One-Line Book Review: The covers of this book are too far apart
ADSGarson O'Toole
adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Mon Feb 10 18:00:06 UTC 2014
Laurence Horn wrote
> I wonder if this template eventually gives rise to the classic
> "first prize/second prize" that must have originated in some
> comic's version of a game show: first prize, a week in
> Cleveland (or whatever), second prize, two weeks. Or maybe
> it's just a case of great minds joking alike.
Barry examined the joke referenced by LH. Interestingly, the earliest
known instance of the remark in March 1955 derided the city of Dallas,
Texas.
{Begin excerpt]
"Over in Fort Worth, we had a contest recently. First prize was one
week in Dallas with all expenses paid. Second prize was two weeks in
Dallas."
[End excerpt]
A version criticizing Philadelphia is often assigned to W. C. Fields,
but when I searched a few years ago the earliest ascription to W. C.
Fields I found was in 1976. Here is a link to Barry's entry on the
quip:
"Second Prize: Two weeks in Philadelphia/ Chicago/ Los Angeles/ Texas" (joke)
http://bit.ly/1lq1tJy
Perhaps the existence of the "two Stephen Cranes" and "two clarionets"
type of joke facilitated the "two weeks joke". An "intermediate" joke
can be constructed between barbs aimed at musical instruments and the
barbs aimed at cities. But I did not find any evidence that this
hypothetical jape exists in the wild:
First prize: a one hour concert with the x musical instrument.
Second prize: a two hour concert with the x musical instrument.
Garson
>> Great point, JL! Your message certainly provides a new perspective.
>> You sent a message to the ADS list on this topic, and I replied back
>> on April 22, 2013:
>>
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ADS-L;4041092.1304D
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ADS-L;8bbc61a8.1304D
>>
>> Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>>
>>> Elsewhere but not in YBQ:
>>>
>>> 1896 Ambrose Bierce in _San Francisco Examiner_ (July 26) [qtd. in Paul
>>> Fatout, _Ambrose Bierce_ (Norman, Okla.: U. of Okla. P., 1951) 226] :
>>>
>>> I had thought there could be only two worse writers than Stephen Crane,
>>> namely two Stephen Cranes.
>>
>> [Begin message from Garson sent in April 22, 2013]
>> Ambrose Bierce used the same joke template in 1906 in "The Cynic's
>> Word Book" later retitled "The Devil's Dictionary":
>>
>> [ref] 1906, The Cynic's Word Book by Ambrose Bierce, Entry: Clarionet,
>> Quote Page 51, Doubleday, Page & Company, New York. (Google Books full
>> view) [/ref]
>>
>> http://books.google.com/books?id=CboOAAAAIAAJ&q=clarionet+#v=snippet&
>>
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> CLARIONET, n. An instrument of torture operated by a person with
>> cotton in his ears. There are two instruments that are worse than a
>> clarionet - two clarionets.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> (Hat-tip "The Poetry of Stephen Crane by Daniel Hoffman who mentioned
>> both quotations.)
>> [End message]
>>
>> Garson
>>
>> On Sat, Feb 8, 2014 at 8:47 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>>> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject: Re: One-Line Book Review: The covers of this book are too far
>>> apart
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Concerning Crane, Bierce evidently did write in July, 1896, that "I had
>>> thought there could be only two worse writers than Stephen Crane, namely
>>> two Stephen Cranes."
>>>
>>> I don't have a reference, but the statement seemed sufficiently authentic
>>> at the time for me to note it for my current research.
>>>
>>> JL
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, Feb 8, 2014 at 8:18 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com
>>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>> -----------------------
>>>> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>> Poster: ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>>>> Subject: Re: One-Line Book Review: The covers of this book are too far
>>>> apart
>>>>
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> (I've been working on too many George Bernard Shaw quotations. In the
>>>> previous message the correct name "Davis" was replaced by the
>>>> incorrect name "Shaw". Below is a revised message.)
>>>>
>>>> This message is about comical book review quotation "The covers of
>>>> this book are too far apart" which is usually attributed to Ambrose
>>>> Bierce. One may check the QI website for further background.
>>>>
>>>> Following a valuable lead from Stephen Goranson I examined a
>>>> multi-volume 1963 edition of the "The Work of Stephen Crane". This
>>>> edition was a reissue of an edition by Alfred A. Knopf. The
>>>> introduction to volume 2 was written by Robert H. Davis and was dated
>>>> December 8, 1924.
>>>>
>>>> So, Davis composed the introduction ten years after the disappearance
>>>> of Ambrose Bierce circa 1914.
>>>>
>>>> Davis discussed meeting with Ambrose Bierce, and he presented a
>>>> statement that he heard directly from Bierce. Davis then mentioned the
>>>> "classic single-line review" credited to Bierce. The phrasing used by
>>>> Davis suggested to me that Davis did not hear this review from Bierce
>>>> directly. In fact, Davis may have heard about the "single-line review"
>>>> years after he met with Bierce.
>>>>
>>>> The joke has an anonymous creator in the earliest instances I've
>>>> located in 1899, and there is still no direct evidence that Ambrose
>>>> Bierce spoke or wrote an instance of the joke.
>>>>
>>>> [ref] 1963, The Work of Stephen Crane by Stephen Crane, Edited by
>>>> Wilson Follett, Volume 2, (Introduction by Robert H. Davis; dated
>>>> December 8, 1924), Start Page ix, Quote Page x, Published by Russell &
>>>> Russell, New York. (Reissue by Russell & Russell of Alfred A. Knopf
>>>> edition) (Verified on paper in 1963 edition)[/ref]
>>>>
>>>> [Begin excerpt]
>>>>
>>>> The following week I met Ambrose Bierce and William C. Morrow, two
>>>> distinguished men of letters who have since joined the shades, and
>>>> spoke to them of THE RED BADGE. Both had read it. I do not recall
>>>> Morrow's exact criticism except that it was reasonably laudatory.
