Comments on: Before Asimov, before King...

Before Asimov, before King...

crunchland — Sun, 10 Apr 2005 10:49:09 -0800

Ellis Parker Butler (1869 - 1934) American author, speaker, humorist. Author of more than 30 books and more than 2,000 stories and essays, Ellis Parker Butler is most famous for his short story "Pigs is Pigs" in which a bureaucratic stationmaster insists on levying the livestock rate for a shipment of two pet guinea pigs that soon start proliferating geometrically. This website is a loving tribute to a prolific author you've probably never heard of. Most of the stories and articles available on this web site have not been reprinted or reproduced since their original publication. Be sure to also check out the extensive library of vintage magazine covers.

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Sun, 10 Apr 2005 11:47:46 -0800

Damn, I grew up loving the Pigs Is Pigs story as Disney short. Crunchland, there's a ton of stuff here to look through - are there any particular pieces (other than Pigs) that you'd recommend a newcomer to start with?

By: TedW

TedW — Sun, 10 Apr 2005 12:32:44 -0800

I had never heard of the story but it is fun. It is a little dated, though, with the use of some racial slurs (dago pigs?, "race suicide") that would not fly today. I wonder if this story inspired this Star Trek episode?

By: crunchland

crunchland — Sun, 10 Apr 2005 19:47:42 -0800

are there any particular pieces (other than Pigs) that you'd recommend a newcomer to start with? Your guess is as good as mine, Slack. I came across the site because of the archive of vintage magazine covers, and was taken by the obbsessive qualities of the rest of the site, esp. considering I'd never heard of the guy before. I read a couple of the stories, and they struck me for some aspect that was foreign to me, in this day and age. The Log of a Lost Soul, published in 1920, involves a man desperate to get a drink after being incarcerated for several years, only to find that prohibition had passed in his absense. Don't Swear, publisjhed in 1904, makes a big deal about the novelty of automobiles. I suggest you pick a story or two at random, and I suspect you'll also find some other-worldly aspects, too.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 10:51:26 -0800

crunchland, Thanks for the post. I did not know him, but I'm looking forward to looking through the stuff.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 12:01:32 -0800

Wow, that vintage magazine cover library was worth a post by itself. Who knew American Girl had such beautifully designed covers? Thanks, crunchland.