Wed, Apr 21 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1655 This week we offer some wonderfully feel-good tales from Charles Battell Loomis's 1908 book 'The Knack of It -- Some Essays in Optimism.' Are people all good or all bad? Is everything Black or White and no Grey? Loomis argues that we are all 'Mixed Pickles' -- 57 Varieties! Time: approx nine 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 ...
Apr 21, 2010•9 min
Tue, Apr 20 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1654 Note - We have skipped our Monday book serialization, but it will return next Monday! This week we offer some wonderfully feel-good tales from Charles Battell Loomis's 1908 book 'The Knack of It -- Some Essays in Optimism.' Today's piece concerns good deeds that roll along through history -- It's called 'Pass It Along' and you will love hearing it... Time: approx eleven minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com...
Apr 21, 2010•11 min
Sun, Apr 18 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1653 SUNDAY SALAD features Stanley Huntley's 1881 tale of a patriotic 4th of July Orator offering ad placement services in his speeches, in 'Are We an Advertising Nation?' Time: approx seven 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 There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issu...
Apr 19, 2010•7 min
Sat, Apr 17 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1652 Our Saturday Night Special story by S. K. Selig from 1906 concerns a philandering King and a Queen with a plan -- It is called 'A Fairy Tale Up to Date.' Time: approx eight minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine ( now known as Beatweek Magazine ) which can be downloaded as a free pdf file here. John Kelly of...
Apr 18, 2010•8 min
Fri, Apr 16 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1651 We have encountered a forgotten but truly unique book from 1880 called 'Our American Hash -- A Satire.' Our final piece from this book concerns itself with matters of life and death involving a tasty treat -- 'Hash and Life Insurance.' Time: approx ten minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine ( now known as Be...
Apr 17, 2010•10 min
Thur, Apr 15 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1650 We have encountered a forgotten but truly unique book from 1880 called 'Our American Hash -- A Satire.' Today's piece concerns certain foreign objects commonly found in boardinghouse meals -- hairs! -- in 'Hash and Bristles.' Time: approx eight minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine ( now known as Beatweek ...
Apr 16, 2010•8 min
Wed, Apr 14 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1648 We have encountered a forgotten but truly unique book from 1880 called 'Our American Hash -- A Satire.' Today we explore a truly unique philosophy in 'Hash and Life.' Time: approx six minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine ( now known as Beatweek Magazine ) which can be downloaded as a free pdf file here. Jo...
Apr 15, 2010•6 min
Tues, Apr 13 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1648 We have encountered a forgotten but truly unique book from 1880 called 'Our American Hash -- A Satire.' Our first story about this greasy, American classic dish is called 'Remembering the Feast.' 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 There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine ( now known as Beatweek Magazine ) which ca...
Apr 14, 2010•8 min
Mon, Apr 12 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1647 Our Monday book serialization continues with Metta Victoria Victor's 1859 novel 'Miss Slimmens's Window.' Today we offer Chapter Two, 'Miss Slimmens Has Hope.' As always, your comments are welcome! Mail to: revry@panix.com Time: approx eighteen minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 of iProng Magazine ( now known as Beatwee...
Apr 13, 2010•18 min
Sun, Apr 11 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1646 SUNDAY SALAD takes a look at women wearing men-like fashions back in 1883 in Stanley Huntley's 'A Dress Reform.' Time: approx five 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 There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine ( now known as Beatweek Magazine ...
Apr 12, 2010•5 min
Sat, Apr 10 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1645 Ever wonder what do do with a 'Know-It-All'? Here's a great solution in our Saturday Night Special story by Tom P. Morgan from 1900 -- 'The Knowing Man.' Time: approx five minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iProng Magazine ( now known as Beatweek Magazine ) which can be downloaded as a free pdf file here. John Kelly of ...
Apr 11, 2010•5 min
Fri, Apr 9 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1644 Humorist Edgar Wilson 'Bill' Nye and Poet James Whitcomb Riley were a very popular team on the lecture circuit during the 1880s. In 1889, they issued a book that was sold at these speaking engagements called 'Nye and Riley's Railroad Guide.' This week we have been reading from that book. Riley offers a truly confusing poem called 'Good-bye er Howdy-Do' and Nye begs for the return of his cook in 'Oh Wilhelmina, Come Back!" Time: approx seven minutes The...
