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The Brass Bottle
A djinn, sealed in a jar for three thousand years, has been found by Horace Ventimore, a young and not very flourishing architect. Upon his release the djinn expresses his gratitude by seeking to grant his benefactor's every wish--generally with results the very opposite to those desired! A few movies and at least one TV series used this work as a model for their characters.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1900
11 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
F. Anstey
236 books9 followersThomas Anstey Guthrie was an English novelist and journalist, who wrote his comic novels under the pseudonym F. Anstey.
He was born in Kensington, London, to Augusta Amherst Austen, an organist and composer, and Thomas Anstey Guthrie. He was educated at King's College School and at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and was called to the bar in 1880. But the popular success of his story Vice Versa (1882) with its topsy turvy substitution of a father for his schoolboy son, at once made his reputation as a humorist of an original type. He published in 1883 a serious novel, The Giant's Robe; but, in spite of its excellence, he discovered (and again in 1889 with The Pariah) that it was not as a serious novelist but as a humorist that the public insisted on regarding him. As such, his reputation was further confirmed by The Black Poodle (1884), The Tinted Venus (1885), A Fallen Idol (1886), and other works. Baboo Jabberjee B.A. (1897) , and A Bayard from Bengal (1902) are humorous yet truthful studies of the East Indian with a veneer of English civilization.
Guthrie became an important member of the staff of Punch magazine, in which his voces populi and his humorous parodies of a reciter's stock-piece (Burglar Bill, &c.) represent his best work. In 1901, his successful farce The Man from Blankleys, based on a story that originally appeared in Punch, was first produced at the Prince of Wales Theatre, in London. He wrote Only Toys (1903) and Salted Almonds (1906).
Many of Anstey's stories have been adapted into theatrical productions and motion pictures. The Tinted Venus was adapted by S.J. Perelman, Ogden Nash, and Kurt Weill into One Touch of Venus in 1943. Vice Versa has been filmed many times, usually transposed in setting and without any credit to the original book. Another of his novels, The Brass Bottle, has also been filmed more than once, including The Brass Bottle (1964).
He was born in Kensington, London, to Augusta Amherst Austen, an organist and composer, and Thomas Anstey Guthrie. He was educated at King's College School and at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and was called to the bar in 1880. But the popular success of his story Vice Versa (1882) with its topsy turvy substitution of a father for his schoolboy son, at once made his reputation as a humorist of an original type. He published in 1883 a serious novel, The Giant's Robe; but, in spite of its excellence, he discovered (and again in 1889 with The Pariah) that it was not as a serious novelist but as a humorist that the public insisted on regarding him. As such, his reputation was further confirmed by The Black Poodle (1884), The Tinted Venus (1885), A Fallen Idol (1886), and other works. Baboo Jabberjee B.A. (1897) , and A Bayard from Bengal (1902) are humorous yet truthful studies of the East Indian with a veneer of English civilization.
Guthrie became an important member of the staff of Punch magazine, in which his voces populi and his humorous parodies of a reciter's stock-piece (Burglar Bill, &c.) represent his best work. In 1901, his successful farce The Man from Blankleys, based on a story that originally appeared in Punch, was first produced at the Prince of Wales Theatre, in London. He wrote Only Toys (1903) and Salted Almonds (1906).
Many of Anstey's stories have been adapted into theatrical productions and motion pictures. The Tinted Venus was adapted by S.J. Perelman, Ogden Nash, and Kurt Weill into One Touch of Venus in 1943. Vice Versa has been filmed many times, usually transposed in setting and without any credit to the original book. Another of his novels, The Brass Bottle, has also been filmed more than once, including The Brass Bottle (1964).
