The Booming of Acre Hill

John Kendrick Bangs was a famous humorist of yesteryear. Bangs died early enough in the twentieth century to miss out on many laughable elements we have come to know and loathe in modern times that he might have sharpened his pen upon. However he was in plenty of time for that dreary modern phenomenon: suburbs.

The specimen of the species herein: Dumfries Corners.

In this volume Bangs booms delightfully on suburbs (and the "urbs," of course) in such pieces as:

"The Strange Misadventures of an Organ" in which a philosopher resident of Dumfries Corners must a make an odd decision about a church organ.

"An Affinitive Romance" in which a man and a woman who are perfect for one another never meet -- and so, live happily ever after.

And, of course, the title piece "The Booming of Acre Hill" in which we meet the Acre Hill Land Improvement Company and the ghastly spectacle of the Acre Hill Country Club.

John Kendrick Bangs booms satirically indeed!