Runyon on Broadway (Picador Books) Paperback – October 17, 1975

I buy mostly Kindle editions and, God knows, the pricing on those can be volatile. But the pricing on hard copies has me reeling.

Several months ago, a Kindle edition of the Runyon collection MORE THAN SOMEWHAT appeared and (although it was over my $4.99 limit) I snapped it up. It reminded me of how much I love Runyon's classic "Broadway stories" and I set out to collect them all. Not an easy task, although his work has been published in numerous collections through the decades. After buying a half dozen books, I discovered that an English publisher (Pan books) printed two books said to contain all of Runyon's stories. I bought the second volume (FROM FIRST TO LAST) and came back for this one.

In mid-June it was priced at 99 cents plus $3.99 shipping. When I went back the next day (June 17) it was priced at $2.97 (plus shipping.) Since my interest seemed to have sparked a price spike, I pulled the trigger and bought it. Today I went to post a review and see prices now start at $28.68 plus shipping!! I notice that another review appeared on June 30. Apparently two people purchasing a decades-old book caused the price to increase over 900%. I wish I could have this kind of effect on the stock market.

As to the book itself.... FROM FIRST TO LAST contains 19 of Runyon's Broadway stories and 14 other stories and essays. It's a medium size book and the print is smallish. Much smaller than my other Runyon collections - most of which contain 20 stories and appear to be "trade" (library) publications. Since RUNYON ON BROADWAY contains 47 stories, I was wondering how the publisher got them all into a standard size book. The answer is simple. Tiny print.

As I said, THE BLOODHOUNDS OF BROADWAY and ROMANCE IN THE ROARING FORTIES are (I believe) library editions and they have big, legible print. The print in GUY AND DOLLS is smaller, but not noticeably so. The print in FROM FIRST TO LAST is smaller still, but it's easily readable for normal eye-sight. [I've reviewed all of these and tell which stories are unique to each.]

The print in this book is TINY. I have perfect near-vision and I can read it only in strong light. So be warned.

It was a fine idea to collect all of Runyon's Broadway stories in two editions. Many of them are duplicated in some of my other collections, but nine of them are new to me. So I was happy to turn my reading lamp on high and become acquainted with those stories. Especially since one of them turns out to be TOO MUCH PEP, which is now one of my favorite Runyon stories. It shows Runyon's grasp of the complexities of New York City life in the 1920's and 30's. A burgeoning population of immigrants - the older generation clinging to Old World ways and their children becoming "real Americans" - made for a colorful, turbulent mix. Suspicious of the police, they all agreed that most matters are best handled privately. But do we do it the new way or the old way? It's a great story.

The inside cover has a picture of Runyon looking like a particularly sour Presbyterian minister. In fact a man who looked as stern and humorless as that would NEVER get a congregation these days. He certainly doesn't look like a guy who grew up in the Wild West and came to New York City to happily rub shoulders with show girls, gangsters, gamblers, crooked politicians, reporters, and other shady sorts. How a writer with such a grim face could have created some of the most hilariously eccentric characters in all of American literature remains a mystery.

The obvious solution to the tiny print problem is a Kindle edition where we can adjust the print. Until then, we have to make do with old books. I certainly wouldn't pay $30 for this book (or any other) but I'm glad to have it. If you haven't discovered Runyon's work, you don't know what you're missing. He was a fine writer and his stories are American treasures.

i loved this book.