Author: Michèle Anstey

Peter Tourmalin is on a sea voyage back home to England from Australia, to return to his fiancee, and he is very bored. The fact that the time difference adds on extra hours to his boredom only makes it worse. So when he gets a unique opportunity to deposit his spare time into an account with the "Anglo-Australian Joint Stock Time Bank, Limited" he doesn't hesitate for long. By opening this account, he doesn't have to spend his spare time right away, but can withdraw it at any future date, when he wants a break. All he has to do is present a time cheque to any clock, and he is immediately brought back aboard ship to spend the time withdrawn.<BR /><BR />Sounds perfect? Peter certainly thinks so, when on a dreary November morning in London, a little tired with his exacting fiancee, he presents his first cheque and gets to spend a sunny quarter of an hour aboard ship. However, things get complicated when it turns out the time withdrawn isn't in consecutive installments, but all mixed up, leaving Peter often with no clue of any preliminaries or his relationship with the person he finds himself with. Since he is almost always dropped in the middle of a conversation this can be tricky - especially since his encounters include tete-a-tetes with not one but two beautiful young ladies (never at the same time of course!)… And things only get more and more complicated... (Summary by Anna Simon) <br /><br /> F. Anstey was a pseudonym of Thomas Anstey Guthrie.

2Brass Bottle

By F. Anstey

What happens when a not-so-lucky man happens upon a brass bottle releases the djinni caught within? Misunderstanding, culture shock, hilarity, among other things. Will the well-intentioned djinni help his new master? Or will he makes things even worse? (Summary by Guero)

3Vice Versa

By F. Anstey

Set in Victorian times, the novel concerns business man Paul Bultitude and his son Dick. Dick is about to leave home for a boarding school which is ruled by the cane wielding headmaster Dr. Grimstone. Bultitude, seeing his son's fear of going to the school, foolishly says that schooldays are the best years of a boy's life, and how he wished that he was the one so doing.<br /><br />At this point, thanks to a handy magic stone brought by an uncle from India which grants the possessor one wish, they are now on even terms. Dick, now holding the stone, is ordered by his father to turn him back into his own body, but Dick refuses, and decides instead to become his father, and so the fun begins. Mr. Bultitude has to begin the new academic term at his son's boarding school, while Dick gets a chance to run his father's business in the City. In the end, they are both restored to their own bodies, with a better understanding of each other. (Summary by Wikipedia)

4Black Poodle and Other Tales

By F. Anstey

This is a collection of ten humorous short stories (Summary by Carolin)

5In Brief Authority

By F. Anstey

Satiric comedy from 1915 about a nouveau riche British family and their nanny who get whisked off to Maerchenland ('the land of Fairy Tales') one evening in a car drawn by storks. The matron of the family, a thorough snob, is crowned Queen of the country by mistake. She is quick to accept her new position and is determined to introduce British social niceties in her realm. And this really is the land of Fairy Tales, with gnomes, giants, a dragon, magic, a fairy godmother and more. Trouble quickly starts to brew as the royal couple and their son introduce things like capitalism and golf. When gradually a few people find out who should actually have been the new ruler, things get more and more complicated. A bit of romance is thrown into this mixture as well. You'll have to listen to find out whether everyone lives happily ever after.<BR>In the preface and epilogue, the author won't let his audience forget the troubled times in the real world, in the heat of World War I. (Summary by Anna Simon) <BR><BR>Proof-listeners were Rapunzelina and April Gonzales.

6Baboo Jabberjee, B.A.

By F. Anstey

Another delightful example of an English writer poking fun at his countrymen, or maybe all races' reactions to someone from a different background. A series of adventures of a well educated foreigner in London which originally appeared weekly in Punch, sometimes with illustrations, dealing with the difficulties of fully understanding a different culture.<br><br> The hero's perfect English reminds one of a quote from "My Fair Lady" ..."His English is too good, he said, "that clearly indicates that he is Foreign. Whereas other people are instructed in their native language English people aren't." (Summary by Annise)

7Talking Horse And Other Stories

By F. Anstey

A collection of short stories by famed humorist and Punch magazine staff member, F. Anstey, pseudonym for Thomas Anstey Guthrie. They range from humorous and whimsical to haunting and thought-provoking. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

8Mr. Punch's Pocket Ibsen

By F. Anstey

These short comic parodies of five well-known tragedies by Henrik Ibsen originally appeared in Punch, the British humor magazine. From the prefatory note: "The author is conscious that his imitation is painfully lacking in the mysterious obscurity of the original, that the vein of allegorical symbolism is thinner throughout than it should be, and that the characters are not nearly so mad as persons invariably are in real life—but these are the faults inevitable to a prentice hand, and he trusts that due allowances may be made for them by the critical." LibriVox has produced full-cast versions of all five plays that F. Anstey parodies in this collection: <a href="https://librivox.org/rosmersholm-by-henrik-ibsen/">Rosmersholm</a>, <a href="https://librivox.org/a-dolls-house-by-henrik-ibsen/">A Doll's House</a>, <a href="https://librivox.org/hedda-gabler-by-henrik-ibsen/">Hedda Gabler</a>, <a href="https://librivox.org/the-wild-duck-by-henrik-ibsen/">The Wild Duck</a>, and <a href="https://librivox.org/the-master-builder-by-henrik-ibsen/">The Master Builder</a>. - Summary by Elizabeth Klett<p>

