Humorous American Short Stories Selections from Mark Twain to Others Much More Recent

Includes James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," a 2013 motion picture! Spanning nearly 300 years of American humor, this anthology of entertaining tales ranges from the inventive mind of Benjamin Franklin and his 1732 story, "Alice Addertongue," to Simon Rich's 2012 fable, "Center of the Universe." More than 30 witty short stories include works by Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, O. Henry, Langston Hughes, and other masters of the genre.
Nineteenth-century stories include Washington Irving's classic, "Rip Van Winkle: A Posthumous Tale of Diedrich Knickerbocker," "A Jersey Centenarian" by Bret Harte, and Lucretia P. Hale's "The Peterkins Decide to Learn the Languages." From later eras come Ring Lardner's "The Golden Honeymoon," "A Telephone Call" by Dorothy Parker, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber, Philip Roth's "The Conversion of the Jews," and "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Bob Blaisdell is professor of English at the City University of New York's Kingsborough Community College and the editor of twenty-two Dover literature and poetry collections.

Alice Addertongue by Benjamin FranklinRip Van Winkle: A Posthumous Tale of Diedrich Knickerbocker by Washington IrvingSelecting the Faculty by Robert Carlton"The Jumping Frog": In English. Then in French. Then Clawed Back into a Civilized Language Once More, by Patient, Unremunerated Toil by Mark TwainBill Nations by Bill ArpA Jersey Centenarian by Bret HarteHow I Killed a Bear by Charles Dudley WarnerThe Parson's Horse Race by Harriet Beecher StoweThe Peterkins Decide to Learn the Languages by Lucretia P. HaleUncle Remus and the Wonderful Tar-Baby Story by Joel Chandler HarrisHis Pa Gets Mad! by George W. PeckJohn Adams' Diary by Bill NyeActive Colorado Real Estate by Hayden CarruthThe Idiot's Journalism Scheme by John Kendrick BangsRollo Learning to Read by Robert J. BurdetteThe Wish and the Deed by Max AdelerSamantha at the St. Louis Exposition by Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley)The Crimson Cord by Ellis Parker ButlerThe Life Elixir of Marthy by Elizabeth Hyer NeffThe Tale of the Tangled Telegram by Wilbur D. NesbitThe Set of Poe by George AdeOur Very Wishes by Harriet Prescott SpoffordThe Ransom of Red Chief by O. HenryThe Golden Honeymoon by Ring LardnerA Telephone Call by Dorothy ParkerThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James ThurberWooing the Muse by Langston HughesThe Conversion of the Jews by Philip RothHarrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.The Gift by Kia PensoFlight Control by Jervey TervalonHow to Fight with Your Wife by Howard KaplanCenter of the Universe by Simon Rich