You can count on Guys and Dolls being revived at least once every ten years, and on and on, probably as long as there is an America. For the stories of Damon Runyon, from which came what many authorities think is the greatest musical ever created, are as American as apple pie. You'll savor the spice and richness in these thirty-two tales, a perfect sampler of the Runyon genius. Here you will read about Runyon's most fabulous - that is to say - Runyonesque characters. Start with "Broadway Complex", featuring a doll named Miss Florentine Fayette and such assorted guys as Bib Nig the crap shooter, Regret the horse player, Upstate Red, and Nathan Detroit, who runs the crap tables. In "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown", the story that directly inspired Guys and Dolls, you'll meet Obadiah Sky Masterson, a crap shooter of some repute, Brandy Bottle Bates, and Miss Sarah Brown, "one of the most beautiful young dolls anybody ever seen on Broadway, and especially as a mission worker". Go on and savor such classic stories as "Little Miss Marker", which became Shirley Temple's first movie; "A Piece of Pie", starring possibly the greatest eater alive, Nicely-Nicely Jones; "Blood Pressure", an encounter with the likes of Rusty Charley, Sleepout Sam Levinsky, and Lone Louie from Harlem; and "Situation Wanted", starring Asleep, a guy madly in love with Miss Anna Lark, who dances behind bubbles at the Starlight restaurant. A made-up cast of thousands comes out of the fertile mind of Damon Runyon in stories that will make you smile and giggle and yearn for the Broadway that was.

Tales from the world of gamblers and small-time crooks who inhabited the world of the speakeasies during Prohibition. The Prohibition era comes alive in these comic tales featuring dames (dolls, babes, broads, or ever-loving wives) and guys (players, gamblers, citizens and cops), along with the gee-gees, the bars and the speakeasies of the day. All written in Runyon's unique comic style.

Step into the lively, eccentric, and unforgettable world of Damon Runyon, where Broadway hustlers, gamblers, showgirls, bookmakers, and small-time schemers speak in a language entirely their own. *Damon Runyon Omnibus. Illustrated Edition* brings together three celebrated collections-*More Than Somewhat*, *Furthermore*, and *Take It Easy*-offering a rich panorama of the stories that made Runyon one of the most distinctive voices in American literature. Set largely amid the bright lights and shadowy corners of New York City, these tales capture a vanished era of nightclubs, racing tracks, backroom card games, and theatrical boarding houses, all populated by characters whose questionable occupations are often matched by unexpected loyalty, generosity, and charm. Runyon's unmistakable narrative style transforms the slang and rhythms of Broadway into a brilliantly inventive literary language. His deadpan humor, curious grammar, and formal descriptions of thoroughly informal people create a comic atmosphere unlike anything else in twentieth-century fiction. Here are sharp operators chasing impossible fortunes, romantic dreamers caught in unlikely situations, and tough figures discovering that sentiment can be more dangerous than any wager. Beneath the comedy and colorful dialogue lies a warm understanding of human weakness. Runyon rarely judges his characters; instead, he observes their ambitions, superstitions, romances, and failures with wit and affection, revealing flashes of tenderness in a world supposedly governed by money and chance. This illustrated omnibus is an ideal introduction to Runyon's Broadway universe as well as a substantial collection for longtime admirers of his work. The stories gathered in *More Than Somewhat*, *Furthermore*, and *Take It Easy* showcase his gift for memorable characterization, comic storytelling, and perfectly timed irony. Readers will encounter a gallery of unforgettable personalities and situations that helped inspire generations of writers, filmmakers, and dramatists. Energetic, humorous, and endlessly quotable, *Damon Runyon Omnibus* preserves the voice of old Broadway in all its noisy, sentimental, and gloriously unconventional splendor-a world where every stranger has a nickname, every deal carries a risk, and even the hardest character may turn out to possess a surprisingly generous heart. Contents: - More Than Somewhat - Furthermore - Take It Easy

''Damon Runyon Favorites'' is a classic major collection of colorful short stories and novellas by Damon Runyon that vividly portrays the underworld of New York during the Prohibition era. It focuses on gangsters, gamblers, touts, and Broadway characters, featuring tales like "Little Miss Marker" and "Madame La Gimp". It features memorable, hard-boiled characters with colorful nicknames such as Harry the Horse, Spanish John, Little Isadore, and The Brain, and explores gambling (craps and horse racing), the transient nature of life, and the humorous yet sometimes grim realities of street-level gangsters and their associates. The stories are deeply rooted in Broadway and Tenth Avenue, exploring the "main stem" of New York City. Known for its unique, fast-paced narration, often written in the present tense, blending underworld slang with a seemingly detached, yet affectionate perspective on these "tough" characters. This collection highlights Runyon's reputation as a premier chronicler of Broadway's vibrant, albeit shady, life in the 1920s and 30s.

This is a collection of Readers' Choice of the best columns of America's favorite newspaperman, Damon Runyon.

Full of humorous stories about gangsters, bootleggers, gamblers, and their women inhabiting New York's Broadway. A world of speakeasies and dancing girls where a gambler or bootlegger is perfectly normal and respectable in every way. Those familiar with "Guys and Dolls" know what to expect!