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Runyon from First to Last
The kind of writing included in this collection clearly shows the reasons for Damon Runyon's world-wide reputation.
477 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1949
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123 people want to read
About the author
Damon Runyon
222 books85 followersSuch volumes as
Guys and Dolls
(1931), the basis for a musical of the same name on Broadway, collect stories of known American writer Alfred Damon Runyon about the underworld of New York.
A family in Manhattan, Kansas, reared this newspaperman. His grandfather, a printer from New Jersey, relocated to Manhattan, Kansas in 1855, and his father edited his own newspaper in the town. In 1882, people forced father of Runyon forced to sell his newspaper, and the family moved westward. The family eventually settled in 1887 in Pueblo, Colorado, where Runyon spent the rest of his youth. He began to work in the newspaper trade under his father in Pueblo. People named a field, the repertory theater company, and a lake in his honor. He worked for various newspapers in the area of the Rocky Mountains and let stand a change in the spelling of his last name from "Runyan" to "Runyon."
In 1898, Runyon enlisted in the Army to fight in the Spanish-American War. The service assigned himto write for the Manila Freedom and Soldier's Letter.
He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the Brooklyn or Midtown demi-monde. The adjective "Runyonesque" refers to this type of character as well as to the type of situations and dialog that Runyon depicted. He spun humorous tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters, few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead colorful monikers such as "Nathan Detroit," "Benny Southstreet," "Big Jule," "Harry the Horse," "Good Time Charley," "Dave the Dude," or "The Seldom Seen Kid." Runyon wrote these stories in a distinctive vernacular style: a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions.
Runyon was also a newspaperman. He wrote the lead article for UP on Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Presidential inauguration in 1933.
Runyon died in New York City from throat cancer in late 1946, at age 66. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered from an airplane over Broadway in Manhattan by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker on December 18, 1946. The family plot of Damon Runyon is located at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, NY. After Runyon's death, his friend and fellow journalist, Walter Winchell, went on his radio program and appealed for contributions to help fight cancer, eventually establishing the “Damon Runyon Cancer Memorial Fund” to support scientific research into causes of, and prevention of cancer.
A family in Manhattan, Kansas, reared this newspaperman. His grandfather, a printer from New Jersey, relocated to Manhattan, Kansas in 1855, and his father edited his own newspaper in the town. In 1882, people forced father of Runyon forced to sell his newspaper, and the family moved westward. The family eventually settled in 1887 in Pueblo, Colorado, where Runyon spent the rest of his youth. He began to work in the newspaper trade under his father in Pueblo. People named a field, the repertory theater company, and a lake in his honor. He worked for various newspapers in the area of the Rocky Mountains and let stand a change in the spelling of his last name from "Runyan" to "Runyon."
In 1898, Runyon enlisted in the Army to fight in the Spanish-American War. The service assigned himto write for the Manila Freedom and Soldier's Letter.
He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the Brooklyn or Midtown demi-monde. The adjective "Runyonesque" refers to this type of character as well as to the type of situations and dialog that Runyon depicted. He spun humorous tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters, few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead colorful monikers such as "Nathan Detroit," "Benny Southstreet," "Big Jule," "Harry the Horse," "Good Time Charley," "Dave the Dude," or "The Seldom Seen Kid." Runyon wrote these stories in a distinctive vernacular style: a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions.
Runyon was also a newspaperman. He wrote the lead article for UP on Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Presidential inauguration in 1933.
Runyon died in New York City from throat cancer in late 1946, at age 66. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered from an airplane over Broadway in Manhattan by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker on December 18, 1946. The family plot of Damon Runyon is located at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, NY. After Runyon's death, his friend and fellow journalist, Walter Winchell, went on his radio program and appealed for contributions to help fight cancer, eventually establishing the “Damon Runyon Cancer Memorial Fund” to support scientific research into causes of, and prevention of cancer.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 14, 2015
From First to Last by Damon Runyon is a truly fantastic read . This is a companion volume to On Broadway by Damon Runyon and between the two they contain (I understand) just about all his stories. They are truly delightful, literally from first to last! The language, dialogue and cast of quirky characters are richly comic and unique.
January 30, 2022
Journalist and man-about-town Damon Runyon wrote his unique stories of the New York underworld in the 1920's, 30's, and 40's before his tragically early death from cancer. There have been numerous collections, but all have some over-lap. If you're addicted to Runyon, you'll have to buy more than one. It's cheaper than being addicted to cocaine, at that.
In the 1970's Picador Press published this book and one called DAMON RUNYON ON BROADWAY and claimed that the two books contain all of Runyon's "Broadway stories." I don't think they do, but it's a fine effort. AND they were printed in Suffolk, England at The Chaucer Press. Runyon would have been highly amused at his stories rubbing elbows with THE CANTERBURY TALES and I can just hear his nameless narrator trying to explain it to the guys as Lindy's.
There are six stories marked "The First Stories" and all have Western settings. I was underwhelmed. There are eight essays written by Runyon during his last illness. They are good, but depressing.
