The Gibson upright [Paperback]

Booth Tarkington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2009

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ACTH The yard beside Gibson's house. Upon our left is seen the porch or sun-room icing of a good "colonial" house of the present type. A hedge runs across at the back, about five feet high, with a gateway and rustic gate. Beyond is seen a residential suburban quarter, well wooded and with ample shrubberies. A gravelled path leads from the gate to the porch, or sun-room, where are broad steps. Upon the lawn are a white garden bench, a table, and a great green-and-white- striped sun umbrella, with several white garden chairs. Autumn has come, and the foliage is beginning to turn; but the scene is warm and sunlit. After a moment a young housemaid brings out a tray with a chocolate pot, wafers, and one cup and saucer and a lace-edged napkin. She places the tray on the table, moves a chair to it, looks at the tray thoughtfully, turns, starts toward the house—when Gibson comes out. Hejcears a travelling suit and is bareheaded. Ella: The cook thought you might like a cup of chocolate after a long trip like that—just getting off the train and all, Mr. Gibson. Gibson: Thank you, Ella, I should. Ella: I'll bring your mail right out. [She goes into the house and returns with a packet of letters.] Gibson: Thanks, Ella! Ella: Everything is there that's come since you sent the telegram not to forward any more. Gibson : It's pleasant to find the house and everything just as I left it. Ella: My, Mr. Gibson, we pretty near thought you wasn't never coming back. Those June roses in that bed round yonder lasted pretty near up into August this year, Mr. Gibson. For that matter it's such mild weather even yet some say we won't have any fall till Thanksgiving. Gibson: Yes, it's extraordinary. Ella: Shall I leave the tray? Gibson: No; you can take it. [She moves ...

Product Details

• Paperback: 54 pages
• Publisher: General Books LLC (August 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0217891586
• ISBN-13: 978-0217891585
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tarkington goes Political!, December 13, 2000

By 

mchenryed - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gibson Upright (The Works of Booth Tarkington) (Library Binding)

Written as a play, this book debunks the popular at the time theory that all workers should own all the businesses and that everyone should receive the same pay(from the profits). The story begins with Andrew Gibson, owner of a piano manufacturing company whose successful product is the "Gibson Upright". He is in turmoil with his on-the-verge-of-striking workers. The workers insist on even more benefits than what they currently have (they have now what resembles our modern day work schedule). The workers spout their socialistic beliefs in an attempt to get more out of Gibson, claiming he can afford it with all of his riches.

Gibson, not wishing to concede to their demands, decides to fulfill their wishes. In a comical way, he simply hands over the rights to the factory -- letting the leaders of the strikers run it as they see fit. The workers unite and are excited over this prospect. However, this new routine quickly becomes their undoing as the factory's accountants leave and the workers become even more lazy. Of course, as Tarkington can only do, there is a love story here where Gibson and one of the striking workers have a "bond."

This story was incredibly simple and pointed out some of the fallacies of the Socialist movement. While on some levels, the story works, yet on others it was a bit too contrived. All in all, though, the book/play was fun to read, despite the somewhat sappy plot and ending.