The Lawrenceville Stories (A Touchstone book) [Paperback]

Owen McMahon Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Touchstone book | Publication Date: February 1987

For anyone who hasn't read this book or seen the special episode on American Playhouse, you're missing out. This boook is full of laughs, colorful characters, and stories to delight anyone. It's refreshing to be able to read a novel that is thoroughly entertaining and well written.

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Paper); 1st Touchstone ed edition (February 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671642480
• ISBN-13: 978-0671642488
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #639,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious stories about life at boarding school, July 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lawrenceville Stories (A Touchstone book) (Paperback)

Some of the funniest short stories ever written.

The Lawrenceville academy is a real prep school that was already old in 1910, when these stories are set. Life was more innocent back then; rowdy schoolboys had to try harder and really use their brains to find ways raise hell. Pranks, hacks, truly serious con games, feuds, secret rooms, thefts, illegal boxing matches, strikes, hazing, political riots, illicit gambling, shaving heads just because they're bored, etc.

But what really makes the stories shine are the unforgettable characters (and their wild nicknames). The ultimate, deadly serious prankster "The Prodigious" Hickey. Those terrifying teenage con artists "Doc" MacNooder and "The Tenessee Shad". The preppie hero who starts out as a thieving kid from hell; "Dink" Stover. And many lesser characters, teachers and students, some only seen in one story, others recurring and giving the school a feeling of solid reality.

I believe the stories were originally published separately, but were collected into three books. "The Prodigious Hickey", "The Varmaint" about Dink Stover, and "The Tennessee Shad". This edition has all of the stories together under one cover, which I've had for 25 years now and have read dozens of times. These are some of the best and funniest short stories ever written, wonderful when read separately, but best read as a whole.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Warning: Two different editions, October 6, 2005

By 

Constant Reader (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lawrenceville Stories (A Touchstone book) (Paperback)

This ed. from Touchstone was tied to the PBS series and contains only the first two of the collections: "The Prodigious Hickey" and "The Tennessee Shad." The older Simon and Schuster ed. 1967 contains "The Varmint" as well, which introduces Dink Stover.
Since neither is in print, I'd recommend getting the S&S ed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great book for readers of all ages, August 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lawrenceville Stories (Hardcover)

For anyone who hasn't read this book or seen the special episode on American Playhouse, you're missing out. This boook is full of laughs, colorful characters, and stories to delight anyone. It's refreshing to be able to read a novel that is thoroughly entertaining and well written.