9Tinted Venus

By F. Anstey

When a young newly engaged man finds himself bound for an amusement garden with an old flame, not his fiancee, it is not surprising that he still feels some attraction for her. When they escape the heat of the dance floor to walk among the trees in the garden, it is not surprising that they should come upon a statue of a woman of uncommon beauty, with the smallest hands. When the young man attempts to demonstrate that his absent fiancee has hands even smaller than this immortalized stone woman, it is surprising when the engagement ring he is carrying fits easily on the stone finger, but does not easily come off. There are many surprises to come with with this sculpted woman and the all too lively young lady from his past. - Summary by Don W. Jenkins

10Bayard from Bengal

By F. Anstey

The estimable gentleman, Chunder Bindabun Bhosh, ESQ., B.A., travels from his native India to England, with his impeccable English and manners, which immediately mark him as a foreigner, and embarks on an enviable program of escapades. These stories are the product of the fertile imagination of Hurry Bungsho Jabberjee, B.A., a nom de plume for the humorist F. Anstey, which is a further nom de plume for Thomas Anstey Guthrie. Whether rescuing a nubile maiden from a charging bull or falling in love with said nubile maiden, Mr. Bosh, B. A. cannot help but perform with the requisite humor to engage our attention. - Summary by Don W. Jenkins

11Voces Populi

By F. Anstey

F. Anstey was the nom de plume of Thomas Anstey Guthrie, a Londoner who was trained for the bar but found success as a writer of humorous pieces for Punch and humorous novels. Voces Populi, a collection of his Punch pieces, is considered to be among his best works. He treats an array of situations from the charlatan conjuror to a row over a lady's large, obstructive hat at the music hall. - Summary by Don W. Jenkins

12Mr. Punch's Model Music-hall Songs & Dramas

By F. Anstey

F. Anstey was the nom de plume of Thomas Anstey Guthrie, a Londoner who was trained for the bar but found success as a writer of humorous pieces for Punch and humorous novels. Mr. Punch's Model Music Hall is a collection of humorous pieces written for Punch, divided into songs and dramas. In his usual fashion, Mr. Anstey captured the tone of his times and then exaggerated whatever was already absurd to entertain and give pointed commentary at the same time. - Summary by Don W. Jenkins

13Giant's Robe

By F. Anstey

Mark Ashburn is a young teacher at St. Peter's Public School for boys, although he isn't particularly fond of boys. His dream is to make his name in the literary world but mediocrity and rejection meet him at every turn. Dejected, he meets up with Vincent, an old friend, who is about to travel to his father's plantation in Ceylon and asks a favor of Mark. Mark makes a rash promise to help, never suspecting anything would ever be required of him. Backed into a corner, he makes a decision that affects his and others' lives forever.

From childhood Stella Maberly has been violently wilful and jealous, yet certain of her own superiority. She can be loving and friendly, but soon loses friends, when in the grip of her “demons” she acts with disdain and subtle cruelty, and then revels in the misery of her loneliness. Her paranoia results in tragedy for her best friend Evelyn, and Stella comes to believe that Evelyn is possessed by an evil spirit. In this statement Stella reflects on the events leading to her present situation...Was the evil imagined? Who was “possessed”? Is Stella to be blamed or pitied? This story can be seen from two viewpoints: do we take the words of the other characters literally at face value, or are we being influenced by Stella's interpretation? It’s fun to try interpreting from both angles! (Summary by Anne F)

15Stories by English Authors: London

By F. Anstey, J. M. Barrie, Marie Corelli, Beatrice Harraden, Arthur Morrison, Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch and Israel Zangwill

This book collects seven short stories by some of England's best turn-of-the-(last)-century's writers. The collection begins with the humor of J. M. Barrie, of Peter Pan fame. A later and equally humorous story is by Israel Zangwill, also widely known for his exposures of social and economic problems. The immensely popular Marie Corelli’s contribution is the last, and among the most moving. (NB: Though a less prominent writer than some represented here, Corelli was so popular that her literary sales exceeded those of Arthur Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells and Rudyard Kipling – combined.) </br> In short, these writers offer great variety as to style, tone and topic, ranging from breezy tales to poignant proofs of the kindness and grace that can underlie the deepest tragedies. But while diverse, these writers have in common that they clearly know and clearly express genuine emotional truth. They hold our attention by conveying their stories honestly. They have no need for the tricks and devices of melodrama, shallow emotionalism, or shocking plot twists. </br> This accomplishment – this evidence of high literary quality – is all the more impressive in historical and social context. They lived in a time of widespread suffering. Yet even as most of these writers begin by drawing our attention to terrible and extensive suffering (and go on by holding it there), they end by keeping our attention in writing clearly and convincingly about important things they really know - leaving us moved, convinced, and a little richer for the experience.</br> - Summary by Kirsten Wever