Scott fitzgerald all professed strong admiration for his writing. Ring around the bases caulks a crack in american letters. The complete baseball stories of ring lardner ring. Matthew joseph bruccoli more than any other writer in the twentieth century, ring lardner 18851933 was identified with baseball. Lardner, including the six classic stories later collected as you know me al. Ring lardner, quick returns ring lardner 18851933 from ring lardner. He was the first writer to match the american language with the great american pastime. Mar 21, 2016 lardner wrote a lot of short stories, which moved beyond baseball and wound up in magazines and in collections such stories as my roomy, champion, the golden honeymoon, some like them. Twothirds of the stories describe real teams, real players, and real situations.
Featuring 12 general baseball stories in addition to 12 keefe tales, this volume goes beyond matthew j. Though lardner is known for his baseball stories, only about a third of his short stories were written on the subject. In baseball, its important to have a healthy sense of humor. Harry turtledove describes his short story batboy as a ring lardner pastiche. Alibi ike is a short story written by ring lardner and first published in the saturday evening post on july 31, 1915. Ring lardner one of the classic baseball stories, you know me al, first published in 1914, tells the story of the fictional jack keefe, a bush league baseball player who earns a trip to the majors to pitch for the chicago white sox. This is an annotated and copiously illustrated edition of 24 baseball stories by ring w. It begins with the you know me al stories, consisting of letters from jack keefe to his friend al. It makes only part of the case for lardner because it includes only the baseball stories and excludes the journalism, the nonsense. You know me al book by ring lardner, john thorn official. His years as a newspaper reporter in chicago covering the cubs and white sox gave him inside knowledge of the sport and how it reflected the american.
All the works listed below are collected in ring around the bases. Pomrenke concludes his series by describing how lardner used the game and its many colorful characters to. Lardner, a sportswriter who turned to fiction, is noted for his tales involving jack keefe, a semiliterate, vain white sox pitcher. There was no hint, when the saturday evening post published quick returns, that. Jeff silverman a collection of stories and essays on americas favorite pastime, from the most popular writer ever on baseball. Prestons drawing was also used for the front cover of the book. Now, just in time for fathers day, here is the first collection of ring lardners baseball fiction. Twothirds of the stories describe real teams, real players, and real situations, and the annotation and illustrations serve to identify the references of early twentiethcentury major league baseball that lardner covered as a. Preston illustrated most of lardners stories in the post. Lardner was the first baseball writer to be selected as a recipient of the j. Prestons drawing was also used for the front cover of the books jacket. In this edition of the book, which includes a foreword by acclaimed writer john thorn, readers can relive all of the glory of this historic era of baseball through the eyes of one of ring lardners most comical characters, a century after his creation.
Illustration by american artist may wilson preston 18731949 for the story simple simon in the collection the real dope 1919. His contemporaries ernest hemingway, virginia woolf, and f. Lardner was the first great american writer to see the diverse possibilities of baseball as a subject. Nobody wrote more good baseball stories than ring lardner, nor has anybody written better ones. Ring lardner books list of books by author ring lardner. The complete baseball stories of ring lardner ring lardner, author, matthew j. Jimmy breslins blurb on the front of this edition hails these stories as the work of. Firstrate compendium of baseball fiction by ring lardner, often featuring fictional players among real ones on real teams. Other writers have written brilliant baseball fiction, but ring lardner was the first to translate the sport into literature.
The ring lardner page at american literature, featuring a biography and free library of the authors novels, stories, poems, letters, and texts. Here at fadedpage and our companion site distributed proofreaders canada. Through the letters, the selfcentered keefe reveals his regular struggles to. Publication date 1992 topics baseball stories, american. He also explored subjects such as marriage and the theater, and wrote a series of plays, the most successful being june moon, a musical comedy for which he also wrote songs. Lardner was a baseball beat reporter in the earliest days of the game, and he was also americas most popular humorist. The book consists of stories that were written as letters from a professional baseball player, jack. Lardner also used humor to shed light on the influence of money in professional baseball. He wasnt the first baseball writer to use comedy to illustrate his stories, but ring lardner made. Ringgold wilmer ring lardner march 5, 1885 september 25, 1933 was an american. Tv star, titled his bestselling first book baseball is a funny game for good reason. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Ring lardner 18851933 is the most distinguished writer of baseball fiction from the first half of the 20th century. More than any other writer in the twentieth century, ring lardner was identified with baseball.
Aug 28, 20 the greatest baseball novel ever written. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Ring lardner and the game of baseball chicago tribune. See all books authored by ring lardner, including the best short stories of ring. Ring lardner ringgold wilmer ring lardner march 6, 188.
Lardners short stories about jack keefe, a bushleague baseball player, were first published in the saturday evening post. By shifting the baseball yarn from the exploits of the great american hero. Ring lardner is known chiefly as a shortstory writer, but in his own time was better known as a sportswriter, columnist, and humorist. Lardner, sports writer, author and playwright, died at his home here tonight of a heart ailment at the age of 48. Ringgold wilmer ring lardner march 5, 1885 september 25, 1933 was an american sports columnist and shortstory writer best known for his satirical writings on sports, marriage, and the theatre. It also includes all of the real dope, written during world war i. Through these pages pass con men, an opinionated smalltown barber, a nurse who chatters on and onmuch to the chagrin of her chargesbaseball players and boxers. Awardwinning sportswriter ring lardner was one of the greatest humorists of the early twentieth century. Al series written for the saturday evening post in 1914 and collected as a book two years later is that the author shows his ballplayer. Haircutring lardner 18851933 classic short stories. You may do whatever you like with this book, but mostly we hope you will read it.
