Author: David H. Bangs

1House-Boat on the Styx

By John Kendrick Bangs

The premise of the book is that everyone who has ever died (up until the time in which the book is set, which seems to be about the time of its publication) has gone to Styx. This does not appear to be the conventional Hell described by Dante in The Inferno, but rather the Hades described in Greek myth (both of which had Styxes): a universal collecting pot for dead souls, regardless of their deeds in life.<br><br>The book begins with Charon, ferryman of the Styx (in The Inferno, he was the ferryman of the river Acheron) being startled—and annoyed—by the arrival of a house boat on the Styx. At first afraid that the boat will put him out of business, he later finds out that he is actually to be appointed the boat's janitor.<br><br>What follows are eleven more stories (for a total of twelve) which are set on the house boat. There is no central theme, and the purpose of the book appears to be as a literary thought experiment to see what would happen if various famous dead people were put in the same room with each other. Each chapter is a short story featuring various souls from history and mythology. (Wikipedia)

From Alice in Blunderland:<br /> "Certain of our members claim that they have a right to sell their votes for $500 apiece--"<br /> <br /> "Mercy!" cried Alice, "Why, that is--that is terrible."<br /> <br /> "It certainly is," said the March Hare ruefully, it's rotten. Here I've been holding out for $1,250 for mine, and these duffers want to go in for a cut rate that will absolutely ruin the business." <br /> <br /> John Kendrick Bangs takes Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and turns it into a political satire in many ways as fresh, keen and relevant today as it was a hundred years ago. (Summary by Ruth Golding)

3Alice in Blunderland: an Iridescent Dream (version 2)

By John Kendrick Bangs

John Kendrick Bangs was an American author and satirist, and the creator of modern Bangasian Fantasy, the school of fantasy writing that sets the plot wholly or partially in the afterlife. (Wikipedia)<br/><br/> Plot summary: J K Bangs has taken Alice from Lewis Carroll's “Alice in Wonderland” and lets her on a boring day travel with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat and the other of Carroll's familiar characters to Blunderland. The story is a well written Satire, a witty, humorous tale of adventure and city politics, a tale of Alice in a land where nothing is as it should be. (Summary by Lars Rolander)

4Inventions of the Idiot (dramatic reading)

By John Kendrick Bangs

"It was before the Idiot's marriage, and in the days when he was nothing more than a plain boarder in Mrs. Smithers-Pedagog's High-class Home for Single Gentlemen, that he put what the School-master termed his "alleged mind" on plans for the amelioration of the condition of the civilized." This humorous story by the editor of Puck magazine describes how the Idiot sets out to improve the lot of civilized man through his inventions - the lot of barbarian man already being well tended to by missionaries and other do-gooders. (Introduction by peac)<br><br> <b>Cast:</b><br> Narrator: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/3242">peac</a><br> The Idiot: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4705">Algy Pug</a><br> Mrs. Smithers Pedagog: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/3157">TriciaG</a><br> Mr. Pedagog (aka The Schoolmaster): <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/5648">Adam Bratcher</a><br> The Doctor: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/5676">Raken</a><br> Bibliomaniac: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4174">Availle</a><br> Mr. Poet:<a href="http://librivox.org/reader/5635">Matthew Reece</a><br> Mr. Whitechoker: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/5664">Aidan Brack</a><br> The Genial Old Gentleman who sometimes imbibed: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4572">om123</a>

5Autobiography of Methuselah

By John Kendrick Bangs

A satirical look at early biblical events from the point of view of someone who was there to witness most of them: the oldest man in recorded history. (Introduction by Matthew Reece)

6Idiot

By John Kendrick Bangs

The Idiot is anything but, yet his fellow boarders at Mrs. Smithers-Pedagog’s home for single gentlemen see him as such. His brand of creative thought is dismissed as foolishness yet it continues to get under their skin, because when you’re beneath contempt you can say what you please. – This is the first of John Kendrick Bang’s “Idiot” books and was published by Harper and Brothers in 1895. (Summary by Gregg Margarite)

7Pursuit of the House-Boat

By John Kendrick Bangs

This sequel to Bangs' A House-Boat on the Styx continues the "thought-experiment" of bringing various historical and fictional figures together, detailing the adventures of the ladies of Hades after they are kidnapped by pirates and the attempts of the Associated Shades (led by Sherlock Holmes) to retrieve their house-boat. (Introduction by unfamiliar memory)

8Genial Idiot

By John Kendrick Bangs

John Kendrick Bangs once again takes us on a journey with the loveable, but somewhat self-opinionated and irritating Mr Idiot. (Summary by Michele Eaton)

9Ghosts I Have Met and Some Others

By John Kendrick Bangs

New York-born John Kendrick Bangs was associate editor and then editor of Life and Harper magazines, eventually finding his way into the Humour department. Here he began to write his own satire and humour. Ghosts I Have Met and Some Others is a delightfully humourous collection of short tales relating encounters with ghosts. (Summary by Cathy Barratt)

10Little Book of Christmas

By John Kendrick Bangs

Summary: Four short Christmas stories, a bit sentimental, but still affecting and worthwhile. Plus Four Christmas verses. (Summary by David Wales)

11R. Holmes and Co.

