This is an auction for COLLECTING HIMSELF: ON WRITING AND WRITERS, HUMOUR AND HIMSELF, by James Thurber.

"This is a heady mix: laser-sharp criticism of shoddy, pretentious plays and novels balanced by insightful praise of worthy ones; comments, more in anger than in sorrow, on New Yorker founder Harold Ross and others whom Thurber considered to be over-zealous editors; essays on humour, etc. The anthology includes an abundance of reprinted material but also pieces not previously published - every entry is a reminder of Thurber's sublime wit." - Publishers Weekly (US)

"In this collection, what is revealed is a glimpse of Thurber the man, the philosopher, and the critic. A number of the pieces are excerpts from his many interviews and commentaries, spanning 30 years. In these he shares with the reader his coping with progressive blindness, his method of drawing, his writing tactics, and his personal relationships. His critical views on theatre, other writers, and the state of humour itself are also divulged." - Library Journal (US)

From Wikipedia:

"James Grover Thurber (1894–1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humourist, journalist and playwright, best known for his cartoons and short stories, published mainly in The New Yorker. Thurber celebrated the comic frustrations and eccentricities of ordinary people. His best-known short stories are "The Dog That Bit People", "The Night the Bed Fell", "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", "The Catbird Seat", "The Night the Ghost Got In", "A Couple of Hamburgers", "The Greatest Man in the World", and "If Grant Had Been Drinking at Appomattox"..."

More here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Thurber

Hardback 1989.

263 pages.

Illustrations by James Thurber throughout.

Very good condition.

The cost of shipping is $8.95.

There is of course no charge for shipping if you collect this book from my shop in Palmerston North following the auction.

Payment within seven days, please.

Filed in #10