| The Athletic Benchley: 105 Exercises from the Detroit Athletic Club News |
| Written by Ami Thomas |
| The Athletic Benchley
The Detroit Athletic Club News was more than a club “newsletter:” it was an award-winning publication that boasted some of the best writers of the 20th Century, Robert Benchley among them. The Athletic Benchley is a complete collection of the articles written for the DAC, as it was known, by humorist Robert Benchley during the 1920s and 1930s. For Benchley fans, this is Bob at his best. Few of these articles are about anything remotely considered actual “exercise,” and few of those are about anything remotely strenuous. The articles are pure Benchley: funny, irreverent, and a little off-track. What’s not to like? Nothing. Benchley’s articles are perfectly illustrated with drawings by Gluyas Williams, Burt Thomas, Rea Irvin, R. Barton, Herb Roth, R.F. Heinrich and Don Herold. Robert C. Benchley One of the best, and my own favorite, “Here Come the Children,” is a look at the behavior of children home for a visit from school. In some great and accurate detail, Benchley recounts the apathy and arrogance with which children regard their parents during vacations; mumbling non-committal monosyllabic answers to all questions, saving the all-important, “Do you need any money?” Ending with the brilliant revelation that the Headmasters should just keep Norman at school through holidays, to “save his carfare home,” and so that he might get some sleep. True then, true now. Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. From his beginnings at the Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays and articles for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, and his acclaimed short films, Benchley’s style of humor brought him respect and success during his life, from New York City and his peers at the Algonquin Round Table to contemporaries in the burgeoning film industry. bio credit: Wikipedia You may order your copy of this book directly from the publisher at http://theathleticbenchley.com/ |
