let us sample, shall we? the first sentences of the piece "The Children's Hour" ... "I don't want to be an alarmist, but I think that the Younger Generation is up to something. I think that there is a plot a foot. I base my apprehension on nothing more definite than the fact that they are always coming in and going out of the house, without any apparent reason. .." If you are not already smiling to yourself with these words, without a punchline reached ... smiling in anticipation of his gentle pacing and subtle reflections ... well .. he just might not be your cup of tea. But if you do find yourself with a suddenly lighter heart and wanting to see what might happen next ... he really is your man.

This is the book that put Benchley over the top. Reprinted more often and in more ways than any other of his books. Has the most and the shortest stories from his prime. Was available at the time of the film China Seas, in which Benchley upstaged Gable to grab national attention as as comic actor, that naturally led to huge sales of his books. ( )