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Men, Women & Dogs
A book of drawings by James Thurber.
206 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
125 people want to read
About the author
James Thurber
363 books606 followersThurber was born in Columbus, Ohio to Charles L. Thurber and Mary Agnes (Mame) Fisher Thurber. Both of his parents greatly influenced his work. His father, a sporadically employed clerk and minor politician who dreamed of being a lawyer or an actor, is said to have been the inspiration for the small, timid protagonist typical of many of his stories. Thurber described his mother as a "born comedienne" and "one of the finest comic talents I think I have ever known." She was a practical joker, on one occasion pretending to be crippled and attending a faith healer revival, only to jump up and proclaim herself healed.
Thurber had two brothers, William and Robert. Once, while playing a game of William Tell, his brother William shot James in the eye with an arrow. Because of the lack of medical technology, Thurber lost his eye. This injury would later cause him to be almost entirely blind. During his childhood he was unable to participate in sports and activities because of his injury, and instead developed a creative imagination, which he shared in his writings.
From 1913 to 1918, Thurber attended The Ohio State University, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He never graduated from the University because his poor eyesight prevented him from taking a mandatory ROTC course. In 1995 he was posthumously awarded a degree.
From 1918 to 1920, at the close of World War I, Thurber worked as a code clerk for the Department of State, first in Washington, D.C. and then at the American Embassy in Paris, France. After this Thurber returned to Columbus, where he began his writing career as a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch from 1921 to 1924. During part of this time, he reviewed current books, films, and plays in a weekly column called "Credos and Curios," a title that later would be given to a posthumous collection of his work. Thurber also returned to Paris in this period, where he wrote for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers.
In 1925, he moved to Greenwich Village in New York City, getting a job as a reporter for the New York Evening Post. He joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1927 as an editor with the help of his friend and fellow New Yorker contributor, E.B. White. His career as a cartoonist began in 1930 when White found some of Thurber's drawings in a trash can and submitted them for publication. Thurber would contribute both his writings and his drawings to The New Yorker until the 1950s.
Thurber was married twice. In 1922, Thurber married Althea Adams. The marriage was troubled and ended in divorce in May 1935. Adams gave Thurber his only child, his daughter Rosemary. Thurber remarried in June, 1935 to Helen Wismer. His second marriage lasted until he died in 1961, at the age of 66, due to complications from pneumonia, which followed upon a stroke suffered at his home. His last words, aside from the repeated word "God," were "God bless... God damn," according to Helen Thurber.
Thurber had two brothers, William and Robert. Once, while playing a game of William Tell, his brother William shot James in the eye with an arrow. Because of the lack of medical technology, Thurber lost his eye. This injury would later cause him to be almost entirely blind. During his childhood he was unable to participate in sports and activities because of his injury, and instead developed a creative imagination, which he shared in his writings.
From 1913 to 1918, Thurber attended The Ohio State University, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He never graduated from the University because his poor eyesight prevented him from taking a mandatory ROTC course. In 1995 he was posthumously awarded a degree.
From 1918 to 1920, at the close of World War I, Thurber worked as a code clerk for the Department of State, first in Washington, D.C. and then at the American Embassy in Paris, France. After this Thurber returned to Columbus, where he began his writing career as a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch from 1921 to 1924. During part of this time, he reviewed current books, films, and plays in a weekly column called "Credos and Curios," a title that later would be given to a posthumous collection of his work. Thurber also returned to Paris in this period, where he wrote for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers.
In 1925, he moved to Greenwich Village in New York City, getting a job as a reporter for the New York Evening Post. He joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1927 as an editor with the help of his friend and fellow New Yorker contributor, E.B. White. His career as a cartoonist began in 1930 when White found some of Thurber's drawings in a trash can and submitted them for publication. Thurber would contribute both his writings and his drawings to The New Yorker until the 1950s.
Thurber was married twice. In 1922, Thurber married Althea Adams. The marriage was troubled and ended in divorce in May 1935. Adams gave Thurber his only child, his daughter Rosemary. Thurber remarried in June, 1935 to Helen Wismer. His second marriage lasted until he died in 1961, at the age of 66, due to complications from pneumonia, which followed upon a stroke suffered at his home. His last words, aside from the repeated word "God," were "God bless... God damn," according to Helen Thurber.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 10, 2019
The fact that this 1946 Bantam book is falling apart as I read and laugh at the cracked pages on a dark, rainy Sunday when all the world’s news makes me sick and my dog doesn’t want to walk, let alone poop, on New York City’s dismal wet streets seems somehow fitting.
With a dedication to Andy White for instigating the publication of these iconic American cartoons, a reverential preface by Dorothy Parker, and Thurber’s essential humor and pathos, what’s not to like?
With a dedication to Andy White for instigating the publication of these iconic American cartoons, a reverential preface by Dorothy Parker, and Thurber’s essential humor and pathos, what’s not to like?
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January 21, 2017If you need a laugh right now, Thurber isn’t a bad bit of black humor to turn to.
July 30, 2022
Discovered the graphic novel section at the library and picked up a bunch of random books, this was cartoons by James Thurber who was like the epitome of New Yorker cartoons. I’ll say I didn’t find a lot of them funny but I did like to look at them, very interesting drawings that are very simple but his people convey a lot of emotion. And the Thurber dogs are cute!
September 1, 2007
James Thurber - a complex, conflicted, and amazingly funny man. Humour in the way of the 1930's - sophisticated, edgy, witty.
January 17, 2008
The pages of my copy are appropriately dog-eared and yellowed with age. These drawings and cartoons are timeless.
January 25, 2009
All Things Thurber!
October 16, 2010
I had no idea this was all cartoons until I picked it up to start reading! I had owned it for at least a year before that. So I was happy to lap this up in two short sittings. Long live Thurber!
March 20, 2012
I absolutely love his humor and illustrations.
August 8, 2012
"If you're a police dog - where's your badge?" Just makes me smile - I would have liked to have met James Thurber.
June 20, 2014
I wasn't familiar with Thurber and didn't understand many of the cartoons. Others weren't funny to me. But it helped me better understand the time and place.
June 3, 2015
A collection of one-panel comics.
January 9, 2015
Thurber is always funny. This book of his cartoon is a delight.
August 2, 2015
Thurber is at his best here. Big fun.
May 14, 2016
From my mom's bookshelf and definitely a moment in time, place and class.
April 23, 2017
Not all that amusing.
February 17, 2019
Odd sense of humor, but some of his art and captions were quite funny.
February 18, 2024
You'll laugh from cover to cover. Thurber's illustrations, maybe because of their economy of line, add another layer of comedy to the stories. Still makes me laugh every time I pick it up again.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews