It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

By: Scott Rice - editor

Narrated by: Bob Nathan, Marni Webb

Little did the obscure novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton know in 1830 when he penned that most relished, imitated, and lampooned opening sentence in English literature, "It was a dark and stormy night..." that his words would inspire countless aspiring writers struggling incessantly like boats against the current to emulate his unparalleled style and that his name would grace "The Bulwer-Lytton Contest" honoring his most successful followers. Get it? Abounding in shameless sentences, this audio rendition of the original contest is a hilarious - even perversely instructive - collection of skilled, inept writing. Compiler Scott Rice is a professor of English at San Jose State University and the creator of the contest. The narrators include Marni Webb, Ray Nakamoto, Rachel Songer, and Bob Nathan.©1984 Scott Rice (P)1997 by The Audio Partners Publishing Corp.

Critic reviews

"This is a book to be enjoyed one silly sentence at a time." (Talahassee Democrat)
"Great for blasting through any writer's block." (Anonymous Copy Editor)