Apr 10, 2010•7 min
Thur, Apr 8 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1643 Humorist Edgar Wilson 'Bill' Nye and Poet James Whitcomb Riley were a very popular team on the lecture circuit during the 1880s. In 1889, they issued a book that was sold at these speaking engagements called 'Nye and Riley's Railroad Guide.' This week we are reading from that book. Today, Riley points out a newlywed couple at the theater in his poem, 'In a Box' and Nye visits an 'imitation hotel' in 'Where the Roads are Engaged in Forking.' Time: appr...
Apr 09, 2010•8 min
Wed, Apr 7 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1642 Humorist Edgar Wilson 'Bill' Nye and Poet James Whitcomb Riley were a very popular team on the lecture circuit during the 1880s. In 1889, they issued a book that was sold at these speaking engagements called 'Nye and Riley's Railroad Guide.' This week we are reading from that book. Today, we offer a short, poetic bit of Advice by Riley entitled 'Never Talk Back' and a reminiscence by Nye called 'Where he First met his Parents.' Time: approx seven minut...
Apr 08, 2010•7 min
Tue, Apr 6 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1641 Humorist Edgar Wilson 'Bill' Nye and Poet James Whitcomb Riley were a very popular team on the lecture circuit during the 1880s. In 1889, they issued a book that was sold at these speaking engagements called 'Nye and Riley's Railroad Guide.' This week we will be reading from that book. Today we offer the introduction, 'Why It Was Done.' Time: approx six minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_...
Apr 07, 2010•6 min
Mon, Apr 5 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1640 We are beginning a NEW Monday book serialization! Writing under the pen name of Mrs. Mark Peabody, Metta Victoria Victor amused readers of Cosmopolitan Magazine through the 1850s with the adventures of Miss Slimmens, the old maid milliner. You can hear an early Miss Slimmens story in Basement Episode Number 265. In 1859, some of her stories were put together in the book 'Miss Slimmens's Window.' Today, we begin with the Introduction of this book, and C...
Apr 06, 2010•16 min
Sun, Apr 4 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1639 SUNDAY SALAD brings a strange piece by Stanley Huntley from 1884. Politician and former Secretary of State John Hay published a novel in 1883 called 'Bread Winners' that violently attacked labor unions in the United States. Knowing the book would cause controversey, Hay published it anonymously. For many months afterward, the question of the book's authorship was on everyone's lips, with many theories as to who it was offered. In today's piece, 'Who Wr...
Apr 05, 2010•7 min
Sat, Apr 3 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1638 Our Saturday Night Special story is by Charles Battell Loomis. From 1904, Loomis attempts identifying the professions of a group of successful men, without much luck, in 'A Puzzling Subject.' 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 There is a nifty interview with Mist...
Apr 04, 2010•6 min
Fri, Apr 2 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1637 Max Adeler's published writings in books is a small sampling of his total output -- he wrote for Philadelphia newspapers for decades from the 1860s through the 1880s, and much of his work is simply buried. Oddly enough, we have found a good deal of Adeler material in New Zealand newspapers from the period, and we have been reading some this week. In this 1881 piece, Max Adeler experiments with a variety of techniques in growing a grape vine. It is call...
Apr 03, 2010•5 min
Thur, Apr 1 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1636 Max Adeler's published writings in books is a small sampling of his total output -- he wrote for Philadelphia newspapers for decades from the 1860s through the 1880s, and much of his work is simply buried. Oddly enough, we have found a good deal of Adeler material in New Zealand newspapers from the period, and we will be reading some this week. Adeler had a knack for tall tales, and this one is absolutely the tallest! Or is it the shortest? From 1879,...
Apr 02, 2010•5 min
Wed, Mar 31 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1635 Max Adeler's published writings in books is a small sampling of his total output -- he wrote for Philadelphia newspapers for decades from the 1860s through the 1880s, and much of his work is simply buried. Oddly enough, we have found a good deal of Adeler material in New Zealand newspapers from the period, and we will be reading some this week. Here's a short 1889 piece about a dog and a hundred dollar bet. It's entitled 'S'posin', Sir.' Time: approx ...
