Overview

Details about the nineteen manuscripts in The Brautigan Library's "Humor" (HUM) category.

Background

These manuscripts are included in the "Humor" (HUM) category using The Mayonnaise System, a classification system developed for The Brautigan Library. Manuscripts are cataloged according to fourteen general categories, the year of submission, and the order of acquisition into the category. For example, LOV 1992.005 indicates the manuscript was the fifth one cataloged in 1992 to the LOV(e) category. Manuscript synopses provided by authors at time of submission. Comments from The Librarian provide additional information.

Stats

Manuscripts in HUM category = 19
1996 = 1 manuscript
1994 = 1 manuscript
1992 = 1 manuscripts
1991 = 4 manuscripts
1990 = 12 manuscripts
Missing = 0 manuscripts

A View on the Street

Fred Hill
MS #313
HUM 1996.001
Registered 1996/01/17 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
A View on the Street is verse-like commentary on life, death, ghosts, bugs, typewriters, and microcomputers.

Librarian's Comment
Fred Hill has contributed two manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are A View on the Street (HUM 1996.001) and Three Children's Stories (FAM 1996.001).

Lode-Star

Robert Carson
MS #305
HUM 1994.001
Registered 1994/02/07 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
"Dorrie The Dormouse," and "Nanuk," were based on Christmas cards I received from the people to whom I've dedicated the stories. "Fidget," "A Question of Paternity," and "The last Dance" draw from events which happened in my childhood spent in dairy in the west coast of Scotland. Why Lode-Star? I chose the title in the hope that it might draw people closer to my work. If you continue the journey you have begun, the title will have served its purpose admirably.

So I Moved To Vermont

Vanessa Smith
MS #264
HUM 1992.001
Registered 1992/09/22 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Let me first state that all of the events in So I Moved To Vermont really happened. Nothing was made up or exaggerated. The story is simply an emotional chronicle of my move to Vermont from New York, and how I adjusted. I have written it with sort of a grumbly New York tone of voice, but please understand that everything that I whine about in this story, I will whine about affectionately. My greatest hope is that it will strike a note in that great musical funnybone you all have, and make your day a bit more enjoyable. It took me a month to recover from this move. Have fun!

Pastoral Poet of Vermont: Walter Hard (1862-1966)

Peg (Margaret) Thornton
MS #225
HUM 1991.004
Registered 1991/10/10 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Walter Hard has been compared favorably with Robert Frost. Hard has a folksy, non-rhyming style of his own in which with humor and sensitivity he tells tales of his rural neighbors in the early 20th century. Selections of his work are included with permission from his son, Walter Hard, Jr.

Librarian's Comment
Peg (Margaret) Thornton has contributed three manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are Responses (FAM 1990.001), Ah, Camping in Vermont (ALL 1990.008), Pastoral Poet of Vermont: Walter Hard (1862-1966) (HUM 1991.004).

Uncle Jake and the One that Got Away

Conrad Hoover IV
MS #221
HUM 1991.003
Registered 1991/10/08 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Uncle Jake and the One that Got Away is a short story.

Diary of A Non

D.(avid) Bissonette
MS #195
HUM 1991.002
Registered 1991/07/30 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
If Charlie Brown were to become a rooftop sniper this would be his tale. This is undoubtedly the most sick, ridiculously perverted piece of work I've ever written. Diary of A Non. Enjoy!

Librarian's Comment
D.(avid) Bissonette has contributed two manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are A Shoebox To Hold the Unknown (POE 1990.001) and Day of A Non (HUM 1991.002)

Peter Prestwick and The Shadow

Felix Arnstein
MS #145
HUM 1991.001
Registered 1991/01/01 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Peter Prestwick and The Shadow is a novel for young readers of all ages. It is about a child who happens to be a boy, and some of the (certainly to him) very thrilling adventures in which he becomes involved.

Librarian's Comment
Felix Arnstein has contributed two manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are Peter Prestwick and The Shadow (HUM 19910.001) and The Bruckner Versions (ALL 1990.025).

Theories of Father

Andrew Colameco
MS #137
HUM 1990.012
Registered 1990/11/20 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Theories of Father is a video-image-script-novel. Narrated by a house fly, with help from Ed Sullivan. On assignment from the powers that be, the little buzzer* is sent to observe the middle aged, orphaned from birth Julian Christenson whose preoccupation with the discovery of his real parents mingles with his ongoing research on the effect of consciousness on physical reality. His misuse of a Department of Defense grant gets him into trouble with the FBI. But is is his occasional glimmering of insight into the true nature of things that gets the attention of the flies! *Diptera (Schizophora) Musca domestica

Librarian's Comment
Andrew Colameco has contributed four manuscripts to The Brautigan Library. They are Einstein Doesn't Throw Dice (SOC 1990.013), Theories of Father (HUM 1990.012), The Relativity of Retreat (SOC 1991.009), and Cold Fusion (ALL 1994.001).

Did She Leave Me Any Money?