By John Kendrick Bangs

Raffles Holmes is introduced in these stories as the son of the great Sherlock Holmes. He is also revealed to be the grandson of A.J. Raffles, a gentleman thief pursued by Sherlock Holmes many years earlier. This apparently contradictory family background sets the stage for his colorful and amusing adventures. (Summary by lubee930)

12Coffee and Repartee

By John Kendrick Bangs

First released in 1893, Coffee And Repartee is a collection of breakfast chats at a gentlemen's boarding house run by a Mrs. Smithers. Here these fellows repeatedly face questions and proclaimations of an inhabitant they call The Idiot. The discussions sound friendly under pretense, but are really sly battles of ribald wit and cunning charm, as well as rather offensive remarks during a time period considered by many to favour a height of refined etiquette. The Idiot spars well, but will the other residents get the better of him? (Summary by Morlock)

13Mrs. Raffles

By John Kendrick Bangs

Mrs. Raffles, widow of the now deceased A. J. Raffles (who was the gentleman thief pursued at one time by Sherlock Holmes), continues the family legacy of crime—but this time in America. These stories are narrated by her cohort, Harry “Bunny” Manders, previously the devoted friend and sidekick of A.J. Raffles before his death. (Summary by lubee930)

14Toppleton's Client

By John Kendrick Bangs

A pre-eminent legal firm gets far more than it bargained for when it hires the son of its late senior partner, Hopkins Toppleton, Sr., simply to retain the illustrious family name on the company masthead. Knowing Jr. is a loose cannon, their strategy is to pack him off to the UK to head up a European branch of the firm - a branch they have no intention of sending work. The unwitting Hopkins Toppleton, Jr. is, however, determined to make his mark. (Summary by Cathy Barratt)

15Enchanted Typewriter

By John Kendrick Bangs

The Enchanted Typewriter is a collection of short stories by the American author John Kendrick Bangs, written in 1899 in the style that has become known as Bangsian fantasy. Bangs attributes many of the stories to the late (and invisible) James Boswell, who has become an editor for a newspaper in Hades, and who communicates with the author by means of an old typewriter. The fantasy stories in this book are part of the author's Hades series, named for the stories' setting. (Summary by Wikipedia)

16Water Ghost and Others

By John Kendrick Bangs

Eight ghost stories by a master story teller and humorist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (Summary by David Wales)

17Over The Plum Pudding

By John Kendrick Bangs

Great Caesar’s ghost and shades of A Christmas Carol! Stories – some ghostly, some Christmas, some humorous, some all three -- twelve of them by a master story teller and humorist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (Summary by David Wales)

18Jack and the Check Book

By John Kendrick Bangs

Bangs is in top form in his version of this small collection of timeless fairy tales. If you don't immediately recognize Jack and the Check Book, Puss, the Promoter, and the Golden Fleece, don't worry, you soon will. - Summary by Cate Barratt

19Mr Munchausen

By John Kendrick Bangs

The author has discovered for us in this volume the present stopping place of that famous raconteur of dear comic memory, the late Hieronymous Carl Friederich, sometime Baron Munchausen, and he transmits to us some further adventures of this traveler and veracious relater of merry tales. There are about a dozen of these tales, and, judging by Mr. Bangs' recital of them, the Baron's adventures on this mundane sphere were no more exciting than those he has encountered since taking the ferry across the Styx. Mr. Bangs proves himself well worthy of the task of reintroducing this merry old wag to modern fun-lovers, and in selecting from the tales the Baron has related to him he has chosen with an eye to the humorous which is unfailing in its clearness and keenness of perception. (Review from Book News, V. 20, 1902)

20Idiot at home

By John Kendrick Bangs

The Idiot returns along with Ms Idiot and their two children, Mollie and Tommy, move into their first house in suburbia. What follows are encounters with his companions from his boarding house days, <a href="https://librivox.org/coffee-and-repartee-by-john-kendrick-bangs/">Coffee and Repartee</a>, along with new characters that inhabit suburbia with the unassailable logic of the Idiot and Mrs Idiot regarding various aspects of life in the suburbs, starting with why the knowledge of an egg beater is more important than that of Wagner. Which story is your favourite? (Introduction by Kim)

21Half-Hours with the Idiot

By John Kendrick Bangs

Mr Idiot returns with his opinions on a number of diverse topics, including women, taxation, and international diplomacy. As always, the Idiot's silly soliloquies are packed with equal parts ridiculous fallacy and sly wit. Which is your favourite? (Kim)

22From Pillar to Post

By John Kendrick Bangs

I could not let these random notes of a delightful experience go forth into the world without expressing in some way my deep appreciation of the valued services rendered me in my ten years of platform work by my friends of the Lyceum Bureaus. In office and in the field they have labored strenuously, often affectionately, and always loyally, on my behalf. But for their interest some of the most cherished experiences of my life would have been beyond my reach. If sometimes in their zeal to keep me busy they have booked me in Winnipeg on Monday night, in New Orleans on Tuesday night, with little side-trips to San Diego, California, and Presque Isle, Maine, on Wednesday and Thursday, not to mention grand finales at Omaha and Key West on Friday and Saturday, I view that sequence rather as a tribute to my agility than as a matter to be unduly captious about. It is a manifestation of a confidence in my powers to overcome the limitations of time and space that I think upon with an expanding head, if not with a swelling heart, and whether this required annihilation of distance has been wholly agreeable or not it has enabled me to see more of my own country than I otherwise could have seen, and to that extent, I hope, has made a better American of me. - Summary from the author's preface

