Ten pieces in this volume are taken from My World—And Welcome To It, published in New York by Harcourt, Brace and Company on October 29, 1942. All of them appeared in periodicals: “The Whip-Poor-Will,” The New Yorker, August 9, 1941; “The Macbeth Murder Mystery,” The New Yorker, October 2, 1937; “The Man Who Hated Moonbaum,” The New Yorker, March 16, 1940; “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” The New Yorker, March 18, 1939; “Interview with a Lemming” (as “If You Ask Me”), PM, March 3, 1941; “You Could Look It Up,” Saturday Evening Post, April 5, 1941; “The Gentleman in 916” (as “If You Ask Me”), PM, January 27, 1941; “The Letters of James Thurber,” The New Yorker, October 8, 1938; “Here Lies Miss Groby,” The New Yorker, March 21, 1942; “A Ride with Olympy,” The New Yorker, April 30, 1938. The texts printed in this volume are taken from the Harcourt edition.
The drawings in this volume taken from Men, Women and Dogs: A Book of Drawings are printed from the edition published in New York by Harcourt, Brace and Company on November 10, 1943. All of the drawings appeared in The New Yorker. The drawings in the section titled “Selected Cartoons” appeared as follows: p. 587, March 27, 1937, July 6, 1935; p. 588, December 15, 1934, May 27, 1933; p. 589, December 3, 1932, June 2, 1934; p. 590, August 19, 1939, November 9, 1940; p. 591, May 21, 1938; p. 592, February 6, 1943; p. 593, September 12, 1936, July 14, 1934; p. 594, December 17, 1932, March 4, 1933; p. 595, March 27, 1943, June 9, 1934; p. 596, April 1, 1939, September 21, 1940; p. 597, December 17, 1938, March 14, 1936; p. 598, December 30, 1933, February 6, 1937; p. 599, April 22, 1939, February 2, 1935; p. 600, June 10, 1939, May 5, 1934; p. 601, August 31, 1935, December 31, 1932; p. 602, June 24, 1933, November 10, 1934; p. 603, February 13, 1937, April 13, 1940; p. 604, June 5, 1937, October 29, 1932; p. 605, March 23, 1935; p. 606, February 21, 1942, October 21, 1933; p. 607, August 18, 1934, October 27, 1934; p. 608, May 4, 1935, March 16, 1935; p. 609, January 7, 1933, December 9, 1933; p. 610, April 6, 1935, July 22, 1939; p. 611, November 19, 1938, March 7, 1936; p. 612, December 24, 1932. The drawings in “The Masculine Approach” appeared as follows: p. 613, November 13, 1937; p. 614, November 13, 1937, November 20, 1937; p. 615, November 20, 1937, December 4, 1937; p. 616, December 4, 1937; p. 617, December 25, 1937; p. 618, December 25, 1937, March 19, 1938; p. 619, March 19, 1938; p. 620, February 12, 1938; p. 621, February 12, 1938, January 15, 1938; p. 622, January 15, 1938. The drawings in “The War Between Men and Women” appeared as follows: p. 623, January 20, 1934; p. 624, January 27, 1934, February 3, 1934; p. 625, February 10, 1934; p. 626, February 17, 1934; p. 627, February 24, 1934, March 3, 1934; p. 628, March 10, 1934, March 17, 1934; p. 629, March 24, 1934, March 31, 1934; p. 630, April 7, 1934, April 14, 1934; p. 631, April 21, 1934, April 28, 1934.
Two pieces in this volume are taken from The Thurber Carnival, published in New York by Harper & Brothers on February 1, 1945. Both of them appeared in The New Yorker. “The Catbird Seat,” November 14, 1942, and “The Cane in the Corridor,” January 2, 1943. The texts printed in this volume are taken from the Harper edition.
