All You Can Books

Literary Lapses

Stephen Leacock

607 ratings
Literary Lapses | Stephen Leacock

Literary Lapses

Download Here

Download Audiobook
Download eBook

Read eBook Online

Download eBook PDF
Short sketches relating the humourous side of life.

"Professor Leacock has made more people laugh with the written word than any other living author. One may say he is one of the greatest jesters, the greatest humorist of the age." – A. P. Herbert
hand.

"And now let us talk, dear, as one heart to another. Remember always that if a girl is to have your heart she must be worthy of you. When you look at your own bright innocent face in the mirror, resolve that you will give your hand to no girl who is not just as innocent as you are and no brighter than yourself. So that you must first find out how innocent she is. Ask her quietly and frankly—remember, dear, that the days of false modesty are passing away—whether she has ever been in jail. If she has not (and if YOU have not), then you know that you are dealing with a dear confiding girl who will make you a life mate. Then you must know, too, that her mind is worthy of your own. So many men to-day are led astray by the merely superficial graces and attractions of girls who in reality possess no mental equipment at all. Many a man is bitterly disillusioned after marriage when he realises that his wife cannot solve a quadratic equation, and that he is compelled to spend all his days with a woman who does not know that X squared plus 2XY plus Y squared is the same thing, or, I think nearly the same thing, as X plus Y squared.

"Nor should the simple domestic virtues be neglected. If a girl desires to woo you, before allowing her to press her suit, ask her if she knows how to press yours. If she can, let her woo; if not, tell her to whoa. But I see I have written quite as much as I need for this column. Won't you write again, just as before, dear boy?

"STEPHEN LEACOCK."

How to be a Doctor

Certainly the progress of science is a wonderful thing. One can't help feeling proud of it. I must admit that I do. Whenever I get talking to anyone—that is, to anyone who knows even less about it than I do—about the marvellous development of electricity, for instance, I feel as if I had been personally responsible for it. As for

Rhys 06/09/2024
This collection of sketches and stories is absolutely hilarious. Stephen Leacock is one of the truly great humorists of the 20th Century. At their best these pieces are delightful and ingenious. One of Leacock's many areas of expertise in the art of comedic writing is to exploit the device of misapp
Nandakishore 06/01/2020
An old favourite - but I find that it has dated a bit on rereading. Except for The Magician's Revenge, I didn't find the remaining ones riotously funny. Still, four stars for the book which introduced me to this hilarious writer!
1.1 11/05/2013
I read this mostly because my memory of Sunshine Sketches was a little too vague to legitimately support the idea that the Stephen Leacock prize was awarded to works (like The Best Laid Plans) that were outclassed by Leacock's own work. After reading Literary Lapses I would temper my judgment, but i
Al 04/29/2013
Leacock was a humorist genius loved by Groucho Marx and many others for his comic chops, great emotional detail of humor. Using the fictional English royal family, the Oxheads, he detailed the mythic cowardice of Lord Oxhead's family, several members of which are set up to be admired and then we see
Christina 09/11/2012
Dry, witty, and charming, this collection of short stories will leave you so amazed you'll be asking yourself, 'just how did he manage to arrange the words so artfully?'

How It Works

30-day FREE trial

Get ALL YOU CAN BOOKS absolutely FREE for 30 days. Download our FREE app and enjoy unlimited downloads of our entire library with no restrictions.

UNLIMITED access

Have immediate access and unlimited downloads to over 200,000 books, courses, podcasts, and more with no restrictions.

Forever Downloads

Everything you download during your trial is yours to keep and enjoy for free, even if you cancel during the trial. Cancel Anytime. No risk. No obligations.

Significant Savings

For just $24.99 per month, you can continue to have unlimited access to our entire library. To put that into perspective, most other services charge the same amount for just one book!

Start Your Free Trial Now

Our Story

Welcome to All You Can Books, the ultimate destination for book lovers.

Welcome to All You Can Books, the ultimate destination for book lovers.

As avid readers, we understand the joy of immersing ourselves in a captivating story or getting lost in the pages of a good book. That's why we founded All You Can Books back in 2010, to create a platform where people can access an extensive library of quality content and discover new favorites.

Since our founding days, we’ve continuously added to our vast library and currently have over 200,000 titles, including ebooks, audiobooks, language learning courses, podcasts, bestseller summaries, travel books, and more! Our goal at All You Can Books is to ensure we have something for everyone.

Join our community of book lovers and explore the world of literature and beyond!