And then there are 19 of the Broadway stories for which Runyon is loved. None of these stories is included in the Kindle version of MORE THAN SOMEWHAT. "Money From Home" "A Story Goes With it" "Johnny One-Eye" "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "The Melancholy Dane" are found in ROMANCE IN THE ROARING FORTIES. "Broadway Complex" "So You Won't Talk!" "Broadway Incident" "Palm Beach Santa Claus" "Delegates at Large" and "The Lacework Kid" are included in GUYS AND DOLLS. "Dark Delores" is in THE BLOODHOUNDS OF BROADWAY. Good used copies of all three collections are sold on Amazon or ThriftBooks.
Seven of these stories aren't in any collection I own. "A Light in France" may be my favorite Runyon story. It is Runyon at his most hilarious and poignant. "Old Em's Kentucky Home" "Barbecue" "Little Pinks" "Blonde Mink" "Big Boy Blues" and "Cleo" all center around the most basic of Runyon's philosophical tenets - the male of the species (even if he's a cold-blooded killer) is no match for the clear-headed and sometimes cold-eyed females that surround him.
When the Runyon collections are available as Kindle editions, I'll buy them. Until then, I treasure my trusty, musty old paperbacks.
In the 1970's Picador Press published this book and one called DAMON RUNYON ON BROADWAY and claimed that the two books contain all of Runyon's "Broadway stories." I don't think they do, but it's a fine effort. AND they were printed in Suffolk, England at The Chaucer Press. Runyon would have been highly amused at his stories rubbing elbows with THE CANTERBURY TALES and I can just hear his nameless narrator trying to explain it to the guys as Lindy's.
There are six stories marked "The First Stories" and all have Western settings. I was underwhelmed. There are eight essays written by Runyon during his last illness. They are good, but depressing.
And then there are 19 of the Broadway stories for which Runyon is loved. None of these stories is included in the Kindle version of MORE THAN SOMEWHAT. "Money From Home" "A Story Goes With it" "Johnny One-Eye" "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "The Melancholy Dane" are found in ROMANCE IN THE ROARING FORTIES. "Broadway Complex" "So You Won't Talk!" "Broadway Incident" "Palm Beach Santa Claus" "Delegates at Large" and "The Lacework Kid" are included in GUYS AND DOLLS. "Dark Delores" is in THE BLOODHOUNDS OF BROADWAY. Good used copies of all three collections are sold on Amazon or ThriftBooks.
Seven of these stories aren't in any collection I own. "A Light in France" may be my favorite Runyon story. It is Runyon at his most hilarious and poignant. "Old Em's Kentucky Home" "Barbecue" "Little Pinks" "Blonde Mink" "Big Boy Blues" and "Cleo" all center around the most basic of Runyon's philosophical tenets - the male of the species (even if he's a cold-blooded killer) is no match for the clear-headed and sometimes cold-eyed females that surround him.
When the Runyon collections are available as Kindle editions, I'll buy them. Until then, I treasure my trusty, musty old paperbacks.
September 16, 2012
The remaining Runyon, after you've read On Broadway. Some of the earlier stories aren't quite up there with the Guys & Dolls stuff......but he's never less than very good.
A much neglected genius.
A much neglected genius.
January 21, 2020
Excellent collection that bookends many of the stylized tales he's most famous for with his very first - and last - stories.
February 12, 2020
Damon Runyon’s second volume of short stories, generally a lot of fun
Another bunch of short stories about gamblers, gangsters, showgirls and various characters which are full of 1940s New York slang and silly situations. They are a lighthearted easy read which I’ve delved into between reading more serious stuff. Making a pleasant change, this book is enjoyable and worth a look for something a bit lighter, although sexist and racist at times.
July 6, 2016
As I write this, there are only two reviews on Goodreads. What? Don't people read Runyon any more? OK, I've only just discovered him, but I'm a middle-aged British woman. Obviously he has become unfashionable.
Anyway, I thought this was a wonderful collection, laugh out loud in places and tear up in others. I've started thinking in Runyonese now.
Anyway, I thought this was a wonderful collection, laugh out loud in places and tear up in others. I've started thinking in Runyonese now.
November 13, 2021
This collection of short stories is the companion piece to On Broadway, supposedly being the remainder of Runyon's short stories that weren't published in that collection. They fall into three main categories - his earlier short stories that are not Broadway stories, the remainder of his Broadway stories and a collection of shorts that he wrote about illness while dying from throat cancer.
I am generally not a fan of the medium of short stories, with Runyon's Broadway stories being a notable exception. So I wasn't particularly enthralled by the opening or closing stories in this book. Someone else might love them, I just don't really get the point of shorts. The early stories still follow the familiar structure of Runyon's writing, but don't utilise his later style. While the 'illness' shorts are more just tiny little rambles, more anecdotal or poetic and not things that have plot.
However, the middle (and largest) section of the book is more Broadway tales written in that bizarrely beautiful Runyonese, and they are as glorious as ever. They are mostly set during WWII, so I take it that these were the last stories that Runyon wrote and were presumably left out of the previous collection because that was a compilation of his earlier works. Though it seems odd why they couldn't just republish it in the modern day to include all his Broadway tales.
