Mon, Apr 07 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1032 Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) and Max Adeler (Charles Heber Clark) engaged in a long-running feud, with each accusing the other of plagiarism more than once. Oddly enough, the two of them attacked each other indirectly in print, using names and circumstances that would be recognized by their targets. In our first piece from 1870, Twain attacks Adeler in the Galaxy Magazine in 1870 without mentioning him by name in 'A Literary Old Offender in Court with ...
Apr 08, 2008•14 min
Mon, Apr 07 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1031 Our Monday book serialization features Hugh McHugh's 1901 title, 'John Henry.' This was the first book in what became an eminently successful series. Today we present the last chapter of the book, 'John Henry Plays Progressive Euchre.' Reuploaded with slight correction Next Monday we will begin serializing one of the greatest funny books of all time! Time: approx seven minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/...
Apr 07, 2008•7 min
Sat, Apr 05 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1030 SUNDAY SALAD gives you TWO Stanley Huntley stories today. In the first tale from 1882, a professor and a medium attempt to convince a farmer of their ability to contact the spirit world in 'A Doubter.' Then, in an 1881 story, we get to meet 'Mr. Spoopendyke's Dog.' Time: approx nine minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Stanley Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is ...
Apr 05, 2008•9 min
Fri, Apr 04 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1029 Two weeks after introducing the character, C. B. Lewis, writing as M. Quad, brought back Mr. Bowser, coming much closer to his eventual development. Today we present the second Bowser story from 1886, which we call 'The System.' Time: approx six and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/quad.html The ...
Apr 04, 2008•7 min
Thu, Apr 03 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1028 Meat or Meteors? From 1868, we present 'Brick Pomeroy's Account of the Great Meteoric Hail Storm.' Time: approx eleven minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Brick Pomeroy Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/brickpomeroy.html
Apr 03, 2008•11 min
Wed, Apr 02 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1027 Here's a list of, well, somewhat useful tips for having safe fun on the ice by Brick Pomeroy from 1868, called 'Hints to Skaters.' Time: approx four and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Brick Pomeroy Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/brickpomeroy.html...
Apr 02, 2008•5 min
Tue, Apr 01 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1026 Here's a very short, and extremely funny 1870 piece by Brick Pomeroy about the strange customs of Chicago called 'Speaking of Divorces.' Time: approx four and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Brick Pomeroy Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/brickpomeroy.html...
Apr 01, 2008•3 min
Mon, Mar 31 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1025 Marcus Mills ('Brick') Pomeroy wrote some truly wacky stories when he set his mind to it. From 1869, we hear about a fabulous invention, the 'Wonderful Hair-Reproducer.' Time: approx five minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Brick Pomeroy Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/brickpomeroy.html...
Mar 31, 2008•5 min
Sun, Mar 30 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1024 Our Monday book serialization features Hugh McHugh's 1901 title, 'John Henry.' This was the first book in what became an eminently successful series. Our hero's actor friend wants to be in a play in a bad way -- and that's exactly how he would play it. John secures his friend a nine-act play for eighty cents in 'John Henry on Would-Be Actors.' Time: approx six and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.co...
Mar 30, 2008•6 min
Sat, Mar 29 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1023 SUNDAY SALAD brings you TWO funny Stanley Huntley stories from 1882 today. First we offer another episode of the 'Eagle Sunday School Library' featuring Susie Snydersklop, the devoted daughter of a missionary to the cannibals, and the Spoopendykes attempt to raise chickens in 'Building A Hen Coop.' Time: approx ten and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Stanley Hu...
Mar 30, 2008•11 min
Sat, Mar 29 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1022 Celebrating THREE YEARS of Mister Ron's Basement with a unique and significant find! From 1886, comes the very FIRST Mr. Bowser story, by C. B. Lewis ("M. Quad"), 'Election Day and Night.' We'll be focusing on the earliest Bowser stories in the upcoming weeks, and see how the character developed into the familiar old crank we have grown to laugh at and love... Time: approx nine and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:...
Mar 29, 2008•9 min
Thu, Mar 27 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1021 Concluding Women's History Month with the second half of a two-part story by Rose Terry Cooke from 1881, about a woman who seemingly loves animals more than people and is stuck with a French dancing-master in her home, called 'Miss Lucinda' (Part Two of Two). Time: approx thirty-three minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html...
Mar 27, 2008•33 min
Thu, Mar 27 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1020 Celebrating Women's History Month with another week's worth of stories by 19th Century women authors. Today's story is a bit lengthy, so we have split it into two parts. Rose Terry Cooke tells a charming tale of a woman who seems to love animals more than people in 'Miss Lucinda' (Part One of Two) from 1881. Time: approx thirty-eight minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html...
Mar 27, 2008•38 min
Wed, Mar 26 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1019 Celebrating Women's History Month with another week's worth of stories by 19th Century women authors. Today we offer what can only be described as an (ahem) odd piece from 1864 by Katherine Kent Child Walker called 'The Total Depravity of Inanimate Things.' Time: approx twelve and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html...
Mar 26, 2008•12 min
Mon, Mar 24 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1018 Celebrating Women's History Month with another week's worth of stories by 19th Century women authors. Today we hear about a peddler and some worn out apparel in 'The Colonel's Clothes' by Caroline Howard Gilman from 1867. Time: approx twelve minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html
Mar 24, 2008•12 min
Sun, Mar 23 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1017 Our Monday book serialization features Hugh McHugh's 1901 title, 'John Henry.' This was the first book in what became an eminently successful series. Some of the humor in today's chapter may shoot past most people, but there still are some good laughs in 'John Henry Plays Pool.' Time: approx five and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html...