The pieces in this volume taken from The Beast in Me and Other Animals: A New Collection of Pieces and Drawings About Human Beings and Less Alarming Creatures are printed from the edition published in New York by Harcourt, Brace and Company, on September 17, 1948. All of them appeared in periodicals. “The Princess and the Tin Box” was published in The New Yorker, September 29, 1945, as “Fairy Tales for Our Time: The Princess and the Tin Box.” “The Lady on the Bookcase” was published in The New York Times Magazine, January 28, 1945, as “Thurber As Seen By Thurber.” “A Call on Mrs. Forrester” appeared in The New Yorker, June 19, 1948. The drawings in “A New Natural History” appeared in The New Yorker under the heading “Our New Natural History” as follows: p. 672, April 14, 1945; p. 673, March 10, 1945, March 2, 1946; p. 674, May 11, 1946, March 31, 1945, May 11, 1946; p. 675, November 3, 1945; p. 676, June 2, 1945, January 19, 1946; p. 677, December 8, 1945, July 7, 1945; p. 678, December 8, 1945, (bottom left) March 31, 1945, (bottom right) July 7, 1945; p. 679, June 2, 1945, March 17, 1945; p. 680, July 7, 1945, April 14, 1945; p. 681, August 11, 1945, October 6, 1945; p. 682, April 13, 1946; p. 683, March 31, 1945, May 5, 1945, October 6, 1945; p. 684, March 10, 1945, January 19, 1946; p. 685, March 17, 1945, May 11, 1946; p. 686, March 10, 1945, April 14, 1945; p. 687, March 2, 1946, (bottom left) June 2, 1945, (bottom right) May 5, 1945; p. 688, March 2, 1946, (bottom left) October 6, 1945, (bottom right) May 5, 1945; p. 689, March 17, 1945, December 8, 1945.
The 13 Clocks was published in New York by Simon and Schuster on November 15, 1950. The story had not previously appeared. This volume prints the text of the first edition (the illustrations by Marc Simont published in the 1950 edition are not included here).
Two pieces in this volume are taken from The Thurber Album: A New Collection of Pieces About People, published in New York by Simon and Schuster on April 29, 1952. Both appeared in The New Yorker. “Daguerreotype of a Lady,” April 28, 1951, as “Photograph Album: Daguerreotype of a Lady,” and “Lavender with a Difference,” July 28, 1951, as “Photograph Album: Lavender with a Difference.” The texts printed here are taken from the Simon and Schuster edition.
Four pieces in this volume are taken from Thurber Country: A New Collection of Pieces About Males and Females, Mainly of Our Own Species, published in New York by Simon and Schuster on October 26, 1953. All of them appeared in The New Yorker. “File and Forget,” January 8, 1949; “Do You Want to Make Something Out of It?,” September 29, 1951; “A Final Note on Chanda Bell,” October 15, 1949; “Teacher’s Pet,” August 20, 1949. The texts printed here are taken from the Simon and Schuster edition.
“An Introduction” first appeared in Thurber’s Dogs: A Collection of the Master’s Dogs, Written and Drawn, Real and Imaginary, Living and Long Ago, published in New York by Simon and Schuster on October 17, 1955. The text printed here is taken from the Simon and Schuster edition.
Five pieces in this volume are taken from Further Fables for Our Time, published in New York by Simon and Schuster on October 31, 1956. Four of them appeared in The New Yorker. “The Bluebird and His Brother,” May 19, 1956; “The Lover and His Lass,” May 26, 1956; “The Bachelor Penguin and the Virtuous Mate,” June 23, 1956; “The Peacelike Mongoose,” June 23, 1956. “The Trial of the Old Watchdog” appeared for the first time in Further Fables for Our Time. The texts printed here are taken from the Simon and Schuster edition.
The text of “The First Time I Saw Paris” printed here is taken from Alarms and Diversions, published in New York by Harper & Brothers on November 12, 1957. The piece had previously appeared in Holiday, April 1957.
“A Dime a Dozen,” “The First Years,” “Every Tuesday Afternoon,” “The Talk of the Town,” “Miracle Men,” and “ ‘Sex Is an Incident’ ” appeared as the first, second, third, fifth, sixth, and ninth chapters in The Years with Ross, published in Boston by Little, Brown and Company on May 28, 1959. Portions of the book were serialized in The Atlantic Monthly, November 1957–August 1958, then revised for book publication. The texts printed here are taken from the Little, Brown edition.
