Wit's End: Days and Nights of the Algonquin Round Table

by James R. Gaines

The Algonquin Round Table was a literary group at the Algonquin hotel where they mey daily fort lunch, for about a decade (1919-1929). Witty, hilarious. Amongst its members: Dorothy Parker, Harpo Marx, Franklin Pierce Adams, and others.

Genres: History, Biography, Humor, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

264 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1979

About the author

James R. Gaines is an American journalist, author, and international publishing consultant who is best known as a magazine editor. He was the chief editor of Time, Life, and People magazines between 1987 and 1996 and subsequently the corporate editor of Time Inc.

Gaines is a graduate of the McBurney School in New York City and the University of Michigan. His career in magazine journalism started at the Saturday Review, followed by Newsweek and People, where he was named managing editor in 1987. He was both managing editor and publisher of Life, the first time that one person held both the chief editorial and publishing jobs at a Time-Life magazine. His reinvention of Life as a weekly news magazine for the first Persian Gulf War won widespread acclaim and led to his appointment to the editorship of Time, making him the first person ever to run three Time-Life magazines. All three won important journalistic awards during his tenure and undertook important extensions: a television show and books program at People, network specials and custom publishing at Life, and at Time a classroom edition called Time for Kids and Time Online. In his first assignment as a publishing consultant, he founded a brand extension in the men’s luxury category for American Express Publishing titled Travel & Leisure/Golf. Based in Paris, he has since advised publishers in Europe and the Middle East as well as the United States. He has four children, three of which reside with him in Paris.

Gaines is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Historical Association, the Society of Eighteenth Century Historians, the Overseas Press Club, and the International Federation of the Periodical Press.

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recent authors have tended to shatter the myth of the round table; this book mostly embraces it. Let's face it, the idea of glittering literati trading witticisms and barbs in the heart of the hustle and bustle of the center of the universe which was New York City in the 1920s is a highly appealing fantasy for anyone with a creative bent. But even Dorothy Parker in her last days in the 1960s denigrated these frivolities, preferring to extol those authors who stayed away from such cliques, such as Hemingway, who by doing so managed to keep their minds on their art and produced enduring work. By contrast, almost nobody today reads the once-popular Alexander Woollcott, Franklin Pierce Adams, Heywood Broun, Robert Benchley or even, really, Parker herself. This book nonetheless allows us to dream of a deco world of speakeasies and self-styled subversives, telling the stories of each of the members of the roundtable accompanied by as good a collection of extant photos on the subject yet published. One page is a reproduction of the Algonquin menu, which is kind of a priceless thing to me. A gem from the golden age of coffee table nostalgia books, the 1970s. -EG

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly the book about the Algonquin Round Table that I wanted, and didn't find with The Vicious Circle The Story of the Algonquin Round Table.

Wit's End is full of photos, pictures, and other visual aids. Gaines actually takes the time to go into depth about who each of the main members were, and what they wrote and did. He makes some mention of what efforts were successful at the time, though now forgotten, and which remain as important works.

My one critique is that Gaines has some pretty strong opinions about many of the members, and his biases do definitely come across. On the whole, however, this is an excellent resource and an engrossing read.

[Buckey Grimm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at the "members" of the Famous Algonquin Round Table. Meeting place of what was considered the brightest wits of the 1920's-30's. Not the typical "anecdotal" rehashings of all the
famously quoted sayings, even though there are many of them recounted, but more a look of the interactions of the group with each other, and how they fared over time in public opinion. Benchley, Parker, Woolcott, Kaufman, and on and on. While this work does some exposing of the foibles of the participants, it does so in a way as to not be gratuitous, but it works as part of the narrative. It's not necessarily what I would recommend for a first exposure, but it makes for a wonderful follow up.

