Several parodies are dated and no longer amuse, and many of the ''casuals'' (The New Yorker's term for informal fiction and nonfiction articles) are too precious, too ephemeral. The fact is that although ''Collecting Himself'' contains many drawings never before published - reason enough to buy it - only some of the writing deserved to be resurrected.

How, then, can there be at this late date unanthologized Thurber worthy of yet another volume? After all, posthumous collections had been published in 19 (Thurber died in 1961), and even then there was not enough new material to fill the books - both included work from previous collections. I somehow assumed that James Thurber's literary bones had been picked clean long ago. COLLECTING HIMSELF James Thurber on Writing and Writers, Humor and Himself. Furthermore, doing this dissuades him from placing a dense chunk of descriptions, which.

His prevention from plunging deeper into unneeded subjects - which I find a responsible approach considering the overall length of the book - simply suggests that the essence of an episode is insignificant to what he chose to leave out. This is not an irresponsible proudness, but honesty and modesty on his part he yields the dictatorial position that many autobiographers take. In another occasion, when his 'mother didn't know what possessed me.I didn't either, except that I was pretty mad,' he quickly ties a knot on the readers' curiosities by acknowledging his ignorance to the matter at hand (ThurberJames,58). He's unashamed to admit that his memory is poor, and once acknowledging it, leniently proceeds. For example, he frankly states in one of the chapters that 'the other servants I don't remember so clearly, except the one who set the house on fire - her name eludes me.' (ThurberJames,53). In his autobiography, James Thurber asks his audience to avoid getting tangled by his omissions in the text. Why, then, is this book known as the 'Jewel of English Writing' by many? (LongRobert) It's a book of only one hundred pages, with at least ten of those filled with cartoon images.

Thurber sits on the edge of the literary chair with 'My Life and Hard Times'. With applications of cartoon images and simple titles that help the reader navigate the segmented timeline, Thurber's informal approach to writing remains his greatest rhetorical prowess. Although the story often seems to defy logic due to its short and unchronological structure, exaggerated details and improbable situations, Thurber forges these flaws into an effective true story that is nearly void of ego. The autobiography, 'My Life and Hard Times,' written by James Thurber, is a demonstration of literary honesty at its best.

Thurber my life and hard times