Sat, Jun 06 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1392 When Mark Twain was accused of plagiarizing Max Adeler's 'The Fortunate Island' for his novel 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' he responded by saying that he read Adeler's story, liked it, and thought there was no resemblance. However, the Adeler story he compared to his own that appeared in the 1882 "Fortunate Island' book was a different one -- 'An Old Fogy' -- one of the first Time Travel stories ever written. For tonight's Saturday Ni...
Jun 06, 2009•41 min
Fri, Jun 05 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1391 Max Adeler loved to write stories about impossibly persistent salesmen. Today's 1873 story is one of his first, and one of his funniest. It's called 'The Persecution of Jones.' 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 Max Adeler Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html...
Jun 05, 2009•4 min
Thu, Jun 04 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1390 It's that time of year again when we go out in the great outdoors and go on picnics! Max Adeler waxes rhapsodically about one of these events in his 1873 tale, 'The Pleasures of the Picnic.' Don't miss this one! 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 The Max Adeler Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html...
Jun 04, 2009•5 min
Thu, Jun 04 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1389 Ever hear about people playing gags using ventriloquism? Here's an 1873 Max Adeler tale about a young fellow who tried to do just that, and the consequences. It's called 'Brown's Boy.' Time: approx three minutes 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...
Jun 04, 2009•3 min
Tue, Jun 02 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1388 From 1873, we present a tale of swashbuckling derring-do and skilled marksmanship in 'Max Adeler's Duel.' 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 Max Adeler Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html
Jun 02, 2009•5 min
Mon, Jun 01 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1387 For Mark Twain Monday, we present Chapter Forty-Two (Part Two of Two) of 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' from 1889 -- where Clarence and the Boss make their plans for --'War!' We would like to dedicate this Episode to a true Mark Twain fan, whom we met recently -- Phil Yeh, who has been raising literacy awareness for almost twenty-five years with his remarkable 'Cartoonists Across America and the World' project. Time: approx seventeen mi...
Jun 01, 2009•17 min
Sat, May 30 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1386 Today's 1873 Max Adeler story is a quick piece on an important element of the human diet that is 'Terrible to Contemplate.' Time: approx three minutes 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...
May 30, 2009•3 min
Thu, May 28 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1385 Today's short but fun Max Adeler story is from 1873. It concerns a Mr. Henry Bull, and his strange medical condition, and is entitled 'Mercury in the System.' Time: approx three minutes 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...
May 28, 2009•3 min
Wed, May 27 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1384 Here's an extremely short Max Adeler story from 1874 that spotlights his oblique sense of humor. It is entitled 'It Didn't Grow.' Time: approx three minutes 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...
May 27, 2009•3 min
Tue, May 26 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1383 We have uncovered a slew of Max Adeler stories! Today's tale, from 1873, concerns an 'elevating' item of women's clothing. It's called 'An Adventure With a Pannier.' 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 Max Adeler Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html...
May 26, 2009•4 min
Mon, May 25 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1382 For Mark Twain Monday, we present Chapter Forty-Two (Part One of Two) of 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' from 1889 -- where Clarence fills in the Boss on how Camelot fell apart --'War!' Time: approx nine and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Mark Twain Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Twain.html The Mark Twain Connecticut Yankee Novel In...
May 25, 2009•9 min
Sun, May 24 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1381 SUNDAY SALAD offers just ONE short but funny Stanley Huntley story from 1882 -- it's called 'The Folding Liar.' Time: approx three 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 Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Spoopendyke_Stories.html...
May 24, 2009•4 min
Sat, May 23 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1380 Mister Ron is back after struggling with a sore throat this week! Our Saturday Night Special is a short, but remarkably prescient poem from 1885 by Robert J. Burdette. It is called 'The True Patriot's Regret,' and you will never regret hearing it! Time: approx three minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Robert J. Burdette Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/burdett...
May 23, 2009•3 min
Sat, May 16 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1379 Our Saturday Night Special story was originally presented in Basement Episode #933 a couple of years ago (you can find it here ). In it Mortimer Thomson made fun of Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, one of the most influential men in America in the years leading up to the Civil War. Apparently, the version we presented then was heavily edited by the Utah newspaper we originally found it in. Today we are re-reading the story in its complete form, as was pri...
May 16, 2009•15 min
Sat, May 16 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1378 This week, we have dug up some extremely hard-to-find pieces by Mortimer Thomson, better known as 'Q. K. Philander Doesticks, P. B.' In today's very short tale from 1864, Doesticks tells of a truly unforgettable rain deluge -- 'In A Storm' Time: approx two and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Philander Doesticks (Mortimer Thomson) Catalog of Stories is at: http:...
