Irvin S. Cobb (1876–1944)

Another short read after getting through Shardik! ["Speaking of Operations"] by [[Irvin S. Cobb]] is a very short little gem written in 1915 will charming illustrations by Tony Sarg. I got the book for two reasons - the first because I love these old books that give you a glimpse of a time gone by and second because my maternal grandfather was a Cobb.

So glad I did. His reasons for writing the book? "For years I have noticed that persons who underwent pruning or remodeling at the hands of a duly qualified surgeon, and survived, like to talk about it afterward...Of all the readily available topics for use, whether among friends or among strangers, an operation seems to be the handiest and most dependable."… (more)

So-so collection of humourous vignettes about some of the states, collected from a number of different sources. Some of the chapters are adapted from the shorter "America Guyed" series of books, but alas, other than the cover, none of the McCutcheon illustrations that the first books used were carried over. The chapters themselves are hit-or-miss. There are some good nuggets and amusing bits of by-play, but over time, the hunting sequences get a bit repetitive (some of the chapters were written as magazine pieces). There are some depictions of African-Americans in spots that may put off some. The chapter on Wisconsin manages to be about Minnesota and not Wisconsin, which frankly baffled me. From reading a biography of Cobb, I found that some contemporary critics also thought it was hit-or-miss. Some things don't change. Not particularly recommended, unless you like Southern sentimentality (often repeated) or vintage humour. Humour that doesn't date terribly well.… (more)

Extremely slight book (55 pages, and pages of large type and generous margins, at that), containing observations on the State of Maine. Some very dated remarks (Democrats in Vermont are far more active than when this book was written), but nothing truly offensive. Nothing truly profound, either. The best part of the book is the small clutch of illustrations by the great political cartoonist; the draughtsmanship here is of a higher order than his political cartoons, and is well worth studying. Not particularly recommended, unless you're from Maine or want to have a souvenir of Maine (likely the original purposes for which the book was made).… (more)