The Middle-aged Man on the Flying Trapeze: A Collection of Short Pieces, Mainly Humurous But with a Few Kind of Sad Ones Mixed in with Drawings by the Author (A Methuen Humour Classic)

by James Thurber

Book Overview

This collection has 36 stories including: "The Gentleman is Cold," "Everything is Wild," "Mr. Preble Gets Rid of His Wife," "Hell Only Breaks Loose Once," "If Grant Had Been Drinking at Appomattox,"... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0413561607
• ISBN13: 9780413561602
• Release Date: November 1984
• Publisher: Arrow (A Division of Random House Group)
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

One of Thurber's best

How could such a gem ever go out of print? This collection contains some of Thurber's best stuff. Opening up with "The Gentleman is Cold," one of those stories that are funny just because they're so depressingly true to the petty humiliations of life, the book goes on from triumph to triumph. "Mr. Prebles Gets Rid of His Wife," "The Private Life of Mr. Bidwell" (he breathes), "Everything is Wild," "Smashup," "The State of Bontana"--amusing and unforgettable. There are also some sober and haunting pieces, such as "One is a Wanderer" and most especially "The Man on the Train," a marvellously concise and closely observed story with a punch at the end. Quintessential Thurber--if you're already a fan, you MUST have this. If you're not, then this would be a perfect introduction.