Before the Golden Age of magazines drew to a close half a century ago, a young PR man at General Electric sold his first short story to one of the doomed publications. By the time he'd sold his third, he decided to quit GE and join the likes of Hemingway and Fitzgerald and Faulkner, and try to make a living at fifteen hundred dollars a pop. With four major magazines running five stories each week and smaller ones scouting as well, it was a seller's market, and Kurt Vonnegut was published regularly by The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, Argosy and others. For this unusual collection, Vonnegut has selected twenty-four of his favourite stories never published before in book form and has written a new preface for the occasion. Vonnegut scholar Peter Reed, who unearthed the old publications, contributes an introduction. Now readers can relive the genesis of a master. Stories such as 'Any Reasonable Offer', 'The Powder Blue Dragon', 'Hal Irwin's Magic Lamp' and 'Lovers Anonymous' bring us to the beginning of a literary voice that is sure to last forever. Bagombo Snuff Box, the missing pieces of the master's oeuvre, is a ready made classic for Vonnegut fans new and old.
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"Vonnegut evokes the cynical chortle, the knowing grin, the inner laughter that soothes our troubled reflections...He's mad as hell and laughing all the way to the Apocalypse". -- Playboy
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Vintage Vonnegut - a unique collection of two dozen stories
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Klobas
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This book offers an entertaining set of Vonnegut's previously uncollected short stories, most of which were written in the 1950s and early 1960s. While the quality of the tales is not as good as those in his previously published Welcome to the Monkey House, anybody who is a fan of Vonnegut's work, or even someone who simply likes good stories, will enjoy this book.
Yet like all good fiction, Vonnegut's work is as valuable for its insights as for its ability to entertain. While the stories collected here are in a variety of genres, one theme does emerge from them - the hunger for distinction. From the title story to 'The Package', 'The Powder-Blue Dragon' to 'Runaways,' many of the stories are about people seeking something that distinguishes them from the rest of their world, usually something that is artificial or external to who they are. That these searches usually end in folly for the characters appears to illustrate Vonnegut's point - it is who we are as people that matters, not the trinkets we buy or the poses we adopt. Though hardly radical today, it is a point that offers an interesting contrast to the consumer-driven age that spawned such tales.
Yet like all good fiction, Vonnegut's work is as valuable for its insights as for its ability to entertain. While the stories collected here are in a variety of genres, one theme does emerge from them - the hunger for distinction. From the title story to 'The Package', 'The Powder-Blue Dragon' to 'Runaways,' many of the stories are about people seeking something that distinguishes them from the rest of their world, usually something that is artificial or external to who they are. That these searches usually end in folly for the characters appears to illustrate Vonnegut's point - it is who we are as people that matters, not the trinkets we buy or the poses we adopt. Though hardly radical today, it is a point that offers an interesting contrast to the consumer-driven age that spawned such tales.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a collection of Vonnegut's early short stories that have never been published in book form before. Some of them display his interest in science fiction, such as the excellent "2BR02B", whilst others cover the same sort of ground as seen in his more human novels such as "Deadeye Dick". His style, as always, is very laid back and easy to read, but what really makes him stand out from other modern writers is his ability to make the reader think about the issues raised long after the book has been finished.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a collection of short stories that were not featured in the much ealier volume "Welcome to the Monkey House" but that does not mean they are inferior. The stories are in general amusing and enlightening but it seems at the time of writing them Vonnegut has yet too find his "voice" that would later make his novels so distinctive. That said some stories do stick out but it would be unfair to disclose details, you will have to read them yourself. One character who appears in 3 stories is the head of music at a school who is literally obssesed with his marching band. While these three stories are not bad they do feel slightly "tame" compared to Vonnegut's novels. While remaining consistently funny and/or thought provoking the whole set do feel slightly old fashioned which is by no means a bad thing as it gives us glimpse back into the past. On a final note this book did not leave my hands until I had finished it, which is a high a compliment of its quality as I can pay it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sofa, so good
Picked up this and The Monkey House at the same time, and the other one has taken precedence. If this one is as good as that, it was a good choice.
Published 3 months ago by terrymos
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great stuff
The delivery speed was fantastic, I have not had time to read the book but the condition was excellent and the price was as reasonable as could be expected
Published 3 months ago by Dan
4.0 out of 5 stars
fun, witty, wry... and also a little insipid
i really love these novels they are fun and light hearted and they really capture the essence of short stories from before the TV was common enough to replace short stories as the... Read more
Published 22 months ago by asp
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