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A Handy Guide for Beggars, Especially Those of the Poetic Fraternity by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
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"Being sundry explorations, made while afoot and penniless in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. These adventures convey and illustrate the rules of beggary for poets and some others."
Published in 1919, this is poet Vachel Lindsay's description of his travels "afoot and penniless" across the southern and eastern United States, staying with strangers, reciting or trading poetry for dinner, and along the way, describing in stories and poetry, mostly stories, the people and places he encountered. Think "Travels With Charlie," minus the dog and the Winnebago, and much, much earlier.
From the Dedication and Preface:
"There are one hundred new poets in the villages of the land. This Handy Guide is dedicated to the younger sons of the wid earth, to the runnaway boys and girls getting further from home every hour, to the prodigals still wasting their substance in riotous living, be they gamblers or blasphemers or plain drunks; to the heretics of whatever school to whom life is a rebellion with banners; to those who are willing to accept counsel if it be mad counsel."
If you remember the 1960's, you'll feel right at home. If you wish you remembered the 1890's, here's your chance. You might also feel right at home, at that.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives 3.0 United States License.
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By: Grizzly Smith
You're welcome. Ya know, PodioRacket wanted me to record something explaining why I record PD books for Podiobooks.com. Now I have an answer. GrizBy: psionandy
Just listening to this, one episode at a time so unlike Grizzly I don't know how it ends yet. However what I do know is that the book is beautifuly read, the stories and fun and Its shown me a glimpse into a time and place that I knew nothing about. Thank you so much for your hard work in putting this together...By: Grizzly Smith
Thanks for the kind words. Just listening again to the first chapter, myself. Starts out kinda slow, I admit -- and I know how it ends. He was a poet, after all. Hang in there, folks, get past the poetry, and the stories are kinda funny, and sentimental. I had great fun reading it, and I think you'll enjoy it, too! Griz
Chapters
| Title | Description | Date Created |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 1 (17.03 MB) | A Handy Guide for Beggars, Especially Those of the Poetic Fraternity, by Vachel Lindsay. True story. In 1906, young poet Vachel Lindsay wanders through a dozen states, with no money and no baggage, staying with random strangers, reciting poetry and teaching "The Gospel of Beauty." So, what do you suppose that was like? Wonder why this book was popular in the 1960s & '70s? NOTE: Some use of "The N-Word" on the part of the author, quoted faithfully by me. Sorry if you're offended. Part 1.1 -- Preface through the first story. Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 2 (24.57 MB) | Part 1.2 -- Second Story "The Man with the Apple Green Eyes" Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 3 (16.52 MB) | Part 1.3 -- "Macon" and "The Falls of Tallulah." Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 4 (21.44 MB) | Part 1.4 -- "The Gnome" and "The Tramps Refusal." Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 5 (19.71 MB) | [Part 1.5 -- "The House of the Loom" and "Phidias." Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 6 (11.08 MB) | Part 1.6 -- "Man in the House of Collars" and "Confucius." Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 7 (9.15 MB) | Part 1.7 -- "The Old Lady at the Top of the Hill." Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 8 (20.94 MB) | End of Part 1.8 with "With a Rose, for Brunhilde," and "Lady Iron Heels." Part 2 should be along shortly. Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 9 (8.33 MB) | Part 2.1, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "In Lost Jerusalem," and the beginning of "A Temple Made With Hands." Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 10 (14.95 MB) | Part 2.2, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes the last part of "A Temple Made With Hands." Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 11 (11.85 MB) | Part 2.3, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes: Poem "The Town of American Visions" "On Being Entertained One Evening by College Boys" Poem "That Which Men Hail as Kings" "Near Shickshinny, Part 1" Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 12 (14.52 MB) | Part 2.4, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "Near Shickshinny, Parts 2 & 3" Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 13 (6.16 MB) | Part 2.5, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "Near Shickshinny, Parts 4 & 5" (the end thereof). Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 14 (11.1 MB) | Part 2.6, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "What the Sexton Said," and "Death, The Devil, and Human Kindness," part 1 Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 15 (8.41 MB) | Part 2.7, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "Death, The Devil, and Human Kindness," parts 2 & 3. Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 16 (7.76 MB) | Part 2.8, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "Death, The Devil, and Human Kindness," part 4. Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 17 (8.46 MB) | Part 2.9, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "Life Transcendent," "In the Immaculate Conception Church," and "The Old Gentleman with the Lantern," part 1. Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 18 (8.41 MB) | Part 2.10, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "The Old Gentleman with the Lantern," parts 2 & 3. Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 19 (7.91 MB) | Part 2.11, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "The Old Gentleman with the Lantern," parts 4 & 5. Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 20 (6.96 MB) | Part 2.12, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "The Old Gentleman with the Lantern," parts 6 & 7. Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 21 (4.18 MB) | Part 2.13, "A Mendicant Pilgrimage in the East." Includes "The Old Gentleman with the Lantern," part 8, and "That Men Might See Again the Angel Throng." And that's the end of the book. Now I'll be sad for a while, I think. And then find another book. What adventure awaits? "God help us to be brave." Music by Kevin MacLeod. | Mar 6, 2009 |
| A Handy Guide for Beggars, Episode 22 - Thank you (1.85 MB) | If you liked this book, here are some others I've recorded for your enjoyment. Thanks for listening! | Jul 9, 2009 |