Is Sex Necessary? Or Why You Feel the Way You Do by James Thurber and E. B. White first hit the bookstalls in 1929. This early collaboration was well-received and helped to launch the stunning book careers of both authors. Thurber and White wrote alternating chapters, but the humorous drawings are all the distinct work of Thurber. The Cleveland Book Company has listed a copy of the later 1944 edition, "a fantastic copy, with an unmistakeable original drawing by James Thurber (though it is not signed; this is typical of Thurber's doodlings) on the front free endpaper." Reasonable minds may differ, and I personally would take exception to the descriptors "fantastic," "unmistakeable," "typical,"—and "by James Thurber."
The drawing, which I take to be Atlas roller skating and losing his hold on the world, is very loose and amateurish, but that isn't enough to make it Thurberesque. The style actually seems rather nondescript; it could easily be the work of anyone inspired by Thurber rather than the work of Thurber himself. For those who are more convinced than I am of the sketch's authorship, the book is listed on AbeBooks for $1,000.
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| James Thurber AbeBooks listing accessed April 30, 2022 |
Note: All opinions are welcome. I would especially like to see evidence of mid-1940s James Thurber doodles with stylistic or thematic similarities to or difference from the example seen here.
Is it bad manners to mention a book called Is Sex Necessary? on Mother's Day? I take full responsibility.
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