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 22, 2020
Начиналось всё очень хорошо: английский юмор, богатый язык и нетривиальный сюжет (вот откуда был переписан, пусть и со значительными изменениями, The Old Genie Hottabych)!!! Но потом выходки джинна стали меня утомлять своим однообразием, да ещё трудный (пусть и красивый) для меня английский (книга была написана в 1900 году, а джинн вообще выражался на очень архаичном языке, который я встречал только в Библии) не добавил плюсов книги! Главный герой и семейство его невесты мне тоже не понравились - слишком уж глупы (я понимаю, что это комедия, но глупость у меня вызывает только слёзы, а не смех). А вот то, что автор не забыл, что джинн это не добрый волшебник (в отличие от Lazar Lagin), мне очень понравилось!!! Автор мне тоже понравился, но других его книг читать не буду, сложноваты они для меня!
July 10, 2017
Rating: 2* of five
A 19th-century jeu d'esprit by a British journalist who aspired to serious novelisthood. He wasn't successful, since the reading public preferred his light and frothy humour to his somewhat po-faced The Giant's Robe.
Unlike Thorne Smith, whose Prohibition-era supernatural comedies featuring Olympians boozing it up around Manhattan and wicked-humored idols switching the spirits of a battling man and wife still amuse, Anstey's madcap silliness hasn't retained much appeal. And then there's the just frankly GAWDAWFUL 1964 film of this book. Clearly the seeds of 1965's I Dream of Jeannie were sown here. The film stars Tony Randall as Major Nelson, who is an architect who liberates the genie (Burl Ives! How different from Barbara Eden can you get!) from the bottle and hijinks ensue.
This little Project Gutenberg freebie took about two hours to read. There's nothing challenging about it. There wasn't, for me at least, anything terribly memorable about it either. I completely own to the fact that it could simply be my sense of humor is stuck in a sand-trap somewhere, but my smiles while reading this little marvy more closely resembled gas-pain grimaces, and my widely opened mouth while watching its movie emitted more unspellable sounds of revolted amazement than laughs.
YMMV, of course. It's free so whatthehell.
A 19th-century jeu d'esprit by a British journalist who aspired to serious novelisthood. He wasn't successful, since the reading public preferred his light and frothy humour to his somewhat po-faced The Giant's Robe.
Unlike Thorne Smith, whose Prohibition-era supernatural comedies featuring Olympians boozing it up around Manhattan and wicked-humored idols switching the spirits of a battling man and wife still amuse, Anstey's madcap silliness hasn't retained much appeal. And then there's the just frankly GAWDAWFUL 1964 film of this book. Clearly the seeds of 1965's I Dream of Jeannie were sown here. The film stars Tony Randall as Major Nelson, who is an architect who liberates the genie (Burl Ives! How different from Barbara Eden can you get!) from the bottle and hijinks ensue.
This little Project Gutenberg freebie took about two hours to read. There's nothing challenging about it. There wasn't, for me at least, anything terribly memorable about it either. I completely own to the fact that it could simply be my sense of humor is stuck in a sand-trap somewhere, but my smiles while reading this little marvy more closely resembled gas-pain grimaces, and my widely opened mouth while watching its movie emitted more unspellable sounds of revolted amazement than laughs.
YMMV, of course. It's free so whatthehell.
March 21, 2024
ENGLISH: A young architect in love buys an ancient bottle, and, when it is opened, one of the Djinn of the Thousand Night and One Night comes out. But while trying to show his gratitude, the Genie just creates problems for the young man. Apparently this book was very well known in its time, for E. Nesbit quotes it in Five Children and It
ESPAÑOL: Un joven arquitecto enamorado compra una botella antigua, y al abrirla sale de ella uno de los genios de las Mil y una Noches. Pero al intentar demostrar su agradecimiento, el genio no hace más que crear problemas al joven.
ESPAÑOL: Un joven arquitecto enamorado compra una botella antigua, y al abrirla sale de ella uno de los genios de las Mil y una Noches. Pero al intentar demostrar su agradecimiento, el genio no hace más que crear problemas al joven.
November 16, 2017
This wasn't to bad, if it's compared to the other works around at this time it can certainly hold out against the competition. The outrageous story of a man who gets a brass bottle at an auction only to find a genie here-in, much hilarity ensues.
Not well written but damned good fun.
Not well written but damned good fun.
