# GADSBY: The Ultimate American Lipogram. On Sale Now--Exclusively at Amazon!



## Routhwick (Apr 1, 2012)

_

In 1939,
a man from Boston
told a story
of a small town.

Its Champion:
Mayor John Gadsby.

His companions:
A band of Youth.

This group's mission:
to transform a laid-back town
into a vigorous, vibrant city.

* * * *

This book,
a rarity from its original publication onward,
stands as a cult commodity
of our good old Anglo-Saxon today.

Its author:
Ernest Vincent Wright.

Its writing formula:
Lipogram.

And its name was...

_
**********










Constitution Books brings back American literature's most talked-about lipogram--in a special edition that features the original text of Wright's work, as well as a brand-new biographical essay, _Skipping Fifth_, by imprint owner Reginald Routhwick.



*Rediscover Branton Hills...
and discover a lost hero for the ages.*

​
[hr/]

*
Display Title: Gadsby: Champion of Youth (Special Edition)
Author: Ernest Vincent Wright (with a new essay by Reginald Routhwick)
Genre: Experimental Fiction / Americana
Format: Novel
Reading Level: N/A
Publisher: Constitution Books*
Street Date: October 8, 2012
Availability: In the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe and other places where copyright lasts 70 years p.m.a. or less; also in countries that observe the rule of the shorter term and have longer terms
List Price: US$2.00
ASIN: B009NH9RGE
Licenses/Usage rights: Public domain in the U.S. and elsewhere (original text); [abbr=Creative Commons Attribution]CC-BY 3.0 and later[/abbr] (essay)
Website: routhwick.pbworks.com
Contact E-mail: [email protected]
*

* DISCLAIMER: This is a brand, not a real company.


(Cover image multi-licensed under CC-BY 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0. Based on "Cliffside" by Nicholas A. Tonelli/"Nicholas_T", 9/30/2007;

__
https://flic.kr/p/1466191560
 on creation date.)


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Routhwick--

Welcome again to the Book Bazaar and congratulations on Ernest Vincent Wright's book!

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## Routhwick (Apr 1, 2012)

Taking advantage of Black Friday here. And here's the first line from that famous lipogram:

_If youth, throughout all history, had had a champion to stand up for it; to show a doubting world that a child can think; and, possibly, do it practically; you wouldn't constantly run across folks today who claim that "a child don't know anything."_

--Ernest Vincent Wright, 1939


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## Routhwick (Apr 1, 2012)

The holiday spirit, as only Branton Hills can honour it:

_
'Tis a night, almost Christmas,
And all through that room
A warm joy is stirring;
No sign of a gloom.
And "Ma," sitting up,
In gay gown, and cap,
No, no! Will not start
On a long wintry nap!
For, out on that lawn
A group of girls stand;
A group singing carols
With part of our Band.
And that moon, in full vigor,
Was lustrous; and lo!
Our Lady is singing!
Aha, now I know
That Nancy and Kathlyn
And Julius and Bill
And also His Honor,
Will sing with a will!
And Old Doctor Wilkins
Amidst it all stands;
Smiling and nodding,
And rubbing his hands;
And, sliding out, slyly;
Calls back at that sight:-
"Happy Christmas to all;
And to all a Good Night!"
_

(From Chapter 40 of _Gadsby_.)

P.S. I've found the original Wetzel edition, and (at this post) have scanned the first 13 chapters, with more to follow before the week is up.


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## Routhwick (Apr 1, 2012)

In the space of three months, the current Kindle edition of _Gadsby_ has sold as many copies on Amazon.com as the original Wetzel run did back in 1939!

50 copies overall. Nothing much by the standards of the majors, but still meaningful for someone like me. That's something to feel proud of.

Be on the lookout for a revised edition (and an Internet Archive copy) in the coming weeks. Take care!


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## Steverino (Jan 5, 2011)

I think lipograms are a forgotten art form. There is something cool about them.


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## Routhwick (Apr 1, 2012)

Wait till you hear what I just finished doing minutes ago: completing the scanning of the original Wetzel edition from cover to cover! And this only came after an ambitious yet mediocre attempt at home.

Up next: cropping the pages before we get it uploaded at the Internet Archive.


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## Routhwick (Apr 1, 2012)

Took me a while to do it, but I finally got the original text cleaned up on Wikisource--all by my lonesome!

Tomorrow, I'll spread the news over to Reddit and on my deviantArt journal.


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## Routhwick (Apr 1, 2012)

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION...


_"The Strangest Story Ever Written"
--Author Ernest Vincent Wright_

_"One of the books many have heard of but few have seen"
--A. Ross Eckler,_ Word Ways

_"An amazingly smooth piece of work."
--Lloyd Dilbeck, Associated Press (AP) (3/24/1937)_

The Original American Lipogram...
Like You've Never Read It Before

Digitally Remastered
from the Original Wetzel Text

With a Brand-New Behind-the-Scenes Essay


GADSBY

A Story of Over 50,000 Words
Without Using the Letter "E"

Available Exclusively at Amazon!

U.S. • Canada • UK • France • Germany​


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## Routhwick (Apr 1, 2012)

They say there is no "i" in "team".

But we dare you to find an "e" in _Gadsby_...

[hr/]

THE ORIGINAL AMERICAN LIPOGRAM...
AS YOU'VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE!

Available exclusively at Amazon:
U.S. • Canada • UK • France • Germany

Cost: Just two dollars.* (That's a lipogram--so was this book.)

[hr/]

COMING THIS FRIDAY FROM CONSTITUTION...

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH'S "THE RECLUSE"

* Price in USD.​


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