Ring Lardner's "You Know Me Al: A Busher's Letters" is a literary gem that takes a satirical and humorous look at the world of baseball through the eyes of the fictional baseball player Jack Keefe. Through a series of letters penned by Keefe, Lardner provides a unique and comical perspective on the antics, trials, and tribulations of professional baseball players during the early 20th century. With witty commentary and sharp humor, the book offers a hilarious and entertaining glimpse into the world of sports, making it a must-read for both baseball aficionados and lovers of clever comedy.

The publication of You Know Me Al brought instant fame to Ring Lardner (1885-1933), one of the great American humorists of this century. Considered the satirist's greatest work, the book is a collection of letters from one Jack Keefe, a baseball "busher," to his longtime friend, Al Blanchard, in their midwestern hometown. The voice of Jack Keefe perfectly echoes the vernacular of the baseball players Lardner had covered for years as a newspaper reporter following the exploits of Chicago's Cubs and White Sox. Readers instantly recognized in Jack the full range of human foibles. This universality accounts for the enduring appeal of You Know Me Al. "Ring Lardner is the idol of professional humorists and of plenty of other people, too." -- E. B. White "His work is a contribution of genuine and permanent value to the national literature." -- H. L. Mencken "Mr. Lardner . . . lets Jack Keefe the baseball player cut out his own outline until the figure of the foolish, boastful, innocent athlete lives with us." -- Virginia Woolf

An annotated and copiously illustrated edition of the 24 short stories published between 1914 and 1919 by Ring Lardner, which include the stories collected later and known as "You know me, Al."

One of Rolling Stone’s 20 Best Music Books of 2013 and one of Slate’s Staff Picks for Best Books of 2013 The ebook edition now includes Nathan Rabin’s "Extended Jam Session"—a two-part bonus chapter about what writing this book did to (and for) his life. The first part chronicles the author’s melancholy yet hilarious excursion on the maiden voyage of the Kid Rock Chillin’ the Most cruise, and the second part depicts the life lessons gleaned from getting sued by American Express over the charges the author racked up writing the book. The chapter sheds new light on a singular and unique exploration of personal and musical obsession and further highlights the book’s theme of transcendence through utter, abject failure. When memoirist and former head writer for The A.V. Club Nathan Rabin first set out to write about obsessed music fans, he had no idea the journey would take him to the deepest recesses of both the pop culture universe and his own mind. For two very curious years, Rabin, who Mindy Kaling called "smart and funny" in The New Yorker, hit the road with two of music’s most well-established fanbases: Phish’s hippie fans and Insane Clown Posse’s notorious "Juggalos." Musically or style-wise, these two groups could not be more different from each other, and Rabin, admittedly, was a cynic about both bands. But once he gets deep below the surface, past the caricatures and into the essence of their collective cultures, he discovers that both groups have tapped into the human need for community. Rabin also grapples with his own mental well-being—he discovers that he is bipolar—and his journey is both a prism for cultural analysis and a deeply personal exploration, equal parts humor and heart.

This collection of fiction by writer, critic and sports editor Ring Lardner celebrates the American pastime of baseball.

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