October 22, 2024
This is my second F. Anstey read, and like the other one (
The Tinted Venus
), it involves an ordinary honest fellow troubled by a supernatural being who interferes with his life in general and his love life in particular. It was first published in 1900, right at the end of the Victorian era, and that's very much the milieu, but if you wanted to film it (and someone really should; it has, in fact, been filmed three times, but the latest was 1964), you could probably set it in most eras, including today's, without much difficulty. Indeed, the 1964 version, with Barbara Eden as the love interest (not the genie), was apparently set in the then-present day; from Wikipedia's account, it was so Hollywoodized as to fail to capture the charm and humour of the original.
The best thing, the truly original thing, about this tale of a man who releases a genie from the brass bottle where he's been imprisoned since the time of Solomon is that the man concerned, Harold, doesn't want fame and riches, at least not without earning them for himself through hard work in his profession as an architect. He (with good evidence from his observations of public figures) believes that unearned wealth will make him miserable rather than contented. The problem is that the genie insists, over Harold's escalating protests, on rewarding him for his unwitting favour in releasing the genie with the kind of rewards that most men of the genie's time and culture would have coveted. For example, he redecorates Harold's moderate lodgings in high Eastern style when his fiancée and her parents are coming to dinner, and has slaves serve Eastern delicacies to them, when Harold's prospective father-in-law is very strict on young men being extravagant and Harold only wanted to serve a decent plain meal cooked by his landlady. Of course, Harold's love interest isn't good enough in the genie's eyes, and he sets out to break up the engagement and substitute a relative of his.
The various shenanigans of the genie are hilarious, the more so as Harold gets more and more frustrated with them, and Harold has to exercise considerable ingenuity and tact to get the genie to reverse his schemes. It's a fun ride, and clever, and original.
There's some language in it, used by Harold's landlady and landlord rather than Harold himself, that is not acceptable today (referring to the dark-skinned servants the genie conjures up; I think you know what word I mean). Apart from that, it's unobjectionable.
The best thing, the truly original thing, about this tale of a man who releases a genie from the brass bottle where he's been imprisoned since the time of Solomon is that the man concerned, Harold, doesn't want fame and riches, at least not without earning them for himself through hard work in his profession as an architect. He (with good evidence from his observations of public figures) believes that unearned wealth will make him miserable rather than contented. The problem is that the genie insists, over Harold's escalating protests, on rewarding him for his unwitting favour in releasing the genie with the kind of rewards that most men of the genie's time and culture would have coveted. For example, he redecorates Harold's moderate lodgings in high Eastern style when his fiancée and her parents are coming to dinner, and has slaves serve Eastern delicacies to them, when Harold's prospective father-in-law is very strict on young men being extravagant and Harold only wanted to serve a decent plain meal cooked by his landlady. Of course, Harold's love interest isn't good enough in the genie's eyes, and he sets out to break up the engagement and substitute a relative of his.
The various shenanigans of the genie are hilarious, the more so as Harold gets more and more frustrated with them, and Harold has to exercise considerable ingenuity and tact to get the genie to reverse his schemes. It's a fun ride, and clever, and original.
There's some language in it, used by Harold's landlady and landlord rather than Harold himself, that is not acceptable today (referring to the dark-skinned servants the genie conjures up; I think you know what word I mean). Apart from that, it's unobjectionable.
December 15, 2020
Quite fun, and the reverse of the normal expectation--how to stop the genie from thanking him! Which ordinarily I'd be annoyed by (there seem to me lots of perfectly decent wishes that could be granted, one should try those), but the genie had such a way of mucking things up that I could quickly see our protagonist's point of view.
I'm sure others have noted that some minor characters refer to the genie and his obviously foreign-born servants with a term that was considered innocuous at the time but is now unutterable. I don't let that bother me--perhaps the word "vicar" will become indecent in 100 years, and I wouldn't want that to stop people from reading Jane Austen. No author has a time machine to check on what might become offensive 100 years hence.
In fact, aside from that term, it's very modern indeed--it certainly reads like something Robert Asprin might have dashed off in the 1980s--compared to quite a lot of fantastic fiction churned out in the 30s through 60s that I find essentially unreadable now (I feel like quite a bit of the pulp-influenced writers wrote about characters, rather than people, if you know what I mean). All of Anstey's people are alive, well-differentiated, and believable. I will happily seek out some more by him.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
I'm sure others have noted that some minor characters refer to the genie and his obviously foreign-born servants with a term that was considered innocuous at the time but is now unutterable. I don't let that bother me--perhaps the word "vicar" will become indecent in 100 years, and I wouldn't want that to stop people from reading Jane Austen. No author has a time machine to check on what might become offensive 100 years hence.
In fact, aside from that term, it's very modern indeed--it certainly reads like something Robert Asprin might have dashed off in the 1980s--compared to quite a lot of fantastic fiction churned out in the 30s through 60s that I find essentially unreadable now (I feel like quite a bit of the pulp-influenced writers wrote about characters, rather than people, if you know what I mean). All of Anstey's people are alive, well-differentiated, and believable. I will happily seek out some more by him.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
January 4, 2023
Don't keep your laughter bottled up.
Chapters:
I. Horace Ventimore Receives a Commission
II. A Cheap Lot
III. An Unexpected Opening
IV. At Large
V. Carte Blance
VI. Embarras de Richesses
VII. "Gratitude-A Lively Sense of Favours to Come"
VIII. Bachelor's Quarters
IX. "Persicos Odi, Puer, Apparatus"
X. No Place Like Home!
XI. A Fool's Paradise
XII. The Messenger of Hope
XIII. A Choice of Evils
XIV. "Since There's No Help, Come, Let Us Kiss and Part!"
XV. Blushing Honours
XVI. A Killing Frost
XVII. High Words
XVIII. A Game of Bluff
The Epilogue
I never had a chance to see the play and would like to someday. In the meantime, I have a DVD copy of the movie with Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, and Burl Ives (1964, Harry Keller). I would like the other movie versions also.
Because the movie took place in the modern-day (1964) I did not realize the story took place in England (originally published in 1900). We also see a few adaptions to the movie to change the timing of the media. Yet for the most part, when you read the story, you will see that the movie follows the book pretty faithfully down to some of the dialogue.
The story is simple but becomes complex. Mild-mannered obscure architect Horace Ventimore in an attempt to impress his potential father-in-law purchases a brass bottle. Upon opening it, you guess it a djinn (Fakrash) pops out and in his gratitude Fakrash helps Ventimore in a way you would not believe; neither did Ventimore.
I also purchased the Kindle freebie which worked well except each page number was read out.
Chapters:
I. Horace Ventimore Receives a Commission
II. A Cheap Lot
III. An Unexpected Opening
IV. At Large
V. Carte Blance
VI. Embarras de Richesses
VII. "Gratitude-A Lively Sense of Favours to Come"
VIII. Bachelor's Quarters
IX. "Persicos Odi, Puer, Apparatus"
X. No Place Like Home!
XI. A Fool's Paradise
XII. The Messenger of Hope
XIII. A Choice of Evils
XIV. "Since There's No Help, Come, Let Us Kiss and Part!"
XV. Blushing Honours
XVI. A Killing Frost
XVII. High Words
XVIII. A Game of Bluff
The Epilogue
I never had a chance to see the play and would like to someday. In the meantime, I have a DVD copy of the movie with Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, and Burl Ives (1964, Harry Keller). I would like the other movie versions also.
Because the movie took place in the modern-day (1964) I did not realize the story took place in England (originally published in 1900). We also see a few adaptions to the movie to change the timing of the media. Yet for the most part, when you read the story, you will see that the movie follows the book pretty faithfully down to some of the dialogue.
The story is simple but becomes complex. Mild-mannered obscure architect Horace Ventimore in an attempt to impress his potential father-in-law purchases a brass bottle. Upon opening it, you guess it a djinn (Fakrash) pops out and in his gratitude Fakrash helps Ventimore in a way you would not believe; neither did Ventimore.
I also purchased the Kindle freebie which worked well except each page number was read out.
April 1, 2013
2.5* The age-old question: What to wish for if I find a bottle with a genie in it? The answer turns out to be very simple - Wish that you'd never opened it.
Old-fashioned fun. Just as in "Vice Versa" however, Anstey starts off with a nice clip which turns to molasses halfway through. Great plot, terrible pacing.
Old-fashioned fun. Just as in "Vice Versa" however, Anstey starts off with a nice clip which turns to molasses halfway through. Great plot, terrible pacing.
January 4, 2023
Don't keep your laughter bottled up.
Chapters:
I. Horace Ventimore Receives a Commission
II. A Cheap Lot
III. An Unexpected Opening
IV. At Large
V. Carte Blance
VI. Embarras de Richesses
VII. "Gratitude-A Lively Sense of Favours to Come"
VIII. Bachelor's Quarters
IX. "Persicos Odi, Puer, Apparatus"
X. No Place Like Home!
XI. A Fool's Paradise
XII. The Messenger of Hope
XIII. A Choice of Evils
XIV. "Since There's No Help, Come, Let Us Kiss and Part!"
XV. Blushing Honours
XVI. A Killing Frost
XVII. High Words
XVIII. A Game of Bluff
The Epilogue
I never had a chance to see the play and would like to someday. In the meantime, I have a DVD copy of the movie with Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, and Burl Ives (1964, Harry Keller). I would like the other movie versions also.
Because the movie took place in the modern-day (1964) I did not realize the story took place in England (originally published in 1900). We also see a few adaptions to the movie to change the timing of the media. Yet for the most part, when you read the story you will see that the movie follows the book pretty faithfully down to some of the dialogue.
The story is simple but becomes complex. Mild-mannered obscure architect Horace Ventimore in an attempt to impress his potential father-in-law purchases a brass bottle. Upon opening it, you guess it a djinn (Fakrash) pops out and in his gratitude Fakrash helps Ventimore in a way you would not believe; neither did Ventimore.
I also purchased the Kindle freebie which worked well except each page number was read out.
Chapters:
I. Horace Ventimore Receives a Commission
II. A Cheap Lot
III. An Unexpected Opening
IV. At Large
V. Carte Blance
VI. Embarras de Richesses
VII. "Gratitude-A Lively Sense of Favours to Come"
VIII. Bachelor's Quarters
IX. "Persicos Odi, Puer, Apparatus"
X. No Place Like Home!
XI. A Fool's Paradise
XII. The Messenger of Hope
XIII. A Choice of Evils
XIV. "Since There's No Help, Come, Let Us Kiss and Part!"
XV. Blushing Honours
XVI. A Killing Frost
XVII. High Words
XVIII. A Game of Bluff
The Epilogue
I never had a chance to see the play and would like to someday. In the meantime, I have a DVD copy of the movie with Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, and Burl Ives (1964, Harry Keller). I would like the other movie versions also.
Because the movie took place in the modern-day (1964) I did not realize the story took place in England (originally published in 1900). We also see a few adaptions to the movie to change the timing of the media. Yet for the most part, when you read the story you will see that the movie follows the book pretty faithfully down to some of the dialogue.
The story is simple but becomes complex. Mild-mannered obscure architect Horace Ventimore in an attempt to impress his potential father-in-law purchases a brass bottle. Upon opening it, you guess it a djinn (Fakrash) pops out and in his gratitude Fakrash helps Ventimore in a way you would not believe; neither did Ventimore.
I also purchased the Kindle freebie which worked well except each page number was read out.
November 1, 2019
Very cute fun story. I enjoyed reading it. It was the classic story of finding a genie in an ancient lamp ... gone wrong. Much fun
November 27, 2019
There must be something wrong with my sense of humour. Other reviews all say, what jolly fun, well this was so badly written, so heavy, so slow, I had to skip the last few chapters. It's truly dire.