Alyce Cornyn-Selby
MS #124
HUM 1990.011
Registered 1990/10/26 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
In Did She Leave Me Any Money?, the late Travis Duncan, an unusual 37-year-old woman, bequeaths an estate worth over $23,000,000 to her ex-lovers. Her will stipulates that these men must meet for one night and answer one question. The man who answers the question correctly, wins. The question is: WHAT DO YOU ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

The Bed

Medelyn Winkleman
MS #120
HUM 1990.010
Registered 1990/10/09 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
No synopsis provided.

In Search of Missing Socks

Karen Wood
MS #117
HUM 1990.009
Registered on 1990/10/04 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Ever wonder what might happen if news magazine shows like 60 Minutes, 20/20, and Geraldo Rivera Specials investigated everyday mysteries like missing socks? So do I, and here's my comic contemplation. In Search of Missing Socks is intended to be read as a tribute to, and spoof of, the best and most exciting in investigative journalism.

Librarian's Comment
The phrase "comic contemplation" in Karen Wood's synopsis refers both to the humorous tone of her manuscript and the fact that its presentation is in the style of a full-color graphic novel. A very interesting and unique work!

Rory Stories Volume 1

John Angstrom
MS #104
HUM 1990.008 A, B
Registered on 1990/09/07 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Rory Stories Volume 1 is the humorous adventures of a talking Shetland sheepdog named Rory O'More. The locale is the greater Boston area, with particular concentration in Beverly, where the narrator lives. Two additional volumes have been written, and a fourth is presently in the final stages of completion.

Sure Beats Watching Trains

Jeffrey Dwyer
MS #091
HUM 1990.007 A, B
Registered 1990/08/20 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Burned-out shoe salesman Stuart Williams is overtaken by an alien persona, J. Edgar Beaks, while vacationing in the Southwest. Beaks meets up with a slicky, Dirk Tepid, whose overwhelming ambition is to dethrone the makers of notoriously BAD commercials. Together, Beaks and Tepid dash to the Grand Canyon chasing Madge, Mrs. Olson and Mr. Whipple, as Tepid instructs Beaks in the ways of earthly man. Eventually, a master psychiatrist, Salvatore Krimshaw, must step in to rescue Stuart (feeling that he is losing his mind) from the alien clutches of Beaks. This Sure Beats Watching Trains.

You Can Always Live Twice

Theodore Peterson
MS #082
HUM 1990.006
Registered 1990/08/08 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Rejected by his long-time patron and benefactor, disgusted with greed of the art world, Val, a young avant-garde artist, kills himself, well, sort of. Actually, in this comic caper novel, You Can Always Live Twice, the ebullient Val fakes his own death, including a riotous funeral; watches from afar as his art pieces and artistic reputation skyrocket; and then prepares to go public to expose the crass commercialism of it all.

The Master's Ass and More

Phillip Frey
MS #040
HUM 1990.005
Registered 1990/06/14 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
The Master's Ass and More is a collection of stories ["The Master's Ass," "Drapes," "Other Voices," "Hey, Jack," "H,m," "Old Hat," "The Savings Bank," "The Hero of Lost Causes," "Subject's Last Interview," "Five," "David," "The Fool," "Jack and Jill," "The Candle and the Flame," "The Turtle," and an "Epilogue"]. Some are short and some are long. Some are light and some are dark. Some are true and some are not.

Librarian's Comment
In January 2013, Phillip Frey submitted an updated, edited, and revised version of his collection of stories, The Master's Ass and More. He said, "They were in bad shape and needed the scalpel. I feel good about having performed the operation." The revised manuscript is not counted as a separate manuscript in the Library's collection and is available for downloading and reading in .PDF format. Click here to download Frey's digital manuscript.

Wild Tales of the West

Toby and Alyne Elster
MS #032
HUM 1990.004
Registered 1990/06/04 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Wild Tales of the West is a boy's short story (9+) about Cowboy Joe and daily incidences while working on a ranch on the prairie. A parody of realistic witticisms. Touches on geography, geology, and philosophy for young inquisitive minds woven into daily occurrences of the cowboy's life in a humorous fashion. Includes a glossary of local words and expressions.

Autobiography about a Nobody

Etherly Murray
MS #028
HUM 1990.003
Registered 1990/06/01 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Biographies of interesting celebrities are always in demand, but when was the last time you read the Autobiography about a Nobody? Come laugh with me. With homey humor you will meet some interesting characters along the way, especially Uncle Elwood the early energy saver. Growing up during the depression wasn't so bad, we ate a lot of onion sandwiches.

Senseless Brushes with Death

Tom Jacoby
MS #017
HUM 1990.002
Registered 1990/05/23 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Senseless Brushes with Death is about living amid dying. The nature of consciousness, mortality, the AIDS epidemic, life and death are examined briefly, directly and tangentially. Each chapter may stand alone or be viewed as part of a larger work.

Floating Space Duck

Herbert Lockwood
MS #011
HUM 1990.001
Registered 1990/05/11 by The Librarian

Author's Synopsis
Floating Space Duck is a collection of cartoons shares the life and times of Herbert M. Lockwood. A formidable cartoonist at the age of twelve, Mr. Lockwood went on to amuse his friends and relatives through high school and college. He died in a freak accident in 1987 at the age of twenty seven. This collection was compiled by his friends and family.