Apr 01, 2010•4 min
Tue, Mar 30 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1634 Max Adeler's published writings in books is a small sampling of his total output -- he wrote for Philadelphia newspapers for decades from the 1860s through the 1880s, and much of his work is simply buried. Oddly enough, we have found a good deal of Adeler material in New Zealand newspapers from the period, and we will be reading some this week. Today's Adeler tale from 1879 involves an editor trying to hire a professional assassin in 'A Persecuted Jou...
Mar 31, 2010•7 min
Mon, Mar 29 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1633 Today marks the FIFTH Birthday of Mister Ron's Basement! Thanks so much to all of our listeners. The best, we hope, is yet to come... Our Monday novel serialization is Stephen Leacock's 1912 masterpiece, 'Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town.' If you haven't yet, please do go back and start with Chapter One of this fabulous book! They're ALL worth listening to! You'll find them in the Stephen Leacock Index below. We are today presenting the final chapte...
Mar 30, 2010•15 min
Sun, Mar 28 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1632 SUNDAY SALAD offers a strange, satirical story about Indians by Stanley Huntley from 1880. Oddly enough, this tale offered clues to something that would not be publicly revealed until 1885 -- that Huntley had become an adopted son of a Sioux Chief in 1879, while attempting to interview Sitting Bull -- and that the main character in this crazy story had Huntley's adopted Indian name -- 'Wauk-Pey-Wan-Kau.' Enjoy then, 'The Warrior's Revenge - A Thrillin...
Mar 29, 2010•16 min
Sat, Mar 27 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1631 Our Saturday Night Special story is inspired by recent headlines about Medical Care in the U.S. From 1905, we get Thomas L. Masson's take on Doctors in 'Esculapius Up to Date.' 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 Thomas L. Masson Index of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/masson.html There is a nifty interview with Mister Ron in issue #59 iPron...
Mar 28, 2010•6 min
Fri, Mar 26 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1630 This week we have dug up some so-far-unread George Ade stories that are Worth Reading. Ever have trouble speaking before an audience? Here's an 1899 tale of a minister who comes up with a novel solution to just that problem in 'The Fable of The Preacher Who Flew His Kite, But Not Because He Wished to Do So.' 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 Th...
Mar 27, 2010•7 min
Thur, Mar 25 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1629 This week we are digging up some so-far-unread George Ade stories that are Worth Reading. Today's is quite funny! While the Fraternal Lodge is not as big a deal as it was back in 1900 when this story was written, there are still many people who join secret orders and clubs today. This is a story of a truly fanatical Club Joiner -- 'The Fable of the Lodge Fiend, and the Delilah Trick Played by His Wife.' Time: approx seven minutes The Mister Ron's Bas...
Mar 26, 2010•7 min
Wed, Mar 24 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1628 This week we will attempt to dig up some so-far-unread George Ade stories that are Worth Reading. Today's 1899 story needs no other introduction than the title -- 'The Fable of the Good Fairy with the Lorgnette, and Why She Got It Good.' Time: approx ten minutes The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at: http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html The George Ade Catalog of Stories is at: http://ronevry.com/AdeCatalog.html There is a ...
Mar 25, 2010•10 min
Tue, Mar 23 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1627 This week we will attempt to dig up some so-far-unread George Ade stories that are Worth Reading. We begin with a tale from his 1899 book, 'Fables In Slang.' It has the pretty self-explanatory title of 'The Fable of the New York Person Who Gave the Stage Fright to Fostoria, Ohio.' 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 George Ade Catalog of Stori...
Mar 24, 2010•5 min
Mon, Mar 22 2010 Mister Ron's Basement #1626 Please excuse our skipping the last two Episodes of the Basement. Mister Ron has been recuperating from dental surgery. Our Monday novel serialization is Stephen Leacock's 1912 masterpiece, 'Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town.' If you haven't yet, please do go back and start with Chapter One of this fabulous book! They're ALL worth listening to! You'll find them in the Stephen Leacock Index below. We are today presenting the next-to-last chapter of th...
Mar 23, 2010•30 min