May 16, 2009•3 min
Thu, May 14 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1377 This week, we have dug up some relatively obscure, yet hilarious pieces by Mortimer Thomson, better known as 'Q. K. Philander Doesticks, P. B.' From November of 1856, we learn how crazy people get when wagering on elections -- in 'Doesticks Bets on Pennsylvania.' Time: approx eleven and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Philander Doesticks (Mortimer Thomson) Cata...
May 14, 2009•12 min
Wed, May 13 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1376 This week, we have dug up some odd and funny pieces by Mortimer Thomson, better known as 'Q. K. Philander Doesticks, P. B.' Today's 1857 piece could easily be written today (except maybe the descriptions of horse-drawn drays). It is called 'Doesticks on Boston.' Time: approx seven and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Philander Doesticks (Mortimer Thomson) Catalo...
May 13, 2009•8 min
Tue, May 12 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1375 This week, we have dug up some pretty funny pieces by Mortimer Thomson, better known as Philander Doesticks. Today we have a rare example of Thomson's Police Beat reporting from 1855 --it's called 'Doesticks Reporting for the Tribune.' Time: approx nine and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Philander Doesticks (Mortimer Thomson) Catalog of Stories is at: http://r...
May 12, 2009•10 min
Mon, May 11 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1374 For Mark Twain Monday, we present Chapter Forty-One of 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' from 1889 -- where The Boss returns to England and finds the place almost empty in -- 'The Interdict.' Time: approx ten minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Mark Twain Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Twain.html The Mark Twain Connecticut Yankee Novel Index of S...
May 11, 20090
Sun, May 10 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1373 SUNDAY SALAD offers yet another spoof of a Jules Verne story by Stanley Huntley! Published in 1882, 'The Field of Ice by J. Verne' makes fun of the 1875 Verne tale with the same name. Time: approx seven 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 Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Spoopendyke_Stories.html...
May 10, 2009•7 min
Sat, May 09 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1372 Our Saturday Night Special story is by Robert J. Burdette, the Burlington Hawkeye Man. From 1879, we present 'Rules for Poultry Novices.' Time: approx seven minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Robert J. Burdette Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/burdette.html...
May 09, 2009•7 min
Sat, May 09 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1371 While traveling by plane can be a real pain these days, going by train wasn't much better (at least in the U. S.) in 1907, when Charles Battell Loomis wrote about it in 'Our Way and the British.' Time: approx eleven minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Charles Battell Loomis Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/charlesbattellloomis.html When in iTunes, please click...
May 09, 2009•11 min
Fri, May 08 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1370 From Charles Battell Loomis's 1907 book 'A Bath in an English Tub,' we explore the English tradition of 'Tea Time.' Time: approx eight minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Charles Battell Loomis Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/charlesbattellloomis.html...
May 08, 2009•8 min
Fri, May 08 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1369 Sometimes, the way people say certain phrases can drive you nuts, as we shall see in today's Charles Battell Loomis story from his 1907 book 'A Bath in an English Tub.' It is called 'Thank You.' Time: approx six minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Charles Battell Loomis Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/charlesbattellloomis.html...
May 08, 2009•6 min
Fri, May 08 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1368 From Charles Battell Loomis's 1907 book 'A Bath in an English Tub' comes the opening story, with the same name. And of course, that's 'bawrth' not 'bath.' Time: approx seven and a half minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Charles Battell Loomis Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/charlesbattellloomis.html...
May 08, 2009•7 min
Tue, May 05 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1367 For Mark Twain Monday, we present Chapter Forty of 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' from 1889 -- in which a new day dawns for Merrie Olde England -- 'Three Years Later.' Time: approx seventeen minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The Mark Twain Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Twain.html The Mark Twain Connecticut Yankee Novel Index of Stories is at: h...
May 05, 2009•17 min
Mon, May 04 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1366 SUNDAY SALAD features just ONE Stanley Huntley story today, from 1883 -- where we hear about the most remarkable weather of all time --'A Heavy Storm.' Time: approx nine 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 Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/Spoopendyke_Stories.html...
May 04, 2009•9 min
Sun, May 03 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1365 Our Saturday Night Special story is by James M. Bailey, the Danbury News Man. From 1873 we learn 'How a Married Man Sews on a Button.' Time: approx four minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The James M. Bailey Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/jamesmbailey.html...
May 03, 2009•4 min
Sat, May 02 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1364 Max Adeler discusses which phrase is more proper to use -- 'is being done' or 'is doing' -- in the 1874 story 'A Question.' Time: approx five minutes 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 Max Adeler Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html...
May 02, 2009•5 min
Fri, May 01 2009 Mister Ron's Basement #1363 Max Adeler leans over his garden fence and hears about the musical tastes of bags of fertilizer in 'Judge Pitman's Musical Feat' from 1874 Time: approx six minutes 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 Max Adeler Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/maxadeler.html...
May 01, 2009•7 min
