From Publishers Weekly
Crime seems as American as apple pie in this assemblage of Thurber's (1894-1961) stories, articles, essays and drawings. With cheerful equanimity he catalogues the horrible things that men and women do to each other in pieces on domestic strife, gangland rubouts, kidnapping, murder, robbery, smuggling, Prohibition, etc. Among the 36 selections, "The Catbird Seat," "The Lady on 142," fables about dogs and many other works will be familiar to Thurber enthusiasts, but five of the stories haven't appeared in any previous Thurber collection. He parodies spy novels; reads Macbeth as an Agatha Christie whodunit; and spins a Kafkaesque parable about a man who joins a secret organization, the purpose of which remains hidden from him. Thurber's crisp, non-sensationalistic crime reportage puts modern practitioners to shame. The delightfully unpredictable writing is enlivened by his jaunty cartoons. Mystery Guild selection. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

ANNOTATION

One of the greatest American humorists of our century, Thurber was not a man to shrink from danger--as long as he was safely ensconced behind his typewriter or drawing board. Here is a collection of ruminations on everyday villainy--stories, articles and drawings on the evil that men and women do. 32 line drawings.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

James Thurber, one of the greatest American humorists, was not a man to shrink from danger - as long as he was safely ensconsed behind his typewriter or drawing board. Thurber on Crime is a collection of the master's ruminations on everyday villainy: stories, articles, essays, drawings, and reflections on the evil that men and women do. Several of the pieces are appearing here for the first time in book form.

One of Thurber's major contributions to American letters is his view of the "little man" - Walter Mitty and his brothers - doing battle with the world. In the pages of Thurber on Crime, the little man fights international spies, gets mixed up in gangland vendettas, and plans the perfect murder.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly