Coffee and Repartee
by John Kendrick Bangs
(1862-1922)
First released in 1893, Coffee And
Repartee is a collection of breakfast
chats at a gentleman's boarding house
run by a Mrs. Smithers. Here these
fellows repeatedly face questions and
proclamations by an inhabitant they
call The Idiot. The discussions sound
friendly under pretense, but are really sly battles of ribald wit
and cunning charm, as well as rather offensive remarks during
a time period considered by many to favour a height of refined
etiquette. The Idiot spars well, but will the other residents get
the better of him?
Libri Vox
Acoustical liberation of books
in the Public Domain
Total running time: 1:46:24
Read by Daryl Wor
Cover design by Kathryn Delaney
Illustration from the 1899 edition