The Benchley Roundup: A Selection by Nathaniel Benchley of his Favorites - Paperback

by Robert C. Benchley (Author)

A hilarious collection by the inimitable writer whom Dave Barry calls his idol, "the funniest writer who ever lived"!
American humor wouldn't be the same if it weren't for Robert C. Benchley. His sketches and articles, published in periodicals like Life, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, earned him a reputation as one of the sharpest humorists of his time; his influence-on contemporaries such as E. B. White, James Thurber, and S. J. Perelman, or followers like Woody Allen, Steve Martin, and Richard Pryor-has left an indelible mark on the American comic tradition. The Benchley Roundup collects those pieces, selected by Benchley's son Nathaniel, "which seem to stand up best over the years," a compendium of the most endearing and enduring work from one of America's funniest and most penetrating wits.

"It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by then I was too famous."
-Robert Benchley

Front Jacket

Robert Benchley is the funniest writer who ever lived.-Dave Barry

Robert Benchley once described himself as a man at whom pigeons sneered, but his sketches and articles, published in periodicals like Life, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, earned him a reputation as one of the sharpest humorists of his time. His influence-on his fellows at the Algonquin Round Table, contemporaries such as James Thurber and S. J. Perelman, or followers like Woody Allen and Steve Martin-has left an indelible mark on the American comic tradition, a legacy more than safe from the opinions of birds.

The Benchley Roundup is made up of selections Benchley's son, Nathaniel, regarded as those which seem to stand up best over the years, a smorgasbord of the most endearing and enduring pieces from the pen of one of American's funniest-and most penetrating-wits.

Back Jacket

Robert Benchley is the funniest writer who ever lived.-Dave Barry

Robert Benchley once described himself as a man at whom pigeons sneered, but his sketches and articles, published in periodicals like Life, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, earned him a reputation as one of the sharpest humorists of his time. His influence-on his fellows at the Algonquin Round Table, contemporaries such as James Thurber and S. J. Perelman, or followers like Woody Allen and Steve Martin-has left an indelible mark on the American comic tradition, a legacy more than safe from the opinions of birds.

The Benchley Roundup is made up of selections Benchley's son, Nathaniel, regarded as those "which seem to stand up best over the years," a smorgasbord of the most endearing and enduring pieces from the pen of one of American's funniest-and most penetrating-wits.

Author Biography

Robert C. Benchley (1889-1945), a premier humorist of his time and member of the Algonquin Round Table, wrote for the New York World and New York Tribune Graphic as well as many other periodicals; his work was widely syndicated and anthologized.