January 5, 2023
Delightful.
November 12, 2024
Great story, I listened to the audiobook version on YouTube. I will leave the link below so that everyone can enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABwt-...
February 15, 2012
A LibriVox free audiobook that I liked the description of ... and whose reader I enjoy. I've just begun and have enjoyed the humor evident in the first chapter.
UPDATE
Putting this on hold while I listen to The Dragon Factory.
UPDATE AGAIN
The hold continued while I also listened to King of Plagues (Joe Ledger - so addictive). But now I'm done and must wait for the next installment of that series to come out this spring. SO, back to the book I was enjoying before ...
FINISHED
This was a really enjoyable and humorous tale in the style that most of us know from I Dream of Jeannie where the best efforts of the djinn gain his master nothing good at all. Although the djinn never recognizes this and so the master must be quite ingenious to get him to undo the effects. How Horace works free from the entanglement makes a wonderfully entertaining light story.
The LibriVox readers were somewhat uneven with the one who read the last two chapters setting my teeth on edge with the odd cadence she used reading aloud. However, the price is right and the other readers were all varying degrees of fine.
A djinn, sealed in a jar for three thousand years, has been found by Horace Ventimore, a young and not very flourishing architect. Upon his release the djinn expresses his gratitude by seeking to grant his benefactor's every wish--generally with results the very opposite to those desired! A few movies and at least one TV series used this work as a model for their characters.Sounds like I Dream of Jeannie, which I loved watching as a kid.
UPDATE
Putting this on hold while I listen to The Dragon Factory.
UPDATE AGAIN
The hold continued while I also listened to King of Plagues (Joe Ledger - so addictive). But now I'm done and must wait for the next installment of that series to come out this spring. SO, back to the book I was enjoying before ...
FINISHED
This was a really enjoyable and humorous tale in the style that most of us know from I Dream of Jeannie where the best efforts of the djinn gain his master nothing good at all. Although the djinn never recognizes this and so the master must be quite ingenious to get him to undo the effects. How Horace works free from the entanglement makes a wonderfully entertaining light story.
The LibriVox readers were somewhat uneven with the one who read the last two chapters setting my teeth on edge with the odd cadence she used reading aloud. However, the price is right and the other readers were all varying degrees of fine.
January 20, 2017
A humorous novel that is a fairly interesting read. This novel inspired a couple of film versions, first a silent movie that is lost and then a 1964 film starring Tony Randal as the main character, Barbara Eden as his fiancée, and Burl Ives as the genie. The film is a decently well-made piece of fluff that is worth a lazy afternoon’s investment in time. I understand that this movie inspired Sidney Shelton to consider what it would be like if Barbara Eden had been the genie instead of Burl Ives, so we have The Brass Bottle to thank for I Dream of Jeannie. Anyway, the 1964 film adds a pair of characters that are not in the book, and although the first half of the film is somewhat faithful to the novel, the second half is changed dramatically. Still, both novel and film come around to a similar conclusion with the exception of the final role of the genie in the life of the main character.
One thing about the novel that stood out was that there was nothing outright challenging or offensive in it until near the end. At that point, however, a very casual discussion of foreigners suddenly includes an equally causal use of the “N” several times, and the overt racism serves to make the reader of today aware of the implicit racism that has been in the story from the beginning. This is a novel of its times, and it may be a mildly amusing story, but it if was not for this moment I doubt that it would be very pertinent to read today. This one passage, however, illustrates the times and mores of the era in which it was written and thus becomes pertinent to a broader dialogue, if one unintended by the author.
One thing about the novel that stood out was that there was nothing outright challenging or offensive in it until near the end. At that point, however, a very casual discussion of foreigners suddenly includes an equally causal use of the “N” several times, and the overt racism serves to make the reader of today aware of the implicit racism that has been in the story from the beginning. This is a novel of its times, and it may be a mildly amusing story, but it if was not for this moment I doubt that it would be very pertinent to read today. This one passage, however, illustrates the times and mores of the era in which it was written and thus becomes pertinent to a broader dialogue, if one unintended by the author.