The only real dud in the Broadway collection (not to say that I loved the content of all the Broadway stories, but I always love the style) is what is apparently referred to as a 'short novel' but which is clearly just a long short story, called 'Money From Home'. It seems to be a Broadway story but isn't written from the POV of our familiar narrator, which was really weird, and regardless of anything else that happens in it (a fox gets saved from a hunt, so that was nice), it is repulsively racist. I wondered if it had been excluded from the previous collection for that reason, and was concerned the rest of the stories were going to be censor-worthy. It's always disappointing when reading authors from the early 20th century to discover these attitudes. I am trying to compartmentalise - much like with Raymond Chandler (who Runyon claims to be a fan of in this book) - amazing writers, but show racist attitudes that I guess were accepted at the time, that may well spoil your enjoyment of their literary talent.
Anyway, the book is worth it if you want to complete your Runyon on Broadway collection.
I am generally not a fan of the medium of short stories, with Runyon's Broadway stories being a notable exception. So I wasn't particularly enthralled by the opening or closing stories in this book. Someone else might love them, I just don't really get the point of shorts. The early stories still follow the familiar structure of Runyon's writing, but don't utilise his later style. While the 'illness' shorts are more just tiny little rambles, more anecdotal or poetic and not things that have plot.
However, the middle (and largest) section of the book is more Broadway tales written in that bizarrely beautiful Runyonese, and they are as glorious as ever. They are mostly set during WWII, so I take it that these were the last stories that Runyon wrote and were presumably left out of the previous collection because that was a compilation of his earlier works. Though it seems odd why they couldn't just republish it in the modern day to include all his Broadway tales.
The only real dud in the Broadway collection (not to say that I loved the content of all the Broadway stories, but I always love the style) is what is apparently referred to as a 'short novel' but which is clearly just a long short story, called 'Money From Home'. It seems to be a Broadway story but isn't written from the POV of our familiar narrator, which was really weird, and regardless of anything else that happens in it (a fox gets saved from a hunt, so that was nice), it is repulsively racist. I wondered if it had been excluded from the previous collection for that reason, and was concerned the rest of the stories were going to be censor-worthy. It's always disappointing when reading authors from the early 20th century to discover these attitudes. I am trying to compartmentalise - much like with Raymond Chandler (who Runyon claims to be a fan of in this book) - amazing writers, but show racist attitudes that I guess were accepted at the time, that may well spoil your enjoyment of their literary talent.
Anyway, the book is worth it if you want to complete your Runyon on Broadway collection.
August 20, 2024
I stumbled upon this book while researching my husband's family history. In this collection Runyan writes fictional stories about speakeasies and racetracks, and all their sundry but interesting characters in and around NYC during the 1920's and '30's. Runyan has included his actual friend, our great-uncle, as one of the characters woven into several of his stories. The character was taken from real life and similar scenarios (and he uses his actual name in the stories, Cap'n D.). Cap'n D was a popular and famous Pinkerton Detective, often written up in the lurid detective magazines of the period, who always successful in capturing The Bad Guy in and around NYC. The stories here are amusing reflections written with the slang and details now 100 years past.
Want to read
November 11, 2021#12
Well, naturally Harry does not wish to speak of Brooklyn, because it is never a good policy for a guy to mention his address while he is away from home, so he says we are from no district in particular, which does not sound to me like the right answer, but it seems to suit Miss Maribel Marlo.
Well, naturally Harry does not wish to speak of Brooklyn, because it is never a good policy for a guy to mention his address while he is away from home, so he says we are from no district in particular, which does not sound to me like the right answer, but it seems to suit Miss Maribel Marlo.
March 12, 2021
A collection of short stories, looking at the low-lifes and high-rollers along Broadway, with side trips to Kentucky, Florida and other parts.
The stories are character driven, with each given a back story to spin a yarn. They all have their own unique voice and fill the pages with the slang of the day.
Although set in the depression, everyone is trying to scrape enough together for that sure thing they know is coming their way, but not being depressed about it.
There's an element of pathos in some of the stories but most are upbeat and humorous.
The stories are character driven, with each given a back story to spin a yarn. They all have their own unique voice and fill the pages with the slang of the day.
Although set in the depression, everyone is trying to scrape enough together for that sure thing they know is coming their way, but not being depressed about it.
There's an element of pathos in some of the stories but most are upbeat and humorous.
April 16, 2017
This book was a gift. It is not in stock nor in print in most of the bookstores in Delhi. It is one of the best omnibus of stories that I have read till date. Runyon epitomises good writing: he can be dark and haunting, light and crisp, and ironic yet compassionate. The writing is never crass and the subject matter is not crude and shocking; everything is conveyed with a certain touch of literary poise to regale and delight, but never to shock or to cause recoil. The characters, no matter how nefarious, gruesome or silly, are chiseled with a certain fondness that is conveyed in their descriptions by the narrator. There were moments where I couldn't stop giggling and other moments where I was haunted by the ramifications of the twist at the end. To be sure, there is always a twist in almost every story. I will be sure to revisit these stories again.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews