A Treasury of Damon Runyon (Modern Library, No. 53)

Like "Guys And Dolls," the Treasury is a collection of Runyon's Broadway short stories. It includes favorites like "Hold 'Em Yale" and "Jack 'O Hearts," as well as some more rare tales including an early Runyon piece where a prototype of Runyon's typically uninvolved narrator actually plays a crucial role in the storyline. The stories within and the excellent introduction (which sheds much more light on the author's life than any other Runyon collection) make this both a perfect introduction to Runyon's Broadway or an excellent addition to a collection. Damon Runyon is often forgetten when the time comes to list the great American writers of the 20th century. His unique style of prose is truly entertaining, and he evokes any emotion from the reader at will ("Little Miss Marker", for example will force you through the whole spectrum of emotion). A great collection of works from one of my favorite writers.