Quote: Convulsed with laughter ... Some day I intend reading it (antedating attrib Groucho 1929 Oct 7)

Garson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Sun May 16 05:47:29 UTC 2010


Here is a solid citation for the Groucho quotation. I suspect that the
quote in the Judge (if it exists) will be earlier.

Cite: 1929 October 7, The Greeley Daily Tribune (Page header: The
Tribune-Republican), New Books Received by Greeley Library, Page 10,
Column 3, Greeley, Colorado. (NewspaperArchive)

"Dawn Ginsbergh's Revenge," by S. J. Perelman is humor personified.
Groucho Marx says of it, "From the moment I picked up your book until
I put it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend
reading it."

This quote suggests at least three possibilities: the 1929 book itself
contains the Groucho blurb, a publicity notice sent to the Greeley
library contained the Groucho blurb, the librarian reads the Judge or
another periodical that reported the quote.

Fred Shapiro wrote:
> This is said to have been a blurb by Groucho Marx on
> the dust jacket for S. J. Perelman, Dawn Ginsberg’s
> Revenge (1929).

Is the blurb on a single personalized copy for Perelman, or is it on a
full edition released in 1929?

Examining the 1929 edition “Dawn Ginsbergh's Revenge” is worthwhile I
think. No library near me has the book. Perhaps Fred Shapiro has
already accomplished this task because the 1929 (H. Liveright) edition
is in the Beinecke and the SML Stacks I think. Is the dust jacket
missing?

Garson

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