Franklin P. Adams (1881–1960)

Humour can be a very evanescent thing, as is demonstrated by this collection of pieces written by Franklin P. Adams (a/k/a "F.P.A."), who was one of the most well-known columnists of his day. The pieces date from the early twenties through to Pearl Harbor (the book came out in 1944). The most interesting piece leads off the book; it is a look at how F.P.A. came to join the cast of the radio quiz show "Information, Please!" and how the show operated. It might well be the part of F.P.A.'s legacy that has held up the most, and held up the best. Some of the material in the book can be a bit cloying; the diary entries meant to be a spoof of Samuel Pepys read very poorly, when collected together; I think this is because the affectations F.P.A. employs to be a psuedo-Pepys soon becoming wearying with the reputation, and overly cloying. Some of the ruminations about the newspaper business also are dated, and rather biased (as one would expect). A comment about the abolition of the Electoral College (F.P.A. was in favour) is one surprising bit that resonates today. The book is something of a curio, but unless you are a fan of "Information, Please!" or are interested in the history of humour, it's probably not worth the bother.… (mais)