Harpo Speaks . . . About New York [Hardcover]

Harpo Marx (Author), Rowland Barber (Author), E.L. Doctorow (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000 | Series: Little Bookroom

Long before vaudeville, Broadway, and the silver screen, Harpo Marx had triumphed on the greatest stage of all: New York City. For a kid on the streets in 1902, every day demanded wit and improvisation. Beyond the door of the tenement at 179 East 93rd Street lay rival gangs, lucky breaks, failed hustles. While his mother, Minnie, was occupied elsewhere—planning her unruly brood’s ultimate destiny—Harpo roamed the streets doing what any self-respecting second-grade dropout would: grabbing the family’s one left-foot skate and heading to Central Park, preparing for the bonfires of a Tammany election night, and hopping on the El to watch “the Gods in Valhalla—which is to say, the New York Giants in the Polo Grounds.” With an unforgettable cast of characters, and set against turn-of-the-century Manhattan, Harpo Speaks . . . About New York overflows with the optimism and sweetness of the kid who, on the off-chance that “Sandy Claus” just might remember him, never forgot to hang his stocking in the airshaft on Christmas Eve.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Harpo, born Adolph, reminisces in this 1961 autobiography about growing up on East 93rd Street in New York City. In a conversational style, he remembers his short-lived formal education in public schools he was thrown out a window by other students in the second grade and never went back and his less-formal education in street hustling from older brother Chico, as well as his other famous brothers, parents, and grandparents. This additionally contains an introduction by E.L. Doctorow. A real charmer.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

HARPO MARX: Born on November 23, 1888 in New York City, Adolph (Arthur) "Harpo" Marx was the second oldest of the legendary comedy team, the Marx Brothers. Propelled by their mother, Minnie, the brothers (Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo) started out in vaudeville in 1908, eventually moving on to sensational success on Broadway and in film with such classics as Duck Soup (1933) and A Night at the Opera (1935). Known for frantic slapstick and nonstop wisecracking, punctuated by horn honking, girl chasing, and outrageous hijinks, the group was anchored by Harpo, who silently looked on and played the harp with consummate skill. Harpo Marx died in 1964.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Little Bookroom; First Edition. states edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892145065
• ISBN-13: 978-1892145062
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.5 x 7.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Travel > United States > States > New York

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Just an extract, May 5, 2001

By 

The Reluctant Critic (Orlando, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harpo Speaks . . . About New York (Hardcover)

Buy the book "Harpo Speaks". This is merely a coffee table extract from the FULL book, available...

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars BUY HARPO SPEAKS INSTEAD!!!, January 22, 2007

By 

George Glass - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harpo Speaks . . . About New York (Hardcover)

I loved the book Harpo Speaks so very much -- I've bought it for birthday presents for 2 different people so far. It's one of my top 10 favorite books. The first 80 - 100 pages are a little slow but after that? It takes off at a gallop and reads like fantastic fiction -- drama and comedy and heart -- and all of it actually happened! Well, out of love for this book, I wanted anything else by Harpo Marx and Rowland Barber and bought this book without much thought. Or research. And found, much to my chagrin, just like a previous reviewer noted, it's just THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS OF HARPO SPEAKS!!! NOTHING NEW!!! I reiterate: BUY HARPO SPEAKS INSTEAD!!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy, November 10, 2010

By 

vkr - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harpo Speaks . . . About New York (Hardcover)

Don't buy this book.

This book is a paste and copy of the earlier book "Harpo Speaks".