HOW TO WRITE SHORT STORIES [WITH SAMPLES] by Lardner, Ring - 1924

New York: Scribner's Sons, 1924. Fifth printing issued August 1924, just three months after the May 1924 first printing. Scarce in any circa 1920's printing. Newsclipping of paragraph from "Ring Lardner Tells Prospective Auto-Owners All They Need to Know" (1920) in which Lardner describes how "a lamp post jumped right out in front of me and bit off a wire wheel" pasted beneath half-title which LARDNER HAS EMENDED TO READ "HOW TO DRIVE UP THE LEFT SIDE OF MICHIGAN AVENUE" AND SIGNED IN FULL. Another clipping advertising the fifth printing (at $2.00) affixed to front pastedown and clippings praising the book affixed to front endpaper and rear pastedown. Includes preface by Lardner and 10 humorous short stories illustrating various writing concepts as described in the chapter headings preceding each one (e.g., "Champion/ An example of the mystery story. The mystery is how it came to get printed"). 8vo gilt-stamped green cloth boards, as in the first printing. Ownership signature of "Hawthorne Twomsley" on front endpaper. Some offset from clippings but still a solid good or better copy with spine lettering nearly perished but binding strong and showing only light wear. IN THE RARE DUST JACKET with illustration and lettering as on the first but with front panel background color blue (vs. orange) and all spine lettering black (vs. with author's name in orange). Chipping and rubs to head of spine have taken out first three words in title and a few letters from the last two words; and chipping at base of spine affects the first and last two letters in publisher's name. Otherwise, relatively bright and clean with internal paper-tape repair partially visible near head of spine. An unaccountably scarce book and jacket, given the number of printings. And, at this point, very scarce to rare SIGNED BY LARDNER, let alone WITH A HUMOROUS ANNOTATION.