This is a volume of poetry by John Kendrick Bangs. All the poems in this volume share the very positive tone, they discuss happiness, love, and friendship, and can be enjoyed by children as well as adults. - Summary by Carolin

24Peeps at People - Being Certain Papers from the Writings of Anne Warrington Witherup

By John Kendrick Bangs

Written by a fictitious first-person narrator, this book puts a humorous spin on encounters with several famous people of the time. "I set forth from my office in London upon my pilgrimage to the shrines of the world's illustrious. Readers everywhere are interested in the home life of men who have made themselves factors in art, science, letters, and history, and to these people I was commissioned to go." -- Summary by TriciaG and from the book.

25Peeps at People - Being Certain Papers from the Writings of Anne Warrington Witherup (Dramatic Reading)

By John Kendrick Bangs

Written by a fictitious first-person narrator, this book puts a humorous spin on encounters with several famous people of the time. "I set forth from my office in London upon my pilgrimage to the shrines of the world's illustrious. Readers everywhere are interested in the home life of men who have made themselves factors in art, science, letters, and history, and to these people I was commissioned to go." This version has been read as full cast dramatic reading. -- Summary by TriciaG and from the book. <br>Edited by <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/5796">linny </a><br /> <b>Proof listeners:</b> <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11651">DrPGould</a>, and <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11535">Nemo</a> <br><b>Cast </b>(of chapters with more than 2 readers):</b><br /> <b>Chapter 1. Nansen</b><br /> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8677">KHand </a><br /> Nansen: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11535">Nemo</a><br /> Publisher: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/7079">Chuck Williamson</a><br /> Ticket Agent: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12500">Foon</a><br /> <br> <b>Chapter 2. Mr Hall Caine</b><br /> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8677">KHand </a><br /> Mr. Hall Caine: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/7079">Chuck Williamson</a><br /> Hackman: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11535">Nemo</a><br /> <br> <b>Chapter 3. Emperor William</b><br /> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8677">KHand </a><br /> Emperor William: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8059">Spoken4</a><br /> Grand High Chamberlain: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12500">Foon</a><br /> <br> <b>Chapter 6. Zola</b><br /> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8677">KHand </a><br /> Zola: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12500">Foon</a><br /> Hussar: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11535">Nemo</a><br /> <br> <b>Chapter 7. Sir Henry Irving</b><br /> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8677">KHand </a><br /> Henry Irving: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12536">Ellies</a><br /> Property Man: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12500">Foon</a><br /> <br> <b>Chapter 8. Ian McLaran</b><br /> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8677">KHand </a><br /> Ian McLaren: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12536">Ellies</a><br /> Maid: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10614">Leanne Yau</a><br /> <br> <b>Chapter 10. The De Reszkes</b><br /> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8677">KHand </a><br /> Edouard De Reszkes: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12732">Jim Gallagher</a><br /> Jean De Reszkes: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12552">pmstrahm</a><br /> Innkeeper: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12500">Foon</a><br /> <br> <b>Chapter 11. Henryk Sienkiewicz</b><br /> Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8677">KHand </a><br /> Henryk Sienkiewicz: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12536">Ellies</a><br /> Salesman and Young Woman: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10614">Leanne Yau</a><br /> Edouard De Reszkes: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12732">Jim Gallagher</a><br /> Jean De Reszkes: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/12552">pmstrahm</a>

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of January. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of February. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of March. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of April. - Summary

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of May. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of June. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of July. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of August. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of September. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of October. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of November. - Summary by Carolin

There should be a bit of poetry in every day, and John Kendrick Bangs wrote a fitting poem for each day in the year. In 1920, a book was published with one of Bangs' poems for each day. This project covers the month of December. - Summary by Carolin

38Cobwebs from a Library Corner

By John Kendrick Bangs

This is a book of 57 sections divided into 2 parts. The first part is comprised of 26 poems & the second part concludes with 31 assorted stories & otherwise. John Kendrick Bangs had been known as a jokester & prankster; was also known to be the editor of Puck, perhaps the foremost American humor magazine. Take a peak and see how you end up with a grin on your face and in your heart as well. That is honest Bangsian writing. - Summary by AR

39Andiron Tales

By John Kendrick Bangs

This book is a story about "Being the Remarkable Adventures of a Boy with a Lively Imagination" - Summary by John Kendrick Bangs

40Hallowe'en

By John Kendrick Bangs

LibriVox volunteers bring you 21 recordings of Hallowe'en by John Kendrick Bangs.<br> This was the Weekly Poetry project for October 24, 2021. <br> ------<br> This Halloween Poem by J K Bangs appeared in Harper's Weekly, Nov. 5, 1910. - Summary by David Lawrence