...10) The Genial Idiot
American editor and writer John Kendrick Bangs eased into humor writing and satire by anonymously submitting a few essays for publication amidst his busy career at a number of prominent publications. One of his most lasting creations is an opinionated buffoon called the Idiot. In this amusing collection, the Idiot holds forth on a number of his pet subjects, ranging from marriage to literary criticism.
11) Paste Jewels
If you prefer your ghost stories to have a stout dose of rollicking wit, add Toppleton's Client to your must-read list. A lawyer moves into a new office and soon discovers it is haunted—and worse yet, the lingering spirit wants to engage the lawyer's services to oust another supernatural being that is squatting, so to speak, in his physical body.
13) The Idiot
Today, quirky or eccentric outsiders are often afforded a measure of tolerance or even respect. In the nineteenth century, however, these original thinkers were often regarded as dangerous crackpots and subjected to scorn -- or worse. John Kendrick Bangs' The Idiot follows the ups and downs of one such unfortunate fellow in a most amusing fashion.
What would happen if master detective Sherlock Holmes sired a son with the daughter of one of his archenemies? That's the supposition at the center of R. Holmes & Co., which pits criminal mastermind Raffles against Holmes and goes on to tell the story of how Holmes fell for Raffles' daughter Marjorie, with whom he later had a child, the Raffles Holmes of the book's title.
