[GrannyGrump]

PENROD
by Booth Tarkington (1869 – 1946)
Illustrated by Gordon Grant (1875 – 1962)
First published 1914

Penrod is a collection of comic sketches by Booth Tarkington that was first published in 1914. The book follows the misadventures of Penrod Schofield, an eleven-year-old boy growing up in the pre-World War I Midwestern United States, in a similar vein to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In Penrod, Tarkington established characters who appeared in two further books, Penrod and Sam (1916) and Penrod Jashber (1929). The three books were published together in one volume, Penrod: His Complete Story, in 1931.

Penrod is family literature, suitable for children and former children. Although young adolescents are less naïve now, a century later, anyone who has been a boy or who has known a boy will enjoy this book. Male readers can perhaps look back at their own childhood and feel a twinge of nostalgia. Women may cast a speculative eye at their brothers, fathers, and grandfathers (“tell me again how you were always a good little boy, grandpa...”). A charming book, witty and laugh-out-loud funny.

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Pen & Ink illustrations by Gordon Grant add an extra bit of a giggle, I think.

My first effort for public release. Any feedback gratefully appreciated.

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EDIT: Version 2: Added color frontispiece, some text and format corrections, some images redone, smaller file-size. Cross-linked chapter titles to html Table of Contents. Added Large-cap version for readers with poor drop-cap support.
Previous downloads 148.