Books with author Ring Lardner

‘You Know Me Al’, a fictional series of letters from a popular baseball hero to his friend, slowly reveals the hero as a semiliterate, crude, conceited, self-deceiving idiot. This work was created while Lardner was writing a sports column for ‘The Chicago Tribune’ and first appeared in ‘The Saturday Evening Post’. It was later published in the book form in 1916. ‘You Know Me Al’ shows Lardner as a satirical master: a fine and misanthropic storyteller with an excellent feel for the niceties of characters and speech.

As a columnist with the famous Chicago Tribune, he achieved considerable success, mainly among baseball fans who liked his quips and his satirical and funny commentaries. In 1916 Lardner collected some of his works in a book that he entitled You Know Me Al. The publication was an astounding success and raised Lardner to important fame. The narrative takes the form of an epistolary novel in which the protagonist Jack Keefe, a baseball player, sends letters to his friend. Readers and reviewers appreciated Lardner’s exceptional style and sense of satire.

Ring Lardner's masterpiece, "You Know Me Al" is the story of a semi-literate, boastful, self-deceiving boob and rookie ball-player with the Chicago White Sox told through a series of letters home to his friend Al. A brilliant satire, "You Know Me Al" is a detailed portrait of the early days of baseball and America at the beginning of the 20th century.

"You Know me Al" is a classic of baseball--the game and the community. Jack Keefe, one of literature's greatest characters, is talented, brash, and conceited. Self-assured and imperceptive, impervious to both advice and sarcasm, Keefe rises to the heights, but his inability to learn makes for his undoing. Through a series of letters from this bush-league pitcher to his not-quite-anonymous friend Al, Lardner maintains a balance between the funny and the moving, the pathetic and the glorious. Nostalgic in its view of pre-World War I America--a time before the "live" ball, a time filled with names like Ty Cobb, Charles Comiskey, Walter Johnson, and Eddie Cicotte--this is not a simple period piece. It is about competition, about the ability to reason, and most of all it is about being human. First published in 1914, "You Know Me Al" says as much to us about ourselves today as it did seventy-five years ago.

First published in 1916, You Know Me Al has captivated readers for a century and counting. It is perhaps the greatest baseball book ever written, but (of course) it's about more than baseball. It's about human nature.This centennial edition will introduce a new generation of readers to Jack Keefe, a very green young pitcher trying to make good with the Chicago White Sox. Keefe's story is told through a series of semiliterate and unwittingly hilarious letters written to his friend Al back home in Bedford, Indiana. These letters describe the halting progress of Keefe's baseball career and love life, inevitably revealing more about him than he realizes. In the letters, Keefe often justifies his actions by falling back on the phrase "You know me Al."

In the early decades of the twentieth century, newspaperman and humorist Ring Lardner (1885–1933) made America laugh with his hilarious depictions of odd characters in the sporting world, Tin Pan Alley, and Hollywood. His first great success was You Know Me Al, a fictional series of letters from a popular baseball hero to his friend, slyly revealing the letter writer as a crude, conceited, semiliterate, self-deceiving boob.The letters, created while Lardner was writing a sports column for The Chicago Tribune, first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and were later published in book form in 1918. You Know Me Al reveals Lardner as a satirical master at the peak of his form: a fine albeit misanthropic storyteller with a superb feel for the niceties of characters and speech and a sure instinct for provoking laughter.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

"You Know me Al" is a classic of baseball--the game and the community. Jack Keefe, one of literature's greatest characters, is talented, brash, and conceited. Self-assured and imperceptive, impervious to both advice and sarcasm, Keefe rises to the heights, but his inability to learn makes for his undoing. Through a series of letters from this bush-league pitcher to his not-quite-anonymous friend Al, Lardner maintains a balance between the funny and the moving, the pathetic and the glorious. Nostalgic in its view of pre-World War I America--a time before the "live" ball, a time filled with names like Ty Cobb, Charles Comiskey, Walter Johnson, and Eddie Cicotte--this is not a simple period piece. It is about competition, about the ability to reason, and most of all it is about being human. First published in 1914, "You Know Me Al" says as much to us about ourselves today as it did seventy-five years ago.