>>>> Bierce's observation remains with me:
>>>>
>>>> "This young man," said he, "has the power to feel. He knows nothing of
>>>> war, yet he is drenched in blood. Most beginners who deal with this
>>>> subject spatter themselves merely with ink."
>>>>
>>>> This, coming from the brilliant critic who wrote that classic
>>>> single-line review, "The covers of this book are too far apart,"
>>>> encouraged me in the belief that I had at least interpreted the
>>>> fourteenth child of Jonathan Townley Crane, D.D.
>>>>
>>>> This closes the San Francisco chapter and all of it that pertains to
>>>> Stephen Crane.
>>>>
>>>> [End excerpt]
>>>>
>>>> Great thanks to Stephen,
>>>>
>>>> Garson
>>>>
>>>> On Sat, Feb 8, 2014 at 8:03 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole
>>>> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> This message is about a comical book review quotation: "The covers of
>>>>> this book are too far apart" which is usually attributed to Ambrose
>>>>> Bierce. One may check the QI website for further background.
>>>>>
>>>>> Following a valuable lead from Stephen Goranson I examined a
>>>>> multi-volume 1963 edition of the "The Work of Stephen Crane". This
>>>>> edition was a reissue of an edition by Alfred A. Knopf. The
>>>>> introduction to volume 2 was written by Robert H. Davis and was dated
>>>>> December 8, 1924.
>>>>>
>>>>> So, Davis composed the introduction ten years after the disappearance
>>>>> of Ambrose Bierce circa 1914.
>>>>>
>>>>> Shaw discussed meeting with Ambrose Bierce, and he presented a
>>>>> statement that he heard directly from Bierce. Shaw then mentioned the
>>>>> "classic single-line review" credited to Bierce. The phrasing used by
>>>>> Shaw suggested to me that Shaw did not hear this review from Bierce
>>>>> directly. In fact, Shaw may have heard about the "single-line review"
>>>>> years after he met with Bierce.
>>>>>
>>>>> The joke has an anonymous creator in the earliest instances I've
>>>>> located in 1899, and there is still no direct evidence that Ambrose
>>>>> Bierce spoke or wrote an instance of the joke.
>>>>>
>>>>> [ref] 1963, The Work of Stephen Crane by Stephen Crane, Edited by
>>>>> Wilson Follett, Volume 2, (Introduction by Robert H. Davis; dated
>>>>> December 8, 1924), Start Page ix, Quote Page x, Published by Russell &
>>>>> Russell, New York. (Reissue by Russell & Russell of Alfred A. Knopf
>>>>> edition) (Verified on paper in 1963 edition)[/ref]
>>>>>
>>>>> [Begin excerpt]
>>>>> The following week I met Ambrose Bierce and William C. Morrow, two
>>>>> distinguished men of letters who have since joined the shades, and
>>>>> spoke to them of THE RED BADGE. Both had read it. I do not recall
>>>>> Morrow's exact criticism except that it was reasonably laudatory.
>>>>> Bierce's observation remains with me:
>>>>>
>>>>> "This young man," said he, "has the power to feel. He knows nothing of
>>>>> war, yet he is drenched in blood. Most beginners who deal with this
>>>>> subject spatter themselves merely with ink."
>>>>>
>>>>> This, coming from the brilliant critic who wrote that classic
>>>>> single-line review, "The covers of this book are too far apart,"
>>>>> encouraged me in the belief that I had at least interpreted the
>>>>> fourteenth child of Jonathan Townley Crane, D.D.
>>>>>
>>>>> This closes the San Francisco chapter and all of it that pertains to
>>>>> Stephen Crane.
>>>>> [End excerpt]
>>>>>
>>>>> Great thanks to Stephen. I will update the QI entry,
>>>>> Garson
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, Jan 31, 2014 at 5:25 AM, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>> -----------------------
>>>>>> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>>> Poster: Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
>>>>>> Subject: Re: One-Line Book Review: The covers of this book are too
>>>> far
>>>>>> apart
>>>>>>
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Another attribution (in 1925) to Bierce from someone who (apparently,
>>>> relying on this old note) knew Bierce:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0808D&L=ADS-L&P=R231&I=-3&d=No+Match%3BMatch%3BMatches
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Stephen Goranson
>>>>>> http://people.duke.edu/~goranson/
>>>>>> ________________________________________
>>>>>> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of
>>>> ADSGarson O'Toole [adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM]
>>>>>> Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2014 6:59 PM
>>>>>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>>>>> Subject: [ADS-L] One-Line Book Review: The covers of this book are too
>>>> far apart
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The quotation in the subject line appeared in the 1929 biographical
>>>>>> work titled "Bitter Bierce: A Mystery of American Letters" by C.
>>>>>> Hartley Grattan. The author credited Bierce with the quip.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This 1929 citation was listed in several key reference works
>>>>>> including: Cassell's Humorous Quotations (2001), The Yale Book of
>>>>>> Quotations (2006), and The Oxford Dictionary of American Quotations
>>>>>> (2006).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've made some progress antedating this expression. A version of the
>>>>>> gibe was in circulation by 1899. A linkage to Bierce was asserted by
>>>>>> the prominent humorist Irvin S. Cobb in 1923. Here is a link to the QI
>>>>>> entry:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/01/30/apart/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Additional citations providing illumination would be most welcome.
>>>> Thanks.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Garson
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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