The Literary humor of the urban Northeast, 1830-1890

Preface

Introduction

Jonathan's visit to the celestial empire / James K. Paulding

Steam / William Cox

Peter Brush; or, The great used up ; News-boy / Joseph C. Neal

Stage competitors : a tale of the road / George P. Morris

Female colleges / Thomas C. Haliburton

Pumpkin freshet ; How to tell a story / Seba Smith & Elizabeth Oakes Smith (Mrs. Seba Smith)

from Struggles and triumphs ; or, Forty years' recollections of P.T. Barnum / P.T. Barnum ; Barnum and the barber / Anon. ; Man that got humbugged / Anon

from Pluri-bus-tah ; from American civilization illustrated : a great slave auction / Mortimer N. Thomson (Q.K. Philander Doesticks, P.B.)

from The new Yankee Doodle / E. Jane Gay (Truman Trumbull, A.M.)

Bone ornaments ; Breitmann in battle ; Ballad ; Ballad apout de rowdies ; from Breitmann in politics ; Rise and fall of Gloryville ; Zion Jersey Boggs : a legend of Philadelphia ; Story of Mr. Scroper, architect / Charles G. Leland

Barnum's first speech in Congress ; Petticoat government ; Cannibalism in the cars ; Mark Twain on his muscle / Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain)

Inspired lobbyist / John W. DeForest

Jenette Finster's story / Marietta Holley (Josiah Allen's wife)

Further selections from various sources

from A pickle for the knowing ones; or, Plain truth in a homespun dress / Timothy Dexter ; Speech of David Wood while standing in the pillory at Charlestown, N.H., May 27th, 1797, for forging a deed / Anon. ; Pickpocket training poem on credit / Anon. ; Muggy morning off Sandy Hook : a yarn spun by a Yankee tar / Anon. ; Soliloquy of a low thief ; Prince of Wales / Charles F. Browne (Artemus Ward) ; First locomotive / Anon. ; Picketing

an afecting war incident /Anon. ; Amerikan aristokrasy / Henry W. Shaw (Josh Billings) ; Essays on animated nature : Meleagris Gallopavo

the American turkey / Anon. ; Why she could not be his wife / Anon

Bibliographical essay