October 19, 2023
Don't keep your laughter bottled up.
Chapters:
I. Horace Ventimore Receives a Commission
II. A Cheap Lot
III. An Unexpected Opening
IV. At Large
V. Carte Blance
VI. Embarras de Richesses
VII. "Gratitude-A Lively Sense of Favours to Come"
VIII. Bachelor's Quarters
IX. "Persicos Odi, Puer, Apparatus"
X. No Place Like Home!
XI. A Fool's Paradise
XII. The Messenger of Hope
XIII. A Choice of Evils
XIV. "Since There's No Help, Come, Let Us Kiss and Part!"
XV. Blushing Honours
XVI. A Killing Frost
XVII. High Words
XVIII. A Game of Bluff
The Epilogue
I never had a chance to see the play but would like to someday. In the meantime, I have a DVD copy of the movie with Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, and Burl Ives (1964, Harry Keller). I would like the other movie versions also.
Because the movie took place in the modern-day (1964) I did not realize the story took place in England (originally published in 1900). We also see a few adaptions to the movie to change the timing of the media. Yet for the most part, when you read the story, you will see that the movie follows the book pretty faithfully down to some of the dialogue.
The story is simple but becomes complex. Mild-mannered obscure architect Horace Ventimore in an attempt to impress his potential father-in-law purchases a brass bottle. Upon opening it, you guess it a djinn (Fakrash) pops out and in his gratitude, Fakrash helps Ventimore in a way you would not believe; neither did Ventimore.
I also purchased the Kindle freebie which worked well except each page number was read out.
Chapters:
I. Horace Ventimore Receives a Commission
II. A Cheap Lot
III. An Unexpected Opening
IV. At Large
V. Carte Blance
VI. Embarras de Richesses
VII. "Gratitude-A Lively Sense of Favours to Come"
VIII. Bachelor's Quarters
IX. "Persicos Odi, Puer, Apparatus"
X. No Place Like Home!
XI. A Fool's Paradise
XII. The Messenger of Hope
XIII. A Choice of Evils
XIV. "Since There's No Help, Come, Let Us Kiss and Part!"
XV. Blushing Honours
XVI. A Killing Frost
XVII. High Words
XVIII. A Game of Bluff
The Epilogue
I never had a chance to see the play but would like to someday. In the meantime, I have a DVD copy of the movie with Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, and Burl Ives (1964, Harry Keller). I would like the other movie versions also.
Because the movie took place in the modern-day (1964) I did not realize the story took place in England (originally published in 1900). We also see a few adaptions to the movie to change the timing of the media. Yet for the most part, when you read the story, you will see that the movie follows the book pretty faithfully down to some of the dialogue.
The story is simple but becomes complex. Mild-mannered obscure architect Horace Ventimore in an attempt to impress his potential father-in-law purchases a brass bottle. Upon opening it, you guess it a djinn (Fakrash) pops out and in his gratitude, Fakrash helps Ventimore in a way you would not believe; neither did Ventimore.
I also purchased the Kindle freebie which worked well except each page number was read out.
May 23, 2014
Who knew the origin of "I Dream of Jeannie" was set in Victorian-era London? Good-natured but unfortunate architect Horace accidentally releases a 5000-years bottled-up Jinnee, whose well-meaning but horribly misguided efforts to reward him nearly ruin his life in various comical ways. This Jinnie is more Robin Williams than Barbara Eden, but his stubborn ignorance of the modern Western world is what causes all the trouble for Horace.
Horace's character is what made this book so readable and amusing to me. As ordinary and unassuming as he is, he never gives up hope and always wants to think the best of everyone, but he's not reluctant to spin a story or take advantage of another person's misconception to manipulate the situation to his advantage. But he does always want the best for everyone, including the Jinnie even after almost losing his life, say nothing of his reputation and the girl he loves.
Too bad about the racism and classism, an unfortunate natural product of the book's time and setting, I suppose. Otherwise, quite an enjoyable little comic fantasy.