The seven uncollected pieces included originally appeared as follows: “An American Romance,” The New Yorker, March 5, 1927; “A Visit from St. Nicholas [In the Ernest Hemingway Manner],” The New Yorker, December 24, 1927; “Tom the Young Kidnapper, or Pay Up and Live,” The New Yorker, June 10, 1933; “How to Relax While Broadcasting,” The New Yorker, May 5, 1934; “E.B.W.,” Saturday Review, October 15, 1938; Credo from I Believe, I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Certain Eminent Men and Women of Our Time (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1939), edited by Clifton Fadiman (also published as “Thinking Ourselves into Trouble” in Forum and Century, June 1939); “I Break Everything I Touch,” The Man: An Anthology of the Best Articles of the Year for Men (New York: Farrell Publishing Corporation, 1940), edited by Leigh Quackenbush.
This volume presents the texts of the original printings chosen for inclusion here, but
it does not attempt to reproduce features of their typographic design, such as display capitalization of chapter openings. The texts are printed without change, except for the correction of typographical errors. Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization are often expressive features, and they are not altered, even when inconsistent or irregular. The following is a list of typographical errors corrected, cited by page and line number: 25.17, brightening,; 27.10, “Bon,”; 27.10, ‘Alors; 63.1, Gran pa; 193.35, Why; 195.7, Littlefield,; 214.2, know; 229.17, McNally’s; 229.19, McNally’s; 279.2, photogragh; 319.17, country).; 320.27, woman,; 334.24, men; 334.40, underating; 516.11, “Curfew; 548.25, street; 828.17, .75’s; 831.38–39, “Fabriqué . . . Paris,”; 831.39, said.; 848.15, become; 880.20, “The; 888.19, (You’re; 954.40, waterfalls; 967.2, Here. Corrections in second printing: 182.10, dinning (LOA); 545.5, made; 923.24, coterminus; 947.27, “I. Error corrected fifth printing: 406.34–35, extricably.
Acknowledgments
Is Sex Necessary? copyright 1929 by Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. Copyright renewed 1957 by James Thurber and E. B. White. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
The Owl in the Attic copyright 1931 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1959 by James Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
The Seal in the Bedroom copyright 1932 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1960 by James Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
My Life and Hard Times copyright 1933 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1961 by James Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
The Middle-Aged Man on the Flying Trapeze copyright 1935. Copyright renewed 1963 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Let Your Mind Alone! copyright 1937 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1965 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
The Last Flower copyright 1939 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1967 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
Fables for Our Time and Famous Poems Illustrated copyright 1940 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1969 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
My World—And Welcome To It copyright 1942 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1970 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
Men, Women and Dogs copyright 1943 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1971 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
The Thurber Carnival copyright 1945 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1973 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
The Beast in Me and Other Animals copyright 1948 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1976 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
The 13 Clocks copyright 1950 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1978 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Donald I. Fine, an imprint of Penguin Books USA Inc.
The Thurber Album copyright 1952 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1980 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
Thurber Country copyright 1953 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1981 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
Thurber’s Dogs copyright 1955 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1983 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
Further Fables for Our Time copyright 1956 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1984 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
Alarms and Diversions copyright 1957 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1985 by Helen Thurber and Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
The Years With Ross copyright 1958 by James Thurber. Copyright renewed 1986 by Rosemary A. Thurber. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
Uncollected Pieces copyright 1927, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1939, 1941 by James Thurber. “E. B. W.” reprinted in Credos and Curios, copyright 1962. “I Break Everything I Touch” reprinted in People Have More Fun Than Anybody, copyright 1994. Reprinted by arrangement with Rosemary A. Thurber c/o The Barbara Hogenson Agency.
