Robert C. Benchley's sketches and articles, published in periodicals like Life, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, earned him a reputation as one of the sharpest humorists of his time; his influence—on contemporaries such as E. B. White, James Thurber, and S. J. Perelman, or followers like Woody Allen, Steve Martin, and Richard Pryor—has left an indelible mark on the American comic tradition. The Benchley Roundup collects those pieces, selected by Benchley's son Nathaniel, "which seem to stand up best over the years"-a compendium of the most endearing and enduring work from one of America's funniest and most penetrating wits. "It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by then I was too famous." —Robert Benchley

Every day, Johnny listened to his favorite radio program, "Don Winslow of the Navy." Someday, he would travel the world and have adventures, just like Don Winslow. But then the radio, which had been growing fainter, went dead altogether -- and Johnny's parents couldn't afford to buy a new one. Johnny refused to give up hope. Maybe Mr. Zaga, who lived in the basement apartment and was supposed to be an inventor, could help. Mr. Zaga's apartment was full of weird machinery. He was interested in time travel, not in repairing radios, and he believed that with powerful electrostatic magnetism he could project himself into the future. But perhaps an electric charge from his machinery could fix the radio. Sure enough, the radio played again, but before long Johnny and Mr. Zaga discovered that the radio was giving tomorrow's news. It was a day ahead in time! The adventures Johnny has then -- at a nearby bank robbery, a local fire, and with Mr. Zaga at the racetrack -- fill this funny and exciting book and will delight young readers. Full-color pictures rendered by a distinguished author/illustrator capture the big-city scene and a small boy's dreams of glory to perfection.