Horace's character is what made this book so readable and amusing to me. As ordinary and unassuming as he is, he never gives up hope and always wants to think the best of everyone, but he's not reluctant to spin a story or take advantage of another person's misconception to manipulate the situation to his advantage. But he does always want the best for everyone, including the Jinnie even after almost losing his life, say nothing of his reputation and the girl he loves.
Too bad about the racism and classism, an unfortunate natural product of the book's time and setting, I suppose. Otherwise, quite an enjoyable little comic fantasy.
December 6, 2022
I picked this somewhat randomly from Feedbooks for some light reading while I ride the subway. It was a mildly amusing story, with a few rather good passages near the middle, but all in all it was largely forgettable, and I wouldn't recommend anyone go out of their way to read it, unless you're especially into the genie-in-a-bottle theme, or must read anything associated with the Arabian Nights. Readers should beware that many prejudices of the author's time are reflected in the characters' attitudes. The Middle Eastern people who show up to carry out orders of the genie are often viewed with suspicion and treated as barbaric, and a few characters use the word "n***er" to refer to them.
December 31, 2011
Quite a delightful read and not quite what I expected. This is not the 3-wishes-genie-in-a-bottle type plot, but in the same genre. The young man's reaction to the genie is rather funny and while the plot follows the wishes that results in disaster plot line, it does it in it's own manner.
I am reading next another of this authors books, Vice Versa which was the first take on the Father/Son switch plot that was later seen in the movie of the same name (which did not credit the author) and Big.
Available on Project Gutenberg/Librivox
I am reading next another of this authors books, Vice Versa which was the first take on the Father/Son switch plot that was later seen in the movie of the same name (which did not credit the author) and Big.
Available on Project Gutenberg/Librivox
May 5, 2015
Looking past the racism of the time it was written in, just as I do with the sexism of many other books, it is an enjoyable story.
It's light hearted without being lightweight and convoluted. I really liked.
I just have one suggestion. For most of this story, I listened to the librivox reading of this, and here and there throughout it, the quality drops, then the last reader was so awful that she spoiled the last two chapters. Honestly, unless you need an audiobook, stick to text. And if you do need an audio book, you'd be best off finding a proper one.
It's light hearted without being lightweight and convoluted. I really liked.
I just have one suggestion. For most of this story, I listened to the librivox reading of this, and here and there throughout it, the quality drops, then the last reader was so awful that she spoiled the last two chapters. Honestly, unless you need an audiobook, stick to text. And if you do need an audio book, you'd be best off finding a proper one.
August 14, 2013
This is an old one I happened to find on eNYPL... very funny treatment of just how wrong it can go if you let the genie out of the bottle. There's also apparently a 1964 movie based on this, with Tony Randall and Burl Ives. And I see in the Goodreads description that the author also wrote "Vice Versa," a body-switching-with-a-relative story (one of my favorite movie genres) that has a Judge Reinhold/Fred Savage 80s film version. This F. Anstey is the unacknowledged father of zany Hollywood.
December 24, 2012
An excellent genie in a bottle yarn, charming old-fashioned fun, exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for when I began to read F. Anstey. A young architect purchases a brass bottle and finds himself in an Arabian nights story as a genie wrecks havoc and ruins his social life in turn of the century London.
December 3, 2013
Quaint, fun read. There wasn't a dull moment as the hapless Ventimore clings on to his morality, and the Djinn Fakrash never fails to concoct increasingly absurd dilemmas under the guise of 'rewards'. The novel is fast paced and avoids the prolixity of most authors of the time.
Want to read
April 10, 2010Наконец-то прочитаю оригинал "Хоттабыча"!
December 12, 2013
A very good example of the light humourous novel of the late Victorian period. Other similar authors are Ernest Bramah (The Wallet of Kai-Lung) and Jerome K Jerome (Three Men in a Boat).
September 16, 2015
A bit dated now but still great fun!
December 29, 2025
I enjoyed reading this fun escapism story.
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