Notes
In the notes below, the reference numbers denote page and line of this volume (the line count includes headings and captions). No note is made for material included in standard desk-reference books such as Webster’s Collegiate, Biographical, and Geographical dictionaries. For references to other studies, and further biographical background than is contained in the Chronology, see Harrison Kinney, James Thurber: His Life and Times (New York: Henry Holt, 1995); Neil A. Grauer, Remember Laughter: A Life of James Thurber (Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1994); Burton Bernstein, Thurber: A Biography (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1975); Charles S. Holmes, The Clocks of Columbus: The Literary Career of James Thurber (New York: Atheneum, 1972); Edwin T. Bowden, James Thurber: A Bibliography (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1968); Selected Letters of James Thurber, edited by Helen Thurber and Edward Weeks (Boston and Toronto: Little, Brown and Co., 1981); and Conversations with James Thurber, edited by Thomas Fensch (Jackson and London: University Press of Mississippi, 1989).
3.2 Pedestalism] Defined by Thurber in the Glossary appended to Is Sex Necessary? as: “PEDESTALISM: The American male’s reverence for the female or, better yet, her insistence on being revered, which amounts to the same thing.”
4.18 pother (see Glossary)] Defined by Thurber as: “POTHER: Uncalled-for interest in something—almost always sex.”
5.1 Übertragung] German: transfer or carrying over. In the Glossary of Is Sex Necessary? Thurber defined it as: “ÜBERTRAGUNG: Period of transition during which the male strives to transmute his ardor for women into the semblance of ardor for games.”
7.20 charades,*] Defined by Thurber in the Glossary as: “CHARADES: (1) Parlor game devised by women to fend off men (1900–1909); (2) acting up in a skittish manner about the facts of life, instead of getting right down to them; twitching, nervous twitching.”
10.1–3 Bob Fitzsimmons . . . Julia Marlowe] Bob Fitzsimmons, New Zealand boxer (1862–1917) who held three world titles, 1891–1905; G.A.R., Grand Army of the Republic; Julia Marlowe, English actress (1866–1950) noted for her Shakespearean roles.
20.4 the Thaw case] Harry K. Thaw fatally shot architect Stanford White at the roof garden of Madison Square Garden in June 1906; he was acquitted on grounds of insanity after a sensational trial. Thaw suspected White of having had an affair with his wife, Evelyn Nesbit.
138.38 Stuart Chase’s] Economist and writer (1888–1985), whose books included The Tragedy of Waste (1925) and Men and Machines (1929).
139.29 F. Hopkinson Smith] Popular novelist (1838–1915) whose books included Colonel Carter of Cartersville (1891) and The Fortunes of Oliver Horn (1902).
149.15 Mantell] Robert Mantell (1854–1928), Scottish-born American actor who played romantic leads in such plays as The Corsican Brothers and The Lady of Lyons, and in later years toured the United States in Shakespearean roles.
151.8–9 “Come Josephine . . . Machine”] Song (1910) by Alfred Bryan and Fred Fisher.
160.8 Marie Celeste] The American ship Mary Celeste, sailing from New York to Genoa with a cargo of alcohol, was foun
d adrift midway between the Azores and the Portuguese coast on December 5, 1872, with no crew members on board. Various explanations, some extremely fanciful, have been proposed for the ship’s abandonment.
169.22–23 Nat Wills] Wills (1873–1917) was known for his stage performances as “The Happy Tramp.”
176.20 “Rasputin and the Empress,”] Film (1932) directed by Richard Boleslawski, starring John, Ethel, and Lionel Barrymore.
187.35 “Flights of angels . . . rest”] Hamlet, V.ii.360.
187.38–39 “Cave Canem.”] Latin: Beware the dog.
205.2 “Horses, Horses, Horses”. . . “Valencia.”] “Horses” (1926), song by Byron Gay and Richard A. Whiting, based on Tchaikovsky’s “Troika”; “Valencia” (1926), French song with music by Jose Padilla.
205.21 Tondelaya . . . “White Cargo,”] Tondeleyo, an African woman who seduces the English manager of a West African rubber plantation, is the leading character of Leon Gordon’s play White Cargo (1923).
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