Bones: His Gags and Stump Speeches

Bones: His Gags and Stump Speeches
Published by Wehman Brothers (copyright 1879)

Did you ever wonder what kind of jokes and stories Mister Bones told at those mysterious old-time minstrel shows? If so, then this rare vintage nineteenth century first-edition joke book is for you. Originally published for wannabe minstrels and amateur endmen, this book is steeped with gags and funny tales.

The book gives hints for putting on a minstrel show and is loaded with numerous jokes, crossovers, end men's gags, monologs, skits, and the like. Includes words and music for two minstrel songs titled Don't Get Weary; Or, Johnny You've Been a Bad Boy and Gentlemen Coons' Parade.

Beautifully illustrated cover with nice drawing of Mister Bones. Inside are sixty-four pages: 50 pages of gags, plus 6 pages of tunes, plus 4 pages of advertisements.

What exactly will you find in this book? Below is a description from a period advertisement that spells out all the details.

This book contains a series of the best selected jokes, conumdrums, gags, stump speeches, sketches, dialect pieces, etc. It is a book for every burnt-cork man; every dabbler in darkey doings, and everybody that likes genuine fun. This book is way ahead of any work of its kind, and is an absolute necessity for anyone that wants to know the best bits of the Ethiopian stage as produced by the most celebrated end men and comedians of the present day. It also contains a number of mirth-provoking Dutch stories and dialogues, and "Broken Chinee" dialect pieces that will make your sides ache with laughter: besides sketches with songs including both words and music. In fact, the book is crammed, jammed, chock-full and bubbling over with red-hot, fiery fun and merry music.

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