In the early decades of the twentieth century, newspaperman and humorist Ring Lardner (1885–1933) made America laugh with his hilarious depictions of odd characters in the sporting world, Tin Pan Alley, and Hollywood. His first great success was You Know Me Al, a fictional series of letters from a popular baseball hero to his friend, slyly revealing the letter writer as a crude, conceited, semiliterate, self-deceiving boob.The letters, created while Lardner was writing a sports column for The Chicago Tribune, first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and were later published in book form in 1918. You Know Me Al reveals Lardner as a satirical master at the peak of his form: a fine albeit misanthropic storyteller with a superb feel for the niceties of characters and speech and a sure instinct for provoking laughter.

Example in this ebookCHAPTER IA BUSHER'S LETTERS HOMETerre Haute, Indiana, September 6.Friend Al: Well, Al old pal I suppose you seen in the paper where I been sold to the White Sox. Believe me Al it comes as a surprise to me and I bet it did to all you good old pals down home. You could of knocked me over with a feather when the old man come up to me and says Jack I've sold you to the Chicago Americans.I didn't have no idea that anything like that was coming off. For five minutes I was just dum and couldn't say a word.He says We aren't getting what you are worth but I want you to go up to that big league and show those birds that there is a Central League on the map. He says Go and pitch the ball you been pitching down here and there won't be nothing to it. He says All you need is the nerve and Walsh or no one else won't have nothing on you.So I says I would do the best I could and I thanked him for the treatment I got in Terre Haute. They always was good to me here and though I did more than my share I always felt that my work was appresiated. We are finishing second and I done most of it. I can't help but be proud of my first year's record in professional baseball and you know I am not boasting when I say that Al.Well Al it will seem funny to be up there in the big show when I never was really in a big city before. But I guess I seen enough of life not to be scared of the high buildings eh Al?I will just give them what I got and if they don't like it they can send me back to the old Central and I will be perfectly satisfied.I didn't know anybody was looking me over, but one of the boys told me that Jack Doyle the White Sox scout was down here looking at me when Grand Rapids was here. I beat them twice in that serious. You know Grand Rapids never had a chance with me when I was right. I shut them out in the first game and they got one run in the second on account of Flynn misjuging that fly ball. Anyway Doyle liked my work and he wired Comiskey to buy me. Comiskey come back with an offer and they excepted it. I don't know how much they got but anyway I am sold to the big league and believe me Al I will make good.Well Al I will be home in a few days and we will have some of the good old times. Regards to all the boys and tell them I am still their pal and not all swelled up over this big league business. Your pal, Jack.To be continue in this ebook

IN THE PREFACE TO THIS BOOK, THE AUTHOR NOTES THAT THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ASKED CONCERNING THIS STORY: (1)ARE THEY ACTUAL LETTERS OR COPIES OF ACTUAL LETERS? AND (2) WHO IS THE ORIGINAL OF JACK KEEFE? lARDNER ANSWERS THESE IN TURN: (1) THESE ARE ACTUAL LETTERS OF A SISTER-IN-LAW OF HIS LIVING IN INDIANAPOLIS, AND (2) THE AUTHOR DECLINES TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, " AS A REPLY WOULD HAVE STOPPED THE BOYS AND GIRLS FROM GUESSING, AND THEIR GUESSES HAVE GIVEN ME MANY A THRILL." AT LAST HE FACETIOUSLY REVEALS THE "TRUE" ANSWER: THE ORIGINAL OF JACK KEEFE IS NOT A BOALL PLAYER AT ALL, BUT JANE ADDAMS OF HULL HOUSE, A FORMER FOLLIES GIRL. BY THE TONGUE-IN-CHEEK PROSE OF THE AUTHOR IN THIS PREFACE, WE GET A PRETTY CLEAR PICTURE OF HIS DOWN-TO-EARTH SENSE OF HUMOR, SO EVIDENT IN HIS WRITINGS.