Son of Columbus

Because it's Columbus Day, there's stuff out there discussing C. Columbus, Europeans in the Western Hemisphere, etc. Since that's already being covered, let's spotlight one of the most worthy children of Columbus, Ohio, Mr. James Thurber.

If you love comedy but have not yet read Thurber, you owe it to yourself to go find some. Be aware that when sifting through his collected works, not all of it is anywhere near as funny as the best of it is. So start with the best: My Life and Hard Times, which includes probably the best thing he ever wrote, "The Night the Bed Fell." And here's Thurber on his home town: "I have lived in the East for nearly thirty years now, but many of my books prove that I am never very far away from Ohio in my thoughts, and that the clocks that strike in my dreams are often the clocks of Columbus."