Best Selling Books by Thorne Smith

James Thorne Smith Jr. (1892-1934), was an American writer of humorous supernaturnal fantasy fiction. Best known today for his creation of Topper, Smith''s comic fantasy fiction (most of it involving sex, lots of drinking, and supernatural transformations, and aided by racy illustrations) sold millions of copies in the early 1930s. Smith drank as steadily as his characters; his appearance in James Thurber''s The Years With Ross involves an unexplained week-long disappearance. Smith was born in Annapolis, Maryland the son of a Navy commodore, attended Dartmouth College, and after hungry years in Greenwich Village working part-time as an advertising agent, Smith achieved meteoric success with the publication of Topper in 1926.

Sally Willows envied her adman husband his glamorous work; Tim Willows felt Sally lived in ease and luxury while he was sweating to pay the bills. So an ill-tempered minor god, tired of their bickering, worked a modest miracle...

Depressed and indifferent heir of a vast coffee import fortune, Peter Van Dyke finds his life and high society engagement turn upside down when his secretary, Josephine Duval, determines that she will rescue him from his horrible fate by ruining him morally. After an amusing scandal involving a nude Peter Van Dyke, Miss Duval and an ill starred burglar in a coat closet, he finds himself cast adrift in a fog with a motley crew that includes a Bishop Waller of the Episcopal Church and a former nude model named Aspirin Liz. The enterprising party lands unceremoniously on the shores of one of New York''s sauciest nudist colonies, and thus is the liberation of the coffee importer set in motion.

Peter Duane Van Dyck, a 34 year old coffee magnate, Bishop Waller and four other passengers fogbound on the Staten Island Ferry leave their stranded vessel seeking help and find themselves shipwrecked in a nudist colony. The man leading the nudist colony, named Jones, carries a duck under his arm that goes by the name of Havelock Ellis. Jones and the group welcome the stranded strangers ashore but request that they adhere to the colony''s policy concerning the restricted use of clothing. Those that comply have a jolly time living it up with the rest of the ribald group. Those that don''t (Bishop Waller) become the subject of ridicule. As with almost all Thorne Smith novels, the fun ensues when the characters let down their hair (take off their clothes) and thumb their noses at the rules and regulations set up by society.

This early work by Thorne Smith was originally published in 1929 and we are now republishing it. ''The Stray Lamb'' tells the tale of a mild-mannered investment banker named T. Lawrence Lamb. He gains perspective on the human condition through a series of mysterious transformations into animal forms.

Elegant, fun-loving George and Marion Ker are the toast of the town, until they wreck their flashy car and discover they''ve become, well, ghosts. Making the best of a bad situation, they decide that being...

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.

Turnabout is a 1940 fantasy comedy film directed by Hal Roach and starring Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis and John Hubbard. Based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Thorne Smith, the screenplay was written by Mickell Novack, Bernie Giler and John McClain with additional dialogue by Rian James. In 1979, the screenplay was adapted for the short-lived television series with the same name.

The beloved characters--mortal and immortal--of Topper return in this uproarious romp through the south of France. One of Thorne Smith''s best-loved comedies, it proves once again that he is the undisputed master of urbane wit and sophisticated repartee.

Sally Willows envied her adman husband his glamorous work; Tim Willows felt Sally lived in ease and luxury while he was sweating to pay the bills. So an ill-tempered minor god, tired of their bickering, worked a modest miracle... ...and Sally Willows, no occupying her husband''s body, experienced the full horrors of the Nationwide Advertising Agency, while Tim, now outwardly Sally, dealt with the amourous advances of a local Lothario. It was a toss-up whether Sally/Tim''s well-earned dismissal or Tim/Sally''s bizarre attempt at murder was more spectacular - but both seemed insignificant when Tim found he was pregnant!

"Peter Duane Van Dyck, a 34 year old coffee magnate, Bishop Waller and four other passengers fogbound on the Staten Island Ferry leave their stranded vessel seeking help and find themselves shipwrecked in a nudist colony. The man leading the nudist colony, named Jones, carries a duck under his arm that goes by the name of Havelock Ellis. Jones and the group welcome the stranded strangers ashore but request that they adhere to the colony''s policy concerning the restricted use of clothing. Those that comply have a jolly time living it up with the rest of the ribald group. Those that don''t (Bishop Waller) become the subject of ridicule. As with almost all Thorne Smith novels, the fun ensues when the characters let down their hair (take off their clothes) and thumb their noses at the rules and regulations set up by society."

Mild-mannered investment banker, cuckold, and dipsomaniac T. Lawrence Lamb gains perspective on the human condition during a series of mysterious transformations into various animal forms. Lamb, his daughter Hebe, her boyfriend Melville Long, and Hebe''s friend Sandra Rush (a twentyish lingerie model who becomes Lamb''s love interest) pursue many adventures, most of which fall well outside the perimeter of law and order. Lamb has, like many Thorne Smith heroes, a shrewish (and in this case adulterous) wife who at one point tries to murder him (at the time he is a goldfish).

Elegant, fun-loving George and Marion Ker are the toast of the town, until they wreck their flashy car and discover they''ve become, well, ghosts. Making the best of a bad situation, they decide that being...

"The beloved characters--mortal and immortal--of Topper return in this uproarious romp through the south of France. One of Thorne Smith''s best-loved comedies, it proves once again that he is the undisputed master of urbane wit and sophisticated repartee. Cosmo Topper, the mild-mannered bank manager who was persuaded to take a walk on the wild side by the ghosts of George and Marion Kerby in Topper, finds himself reunited with his dyspeptic wife for an extended vacation on the Riviera. But he doesn''t have long to enjoy the peace and quiet before the irrepressible Kerbys materialize once again and start causing fracases, confusing the citizenry, alarming the gendarmes, getting naked, and turning every occasion into revelry or melee. Soon Marion decides that Topper as a ghost would be even more laughs than Topper in the flesh. And all she needs to arrange is one simple little murder.Born in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1892, educated at Dartmouth, THORNE SMITH was an early cohort of Dorothy Parker''s. He achieved literary success in 1926 with the publication of Topper and went on to publish nine novels in the next eight years. He earned a passionate following among both critics and readers before his death, at the age of forty-two, in 1934."

Looking to spice up your bedtime reading material? Rain in the Doorway, a raucous, raunchy romp from renowned writer Thorne Smith, is just the ticket. The story follows the boozy shenanigans of Hector Owen.

Thorne Smith''s imaginative novel ,,Skin and Bones" takes the concept of suffering for one''s art to a whole new level. This classic book contains the humorous and fantastical story of Mr. Quintus Bland, the eminent photographer, whose efforts to perfect X-ray film had, one evening, the unfortunate effect of leaving Mr. Bland in the position of an X-ray film himself; in other words, him found himself no more than a walking skeleton. Bland''s flesh does not merely become invisible but intangible. Can he make a life worth living with this condition? A great read, this book is thoroughly recommended for inclusion on the bookshelf of any home, where it is sure to become a family favorite.

Thorne Smith''s imaginative novel ,,Skin and Bones" takes the concept of suffering for one''s art to a whole new level. This classic book contains the humorous and fantastical story of Mr. Quintus Bland, the eminent photographer, whose efforts to perfect X-ray film had, one evening, the unfortunate effect of leaving Mr. Bland in the position of an X-ray film himself; in other words, him found himself no more than a walking skeleton. Bland''s flesh does not merely become invisible but intangible. Can he make a life worth living with this condition? A great read, this book is thoroughly recommended for inclusion on the bookshelf of any home, where it is sure to become a family favorite.