Published in the saturday evening post, colliers, and vanity fair, lardner enjoyed great success and was heralded as a singular talent by f. He wasnt the first baseball writer to use comedy to illustrate his stories, but ring lardner made comic sportswriting an art form like no one before or since. One of the recurring themes of the jack keefe storieshis final story was published in 1919, several years after the release of you know me alis keefes selfdelusion as he attempts, and fails, to negotiate a higher salary from white sox owner charles comiskey, who was portrayed accurately by. See all books authored by ring lardner, including the best short stories of ring lardner, and you know me al, and more on.
The complete baseball stories of ring lardner lardner, ring, bruccoli, matthew joseph on. Taylor spink award after spink himself, receiving the honor posthumously in 1963. Twothirds of the stories describe real teams, real players, and real situations, and the annotation and illustrations. His years as a newspaper reporter in chicago covering the cubs and white sox gave him inside knowledge of the sport and how it reflected the american experience. Set in pre world war i, the book is comprised of letters that keefe sends to his old pal al.
Lardner wrote a lot of short stories, which moved beyond baseball and wound up in magazines and in collections such stories as my roomy, champion, the golden honeymoon, some like them. The saturday evening post signed lardner up for six epistolary stories in 1914, which then became chapters when they were collected to form. Lardner later published such stories as haircut, some like them cold, the golden honeymoon, alibi ike, and a day with conrad green. One of the earliest stories distinguished by its use of such common speech, where do you get that noise. Humorous stories of social climbing in americas classless society. And once we had a kind of a fair here and they was a baseball game between the fats and. Lardner s short stories about jack keefe, a bushleague baseball player, were first published in the saturday evening post. Indeed, as bruccoli writes in his introduction, lardners short stories, 46 of which are baseball stories, show a remarkable range. One of the classic baseball stories, you know me al, first published in 1914, tells the story of the fictional jack keefe, a bush league baseball player who earns a trip to the majors to pitch for the chicago white sox. Ring lardner is remembered by many as a baseball writer, yet his fiction left an indelible mark all its own, inspiring later members of his generation like hemingway and fitzgerald with its presentation of the many varieties of american vernacular and the complex moral shadings of the american dream. His works were admired by his contemporaries, renowned authors ernest hemingway, f. The book consists of stories that were written as letters from a professional baseball player, jack keefe, to his friend al blanchard in their hometown of bedford, indiana.
The complete baseball stories of ring lardner lj 6192. Illustration by american artist may wilson preston 18731949, drawn for quick returns when it appeared in march 27, 1920, issue of the saturday evening post. Ringgold william ring lardner 1885 1933 was an american sports columnist and satirical short story writer who enjoyed poking fun at revered institutions such as marriage, theater, and sports. Usa today break out the peanuts and cracker jacks, this collection provides the opportunity for a new generation of baseball aficionados to come home to lardners wonderful stories. And once we had a kind of a fair here and they was a baseball game between the fats and the leans and before the game started jim called paul over and sent him way down to schraders hardware store to get a key for the pitchers box. December 31, 2016 ron rapoport, himself the recipient of the ring lardner award for sportswriting, has collected the legendary columnists work in a. He wrote the column seven days a week until 1919, more than 1,600 columns.
A century ago this month, ring lardner published the first story in what would become a series collected as the big townthe closest he came to writing an actual novel. An exlibrary book and may have standard library stamps andor stickers. Short fiction being the cash cow it was at the time the saturday evening post kept novelists solvent in a way their novels often did not. This book brings them all together in one volume for the first time. Lardners last fictional baseball writing was collected in the book lose with a smile 1933. During this time, lardner began selling baseball stories to the saturday evening post, and those stories were eventually collected into his first major work, an epistolary novel called you know me, al, which centered around the travails of minor league pitcher jack keefe. Beat writer, columnist, essayist, and shortstory writer as well as poet, playwright, music lyricist, and briefly comicstrip author, lardners favorite subject was baseball. The complete baseball stories of ring lardner by ring lardner, matthew j. The complete baseball stories of ring lardner 0684193744 book cover. Letters from jack the kaiser killer 1918 in which keefe is serving in germany during world war i. The complete baseball stories of ring lardner book online at best prices in india on.
My family remembered by lardner, ring and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This book is in the public domain in canada, and is made available to you drmfree. Aug 02, 1992 the complete baseball stories of ring lardner. Ring lardner, original name ringgold wilmer lardner, born march 6, 1885, niles, mich.
Ring lardner, james thurber, garrison keillor, and even the great p. Ring lardners words live on in journalists upcoming book. Farrell, a baseball player who continually makes excuses for everything that goes wrong or right. Beginning in 1906 he wrote about baseball as the mirror of american life, harking back to the tradition of mark twain. When lardner was a sports reporter for the chicago tribune, he began trying his hand at writing short stories.
Ring lardner often scattered joking references to reallife players in his baseball stories. Ring lardner 18851933 is the most distinguished writer of baseball fiction from the first half of the 20th century all the works listed below are collected in ring around the bases. He also wrote two novellength works, you know me al 1915. His initial efforts featured fictitious baseball players, whose dialogue was filled with the argot. It also includes all of the real dope, written during world war i as. This book brings them all together in one volume for the first. Ring lardner has 1 books on goodreads with 21416 ratings. Previous story of the week selection by ring lardner where do you get that noise. Twentyfive of sportswriterturnedsatirist ring lardeners best stories, including alibi ike, haircut, horseshoes, the love nest, and others. Ring lardner s you know me al the 1916 book traces the misadventures of a struggling pitcher through the letters he writes home to his friend al.
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