The Thorne Smith Reader: Nine Novels by Thorne SmithThis collection includes some of Thorne Smith's greatest works    Topper: The Jovial Ghosts (1926)    The Stray Lamb (1929)    Turnabout (1931)    The Night Life of the Gods (1931)    Topper Takes a Trip (1932)    The Bishop's Jaegers (1932)    Rain in the Doorway (1933)    Skin and Bones (1933)    The Glorious Pool (1934)Thorne Smith was a fantastic fantasy fiction writer who sold millions of paperbacks in the early twentieth century. He wa...

The Bishop's Jaegers was published in 1932. A coffee importer, Peter Van Dyke, is caught in a scandal. Set adrift the adventure takes him to a nudist colony this comic novel takes an exciting turn. A departure from Smith's other writing which typically involve supernatural elements. Smith assumes the reader will know that "Jaegers" refers to a union suit.Thorne Smith was a fantastic fantasy fiction writer who sold millions of paperbacks in the early twentieth century. He was famous for his To...

Rain in the Doorway, published in 1933, is full of sexual innuendo. Hector Owen is a partner in a department store and we follow his adventures with a salesgirl from the pornographic books department. Ending up in a courtroom, the novel has a surprise ending that will keep you turning pages.Thorne Smith was a fantastic fantasy fiction writer who sold millions of paperbacks in the early twentieth century. He was famous for his Topper novels as well as the novel that was later adapted to cre...

The Glorious Pool, published in 1934, is a humorous novel set in the time of Prohibition. Rex Pepple is an adulterous old man with a mistress and a Japanese houseboy who discover a swimming pool that contains water from a fountain of youth. Hijinks are bound to ensue. Thorne Smith was a fantastic fantasy fiction writer who sold millions of paperbacks in the early twentieth century. He was famous for his Topper novels as well as the novel that was later adapted to create Bewitched. His witt...

Thorne Smith's imaginative novel Skin and Bones takes the concept of suffering for one's art to a whole new level. While developing film, a photographer accidentally creates a chemical concoction that produces an exceedingly bizarre phenomenon -- he spontaneously begins to switch back and forth between a normal human appearance and that of a walking skeleton. Can he make a life worth living with this condition?

Cosmo Topper a staid and dull banker with an nagging wife ,who has perpetual indigestion. (She needs Pepto - Bismol)A drastic change happens in his boring life, after buying an old sports car.The auto was previously owned by an irresponsible rich young couple ,who died in it . While driving in the country , he starts seeing things and maybe going a little insane!

The Night Life of the Gods is another great fantasy adventure from Thorne Smith. Hunter Hawk is an inventor of a device that turns people into to stone and vice versa. He meets 900-year-old Megaera and the two head for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to bring the Greek gods to life.Thorne Smith was a fantastic fantasy fiction writer who sold millions of paperbacks in the early twentieth century. He was famous for his Topper novels as well as the novel that was later adapted to create Bewitc...

In "The Bishop's Jaegers," Thorne Smith combines wit with satirical commentary, crafting a narrative that explores the intersections of faith, excess, and the human condition. Set against the backdrop of a seemingly idyllic, yet comically dysfunctional, ecclesiastical setting, Smith employs a humorous literary style reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties, replete with vivid imagery and playful dialogue. The novel weaves a tale of misadventures that critiques societal norms through the lens of...

Who hasn’t waited for a ride in the pouring rain and wondered if there wasn’t something more to life? This is exactly how we find poor Mr. Owen, hopeless and downtrodden, wet and miserable. Suddenly, he is swept in through a doorway to a place full of wild imaginations, where loneliness and unfulfilled dreams are a thing of the past. It is the story an adulteress’s husband who embarks on inebriated adventures with his various partners and a girl who works in a pornographic books department...

In "The Glorious Pool," Thorne Smith masterfully intertwines fantasy and comedy, creating a narrative that reflects the whimsical spirit of the 1920s. Set against the backdrop of a languorous summer, the novel revolves around an enchanted swimming pool that serves as a portal to surreal experiences and ramblings of the human condition. Smith's jovial prose, characterized by witty dialogue and clever wordplay, evokes a playful atmosphere while exploring themes of desire, escapism, and the i...

Elegant, fun-loving George and Marion Kerby are the toast of the town, until they wreck their flashy car and discover they've become, well, ghosts. Making the best of a bad situation, they decide that being dead is the perfect opportunity to liven up staid, stuffy Cosmo Topper. Naturally, much hilarity ensues.Topperby Thorne SmithThis work is available for countries where copyright is Life+70.

Thorne Smith’s hilarious and ribald comedy about boring and staid bank manager Cosmo Topper who decides to buy a flashy car only to discover it is haunted by its previous owners, George and Marion Kerby. George’s and Marion’s mischievous spirits (and a few other ghostly friends and an irresistible dog) make it their mission to lead the respectable Topper astray and give him a fresh outlook on life. Liquor flows, pranks are common, and although not always willing, George becomes a new man. ...