Best of
Humor

1905

On the Damned Human Race


Mark Twain - 1905
    Magnificent collection of Mark Twain's topical writings, mainly and most eloquently concerned with the themes of social justice, the American Civilization

Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend


Winsor McCay - 1905
    This facsimile of the rare 1905 first edition recaptures Winsor McCay's imaginative brilliance and his influence on latter-day animation with 60 cartoon sequences.

Pigs Is Pigs


Ellis Parker Butler - 1905
    This hilarious tale of bureaucracy run amok at the Interurban Express Company, and exponential growth of the Guinea pig population shows what can happen when ignorance and bureaucrats get together and decide its fate when anyone with just plain common sense can solve the problem in less than one minute. Ellis Parker Butler (1869-1937) was a native of Muscatine, Iowa. Dropping out of high school to help support the family he worked in a number of jobs including ones in a spice mill, an oatmeal mill, a china store, and a wholesale grocery. Moving to New York City in 1896, he began writing for trade magazines such as the Tailor's Review, the Wall Paper News, and The Decorative Furnisher. In 1905, his humorous short story, Pigs is Pigs appeared in the American Magazine, and the following year it was published in book form. Its phenomenal success allowed Butler to give up editing trade papers and turn to full-time authorship.