Books by Carl Reiner

NNNNN: A Novel

by Carl Reiner

The hero of Carl Reiner's nutty and wonderful novel, Nat Noland, is hard at work on his fifth book, his own version of Genesis, concentrating on the relationship between Cain and Abel. While investigating their relationship, he starts to investigate his relationship with himself. His doting wife, Glennie, gets worried when she hears him having a loud, heated discussion while he's alone in the basement. Because he is unaware that he is talking to himself -- in two distinct voices -- she encourages him to seek the help of the famous Viennese psychiatrist Dr. Frucht.

After a few sessions, Dr. Frucht elicits descriptions of Nat's recurring childhood dreams and the fact that he never knew his biological parents. In the lobby, when Nat bumps into the lovely Dr. Gertrude Trampleasure, an empathologist, she tells him how much he resembles her old teenage sweetheart, Buddy Keebler: "You two could be twins!" With the assistance of a private eye, Nat embarks on a quest to search for this "twin" and his unknown past, while continuing to work on his biblical novel, NNNNN.

How to Tell a Story: A Compendium of Sketches, Speeches, Letters and Tales

by Mark Twain, Carl Reiner

In a priceless collection Grammy nominee (Letters from the Earth)and Twain aficionado Carl Reiner introduces a sampling of Twain's shorter works, drawn from his many speeches, lectures, and letters.

Some of the topics Twain covers are: How to Tell A Story, his private history of how he came to write his most popular tall tale, The Jumping Frog of Cavaleras County; On the Decay of the Art of Lying, his humorous reflection on what he considered a dying art form; My First Lie and How I Got Out of It, a reminiscence from his childhood days in Missouri; the hilarious Answers to Correspondents, drawn from his voluminous letters back and forth to fans; Concerning the Jews, Twain's very strong condemnation of anti-Semitism, My Debut as a Literary Person, a serious reflection on an incident from his riverboat captain days and how the experience inspired him as a writer in terms of story-telling, detail, and point of view; and An Encounter With An Interviewer (the interviewer loses). And there's a special section for children: the Story of the Bad Little Boy and the Story of the good Little Boy, Advice for Good Little Girls, and some Learned Fables for Good Old Boys and Girls, where his affection for children and trademark humor shine through these parables.

My Anecdotal Life: A Memoir

by Carl Reiner

More than once, Carl Reiner has had friends say, “Hey, Reiner, you ought to write those things down.” And at eighty, he finally has.

In this funny and engaging memoir, one of the best raconteurs on the planet recalls his life in show business in short comic takes. Reiner tells of how, after answering an ad for free acting classes on his brother Charlie’s advice, he forsakes a budding career as a machinist for an acting career. In “Sidney Bechet and His Jazz Band Meet Franz Kafka,” he captivates the legendary jazz man and his band with an unusual reading of The Metamorphosis, during a thunderstorm at a Catskills resort in 1942.

Reiner also recalls the highlights of the succeeding decades: his first sweaty audition, impersonating a dog impersonating movie stars; his forays into the theater; his work on Your Show of Shows and The Dick Van Dyke Show during TV’s golden days; and his long friendship and collaboration with Mel Brooks which gave birth to the Two Thousand Year Old Man.

In “A Recipe to Remember,” he recites a recipe for cream cheese cookies to a star-studded audience that includes Paul Newman, Leonard Bernstein, and Barbra Streisand. In “The Gourmet Eating Club,” he gives an insider’s take on the now-legendary group that included Mario Puzo, Joseph Heller, Zero Mostel, and other luminaries.

Mary Tyler Moore, Sid Caesar, Mickey Rooney, Johnny Carson, Cary Grant, Dinah Shore, Ann Bancroft, Jean Renoir – the list goes on and on – also appear in what Reiner calls the “literary variety show” that captures the highs and lows of his extraordinary life. Through it all, Reiner displays the wit and warmth that have made him one of the most beloved figures in the entertainment business. This charming memoir will delight anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at five decades of Hollywood and television history.

Tell Me a Scary Story... But Not Too Scary! (Book & Audio CD)

by Carl Reiner

A little boy has an adventure in the scary basement of his mysterious new neighbor, Mr. Neewollah.