Subtreasury of American Humor

by E.B. White

A collection of some of the best humor found in American literature including satires, fables, poems, and parodies

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Essays, Anthologies

814 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

Elwyn Brooks White was a leading American essayist, author, humorist, poet and literary stylist and author of such beloved children's classics as Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan. He graduated from Cornell University in 1921 and, five or six years later, joined the staff of The New Yorker magazine. He authored over seventeen books of prose and poetry and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1973.

White always said that he found writing difficult and bad for one's disposition.

Mr. White has won countless awards, including the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, which commended him for making “a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.”

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I expected better from the Whites. Most of it not humorous. Instead the biting, look-down-my-nose New York City elitism of class, money, race or ethnicity. It’s good that we’ve advanced so far in seventy years. (That was sarcasm.)

Published in 1941 the book draws mostly from early twentieth century writings, though the authors dipped into the nineteenth for Twain and Dickens to bring up their quality.

Skip the first section as it contains the worst writing. The Verse stinks, too.

The last section, Reminiscence, is by far the best, and saved the book from getting a single star. Read it for both humor and insights into how people lived and thought a century ago.

Why a “subtreasury”? Because it was so substandard?

[Christian Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, much of value of this collection stems from my interest in the evolution of American humor. The Whites seem to have chosen a fairly comprehensive cross section of writers, and I was not surprised to find that, while many of these pieces are still relevant, several others have clearly jumped the shark. (That overt cliche, by the way, is my tip of the cap to Frank Sullivan, whose writing is well-represented in this collection.) The worst pieces in this collection - a few of which I could not even be bothered to finish - are the ones in which spelling is mutilated in an effort to mimic a rural dialect. While I'll grant that America was once much more rural than it is now, it is hard to remain interested in such writing. On the other hand, I worry that writers such as Ring Lardner, James Thurber, Don Marquis, Dorothy Parker, Frank Sullivan, Bret Harte (and no, not the wrestler), and Ogden Nash are in danger of disappearing from the literary canon. Therefore, one of my reasons for taking the time to post these reflections, as well as my decision to round up to four stars for a collection of writing that feels more worthy of three-and-a-half, is because I do not want such writers to disappear. Sentimental to a fault, perhaps.

[atom_box Evan G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd. Diminishing returns reading it. The deliberately absurd pieces by Ogden Nash and by Ring Lardner were interesting. Worth checking out as a glimpse into how different another era's sensibilities can be from those of our own era.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. There were a good number of funny stories in here, but a lot of the humor is dated (racist and occasionally sexist).

[Lizzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tremble to think about the stuff EB White didn’t see fit to include. VERY rarely is there a story that is somewhat amusing, and not a single one was truly funny. The funniest part of the book is probably the preface, but even that comes across as elitist. Also, this book has aged very poorly and is frequently very cringey.

[Donna Jo Atwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyrighted in 1941, this books contains selections ranging in time from Benjamin Franklin to what was then the present. Some of the pieces seem a little lame now, but the Preface is a delight. 814 pp.
Task 35.1

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great pieces in here, from White, Thurber, Mencken, Twain, and others. One needs to remember, however, that the Whites assembled this compilation in 1941 and a few entries reflect just how much times and attitudes have changed. Still a good read - and don't skip the preface.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My copy is ancient, and was quite worn before I received it. I haven't read everything in it (it's huge and densely packed!), but there is very little I've read that I haven't liked.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love "The New Yorker" you will love this book.