[Carole Prior · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly compelling read, especially for anyone who is fascinated by the characters, the literary figures who made up the clique of writers, actors, journalists and humorists who formed the group. It invites the reader to explore the effects of WWI, the Jazz Age, Prohibition and the resulting social mores that erupted, almost as a direct result. THe personalities and relationships among these witty and irreverant people truly captivated me. Having always been a fan of Dorothy Parker's writings, the intriguing bon mots kept me laughing and longing to be in their company.

[Sherwood Smith]

I think this the best snapshot of the various damaged birds who performed so bitingly around that table. Immensely readable, gives some perspective on Woollcott, whose stranglehold on the literary scene of the time is difficult to imagine now.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

if only i could go back in time...

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Admittedly, I should have read more of the reviews for this book before I purchased it. The book did contain a lot of information about how the members of the Round Table interacted with each other and there were lots of photos that I enjoyed. However, I do agree with a number of the reviews that I eventually read (to see if it was just me who was a little disappointed) that the book does come off as more academic than I was hoping for.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very well researched book on the Algonquin Round Table members with excellent photos and illustrations. There is a sour note however as the focus is on the game playing and gambling and drinking at the expense of what the members accomplished. It’s as though anything good that was done was in spite of the seemingly incessant rounds of parties, flirtations, and travel.

[Michele Cacano · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often wish there was a half-star option on the ratings - I would like to give this a 3.5 star rating.

What I liked:
- Thoroughly researched, well presented biographical sketches of the major and minor players of the Round Table.
- Amazing collection of photographs- the faces, the places, the playbills, the menus...

What I didn't like:
- Sometimes felt like TOO much information! I had a hard time keeping the dozens upon dozens of names straight.
- Would have liked a better timeline of how the thirties onward played out.

This is my first book about the Round Table, and I am not yet as familiar with all the players involved. My interest in the era, thus far, has been Hollywood-oriented, so my ears perked up whenever Helen Hayes or Harpo Marx entered the room. I often got lost in the slew of barely familiar characters, and felt that the writer of this book was aiming towards an audience already familiar with the cast.

This book is also difficult for a reader with ADD< like me, because I spent as much time on Google, imdb, and youtube as I did on the book! Constantly googling names and events, etc. to help me keep track of things. It also drove me to watch the 1993 film, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, which I'd never gotten around to seeing. (The film was okay, but I hated the soundtrack. And did Dorothy Parker really whine and mumble so much when talking? I always imagined her voice to be a bit peppier, more like Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story.) Anyway, I was surprised to see and hear so many lines in the film exactly as written in this book - not sure if this book was the major source material or if it was all so much public knowledge, already.

[Nostalgia Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I pick up a non-fiction, microhistory such as this, I hope that it will be an enjoyable read—informative, but not taxing and in a style that will help me to retain more than just one new fact.

Unfortunately, this was not one of those books for me. The style and presentation of the book just didn't capture me and I had to force myself to read it instead of voluntarily reading it (I would have finished it months ago had that been the case). It was a droning academic tone and I never seemed to have a clear picture of who was who. I learned who everyone was, but I still didn't come away with as rounded of a character sketch of the members as I had hoped.

I got this book, not only because I find the Round Table group interesting, but because I wanted to do a bit of research on a famous writing group for one of my stories (plus I had an idea for a final paper about it, but that fell through). Although I did gain a lot of ideas for my story, it seemed to me much more useful for academic pursuits, being easier to read specific passages that you need than to read the whole thing cover to cover. I was also disappointed in the lack of a bibliography, which I find quite helpful to expand my research and knowledge, especially with a quirky, elusive topic such as this.

Honestly, I think I should have given this two stars, but I did find it useful and interesting, and I know I'll come back to it for specific snippets of info and research, so I'm being generous with three.

[Glenn Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's academic at times, but full of information that would seem to be unavailable anywhere else; i.e., the author did some exhausting homework (and footwork!) to assemble. If you have ever wondered about the (origins, activities and/or demise of) Algonquin Circle, or are a hardcore fan, you will probably enjoy this book immensely.