How in the world they have ever become lovable - every last parent-murdering, wax-image-sticking, potion-brewing one of them - is a mystery known only to Charles Addams and countless thousands of his fans. They are, most of them, cartoons that have appeared already in The New Yorker, but were never published before in book form. There are six that no one has ever seen. And all of them will make you giggle and shutter deliciously.

    But only one thing really matters to J C T Jennings – his First Eleven debut. When the long-awaited match arrives, Jennings certainly uses his head.

    Savage has been left ten million dollars by her husband and wants to make the best use of it, in spite of the efforts of her grown-up stepchildren to get their hands on it. These latter, knowing that the widow's wealth is now in negotiable securities, and seeing they cannot get hold of it, commit her to a "sanatorium" hoping to "bring her to her senses." But Mrs. Savage is determined to establish a fund to help others realize their hopes and dreams. In the sanatorium she meets various social misfits, men and women who just cannot adjust themselves to life, people who need the help Mrs. Savage can provide. In getting to know them, she realizes that she will find happiness with them and plans to spend the rest of her life as one of them. But when the doctor tells her there is no reason why she should remain, she hesitates to go out into a hard world where people seem ready to do anything for money. The self-seeking stepchildren are driven to distraction by their vain efforts to browbeat Mrs. Savage, but she preserves her equanimity and leads them on a merry chase. At last her friends conspire to get rid of her stepchildren, and through their simple belief in the justice of her cause, they enable Mrs. Savage to carry out her plans. The last scene, a farewell party, is a delightful fantasy where each "guest" in the sanatorium realizes at last some hopeless dream for something he was never able to realize. The dominant mood is high comedy, and the audience is left with a feeling that the neglected virtues of kindness and affection have not been entirely lost in a world that seems motivated at times only by greed and dishonesty.

    It is beautiful and it is comic. It is philosophical and it is cheery. What we suppose we are trying fumblingly to say is, in a word, that it is Thurber.There are only a few reasons why everybody has always wanted to read this kind of story: if you have always wanted to love a Princess; if you always wanted to be a Prince; if you always wanted the wicked Duke to be punished; or if you always wanted to live happily ever after. Too little of this kind of thing is going on in the world today. But all of it is going on valorously in The 13 Clocks.

    

    This collection of stories, originally published in Holiday in the late 1940s, is jam-packed with Perelman's signature wit and extraordinary prose style.

    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

    The story of Groucho, Harpo, Zeppo, Chico, and Gummo --but particularly of Minnie, the indefatigable, determined mother who pushed, managed, comforted, and kept together the wandering, restless and varied family of boys -- molding the acts, working the relatives and living to see her boys a success. Somewhat sensational but entertaining.