The James Thurber Audio Collection: Fables and Selected Stories by James Thurber

Perfect voice for Thurber characters. Loved it!

I made it all the way through high school and four years of college as an English major without ever hearing the name James Thurber, let alone reading him. I guess this is an indication of just how much out of favor Thurber is (or was). It took Keith Olbermann reading Thurber's short stories Friday nights on his 'Countdown" broadcasts to bring Mr. Thurber's wit and silliness to my attention. I realize Mr. Olbermann polarizes some with his politics, but his affection of Thurber and his enthusiastic narrations here are devoid of any political shading. Olbermann reads these stories for enjoyment and that is how they should be listened to, regardless of one's ideological stripes.I listened to this audiobook with stunned amazement so many of my teachers and profeesors overlooked these gems of literature. My particular favorites are the short stories pulled from "My Life and Hard Times," a book that is printed in its entirety in the "James Thurber Writings & Drawings" volume put out by the Library of America (also highly recommended). The genuine siliness of such a family (particularly grandfather) is truly rich homespun humor at its finest. While you might not have an aunt who hurls shoes down a hallway, or a visiting cousin who believes he will suffocate in his sleep, you likely have dealt with people with similar oddball tendencies. As Thurber shows, it makes for memorable storytelling.I am not so enamored with Thurber's fables (I often think the moral at the end is never quite as good as the setup), but it is still delightful hearing about owls that answer questions, bears that get drunk, and other animal goings on. Yet it is the story that leads off this collection, "There's No Place Like Home," that I was most surprised with, and laughed at the most. In it, Thurber relates reading though a traveler's guide phrasebook and how the phrases selected by the author portend one having a rather grim time going abroad. Olbermann is especially enjoyable in reading this work, as the phrases get more frantic with each new set of circumstances.I would also like to echo the sentiments of others here who have requested a second volume of readings be undertaken. In reading 'Writings & Drawings," there are several other Thurber stories that Olbermann could lend his voice to. Particularly, I would like to hear readings of Thurber's "A Sequence of Servants" and "The Departure of Emma Inch" (which I don't think Olbermann has even read on his show) in addition to "The Black Magic of Barney Haller" and 'How To Adjust Yourself To Your Work," just to name a few.I hope, as Mr. Olbermann states in his introduction, there is a revival in reading Mr. Thurber's works. They are as diverse in outlook, characterization, and mood as any short story, but contain in them seeds of thoughfulness that go beyond simple storytelling and humor. Thurber's work would especially be a nice kick in the pants for the dull, dreary world American literature classes have become on many a college campus. To any college profs reading this: you have a leading position in helping this revival. Put away Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, or Emily Dickinson and try something new with Thurber next semester. See if your students can gleam humor from a time before iPods were everywhere and people actually read books for enjoyment (and remembered them too). Show them humor can be much more than foul language and fart jokes.If, like me, you have never read Thurber before, I hope you will at least give Mr. Olbermann's readings a listen. His narrations are fun to listen to and a great introduction to Thurber's work. If this audiobook captures your imagination, check out the Library of America's "Writings & Drawings" collection for a more extensive assortment of Thurber's writings. Thurber's is a world I feel most welcome in, and you probably will too.Try it. You never know.

I remember James Thurber from high school when we did a play called "The Unicorn in the Garden". I enjoyed that so much I read some other short stories he had written like, "The Night The bed Fell" and the different fables he wrote.All of these and more are included here and for the most part they really hold up today.Keith Olbermann's introduction explains that he read these to his dying father in the hospital and his father told him he should do this for a living. So this selection is lovingly done with his father in mind.I can't recommend this enough. It will have you falling on the floor laughing!Enjoy!

Keith Olbermann, the former MSNBC news man, used to read Thurber on his show. He is has wonderful vocal shading to bring these short stories and fables to life. This is an audio not for riding in car or running on the treadmill, this is an audio to sit and savor.When you sit and listen, Olberman takes the audience to Thurber's unique world. My favorites..The Unicorn in the Garden and the Secret Life Life of Walter Mitty are given new life in the narrative hands of Mr O.The narrative is a love of the work. Olbermann should be narrating more things he is passionate about, as he is about James Thurber's words.Am I impressed--YES. I can wish those smart people at Harper Collins release a second volume very quickly. There is so much great Thurber that should be heard by many.Bennet PomerantzAUDIOWORLD

My Mom got hooked on Thurber first when Mr. Olbermann started doing the readings on his show...than my little brother got the "Thurber" bug and I have to admit I got it too...His words and stories are timeless and Keith does seem to put a special spin on them.My thanks to Mr. O as my little brother is 15 and very into video games but we went to the library yesterday because he wanted to get even more Thurber to read...It is also important to note that Mr. Olbermann isn't profitting from the sales of this audio...All the money goes to Thurber House...

Thurber' subtlety and wry perspective are completely lost on Olbermann, who pounds out these stories like he's pounding on some conservative "nitwit."

I am so happy to see this! My 90 year-old mother, my husband and I have so enjoyed Keith Olbermann's readings of Thurber on Countdown. It's wonderful to see that he has made them available this way!