Mar 23, 2008•6 min
Sat, Mar 22 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1016 SUNDAY SALAD features TWO Stanley Huntley stories especially for Easter. First, we hear a tale of a Pastor engaged in a crucial card game with an errant Deacon in 'A New Element in Poker' from 1881, and Mr. Spoopendyke vainly attempts to haul a dozen potted plants to church in 'Easter Decorations' from 1883. Time: approx twelve minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Stanley ...
Mar 22, 2008•12 min
Fri, Mar 21 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1015 Our favorite old crank becomes a benefactor to humanity by measuring the humidity in the sky in C. B. Lewis's 1899 story 'Mr. Bowser Making Experiments in Kites.' Time: approx nine minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/quad.html The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Mister Bowser Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry...
Mar 21, 2008•9 min
Thu, Mar 20 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1014 March is Women's History Month! This week, we have been reading fun stories from 19th century women authors. Lurana W. Sheldon dropped out of medical school to become a successful writer and lecturer. Today's charming story, 'Sam Stebbins' Courtship,' originally appeared in 'Penny Magazine' in 1897. Time: approx ten minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html...
Mar 20, 2008•10 min
Wed, Mar 19 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1013 March is Women's History Month! This week, we will be reading fun stories from 19th century women authors. Harriet Beecher Stowe is, of course, most famous for writing 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' the best selling book of the 19th Century, which was so influential that when Abraham Lincoln met her, he remarked, 'So this is the little lady that started this war!' But for years before writing that, she was a popular author who wrote charming, light stories. One...
Mar 19, 2008•17 min
Tue, Mar 18 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1012 March is Women's History Month! This week, we will be reading fun stories from 19th century women authors. Even as a young student, Fanny Fern displayed a flair for humor. Here's a piece from her school days (circa 1820s) called 'Suggestions on Arithmetic after Cramming for an Examination.' Time: approx four minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Fanny Fern Catalog of Storie...
Mar 18, 2008•4 min
Mon, Mar 17 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1011 March is Women's History Month! This week, we will be reading fun stories from 19th century women authors. Metta Victoria Victor was one of the most popular authors of her time, writing literally hundreds of dime novels under an assortment of male and female pen names. Today, we read a selection from her 1884 book, 'A Good Boy's Diary' called 'A Cat in the Dumb Waiter.' It's an amusing tale of a mischievous boy who gets into heaps of trouble! You can ...
Mar 17, 2008•16 min
Sun, Mar 16 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1010 Our Monday book serialization features Hugh McHugh's 1901 title, 'John Henry.' This was the first book in what became an eminently successful series. Today, our hero takes a challenge from a literate friend and pounds out a novel in 'John Henry's Literature.' Time: approx nine minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html...
Mar 17, 2008•7 min
Sat, Mar 15 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1009 SUNDAY SALAD presents TWO Stanley Huntley stories -- In the first one from 1880, two old codgers swap ferocious winter stories in 'Early Cold Snaps' and the second piece is a rarer than rare find -- an 1883 Spoopendyke tale that apparently first saw print in Bill Nye's Laramie (Wyoming) Boomerang, called 'Spoopendyke and the Fiddle.' Time: approx nine minutes Why is this Frederic Opper cover here? Listen and find out! The Mister Ron's Basement Full Ca...
Mar 15, 2008•9 min
Fri, Mar 14 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1008 From 1900, 'Mr. Bowser Goes into Private Theatricals - and Out Again' by C. B. Lewis. Also, we have an intriguing announcement for Mr. Bowser fans! Time: approx nine minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/quad.html The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Mister Bowser Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/mrbowser.h...
Mar 14, 2008•9 min
Thu, Mar 13 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1007 Our final Max Adeler story for the week concerns a disguised cistern, a deathly case of mistaken identity, and a phony telegram in 'Mr. Toombs, the Undertaker' from the 1879 book 'Random Shots.' Time: approx sixteen minutes A. B. Frost The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Max Adeler Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html...
Mar 13, 2008•16 min
Wed, Mar 12 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1006 Max Adeler (Charles Heber Clark) was a master of building up a story -- his tales would start off somewhat amusing, then get funnier and funnier as they rolled along. 'Jerome Pinnickson's Mother-In-Law' from 1879 is a classic example of this, building to a jaw-dropping conclusion that will leave you in stitches. Time: approx twenty-four and a half minutes A. B. Frost The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Ron...
Mar 12, 2008•25 min
Tue, Mar 11 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1005 Max Adeler had a sharp insight into the hilarity that ensued among the living when dealing with the death of a loved one, or two, or three, as we see in 'Mr. Fisher's Bereavement' from 'Random Shots,' published in 1879. Time: approx fourteen minutes A. B. Frost The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Max Adeler Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html...
Mar 11, 2008•14 min
Mon, Mar 10 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1004 Max Adeler's 1879 book 'Random Shots' offered some of the funniest stories ever written. Here's a delightful tale that starts off silly and builds to extreme hilarity . It's called 'How Jack Forbes Was Avenged.' Time: approx twenty-nine minutes This beautifully drawn funny picture by A. B. Frost is even funnier after you've heard the story! The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Max...
Mar 10, 2008•29 min
Sun, Mar 09 2008 Mister Ron's Basement #1003 Our Monday book serialization features Hugh McHugh's 1901 title, 'John Henry.' This was the first book in what became an eminently successful series. In today's chapter, our hero brings the Love of His Life to a high-class beanery in 'John Henry on Butting In.' Time: approx nine minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html...
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