The Man Who Knew Coolidge (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Jazz Age satire of business boosterism, middle-class ambition, and the comic self-deceptions of successBy Sinclair Lewis
Length6h 49m
About this audiobook
The Man Who Knew Coolidge is Sinclair Lewis's sharp comic study of American business civilization in the 1920s, delivered through the garrulous monologues of Lowell Schmaltz, a self-satisfied traveling salesman and civic booster. Loosely linked rather than conventionally plotted, the book turns vernacular speech, repetition, and commercial cliché into instruments of satire. In the literary context of Lewis's broader assault on provincial complacency, it extends the world of Babbitt by exposing the emptiness beneath success, patriotism, and proximity to power. Lewis, born in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, made a career of anatomizing the habits, ambitions, and evasions of middle-class America. His fascination with small towns, salesmanship, professional prestige, and the rhetoric of respectability shaped works such as Main Street, Babbitt, Arrowsmith, and Elmer Gantry. Written during the Coolidge prosperity, this book reflects Lewis's acute ear for public cant and his suspicion of a culture that mistook optimism and networking for wisdom. This volume is recommended to readers interested in American satire, modernist-era social criticism, and the linguistic comedy of self-deception. Though less famous than Lewis's major novels, it offers a concentrated portrait of the business-minded citizen whose confidence reveals more than he understands.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreHumor, General Fiction
Length6 hrs 49 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJan 4, 2024
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Man Who Knew Coolidge (Annotated)
8PART III. YOU KNOW HOW WOMEN ARE
2Introduction
9PART IV. YOU KNOW HOW RELATIVES ARE
3Synopsis
10PART V. TRAVEL IS SO BROADENING
4Historical Context
11PART VI. THE BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL IDEALS OF CHRISTIAN AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP
5Author Biography
12Analysis
Show all chaptersShow less
6PART I. THE MAN WHO KNEW COOLIDGE1
13Reflection
7PART II. THE STORY BY MACK McMACK
14Memorable Quotes
Kingsblood Royal (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis14h 42m$2 · $0.00
Ann Vickers (Kommentiert)Sinclair Lewis22h 25m$1 · $0.00
Die Hauptstraße (Kommentiert)Sinclair Lewis16h 21m$1 · $0.00
Main Street (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis21h 7m$2 · $0.00
Sinclair Lewis - Ultimate Collection (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis278h 49m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Works of Sinclair LewisSinclair Lewis90h 50m$2 · $0.00
Main Street & BabbittSinclair Lewis34h 43m$1 · $0.00
Main StreetSinclair Lewis20h 38m$2 · $0.00
Die HauptstraßeSinclair Lewis16h 15m$1 · $0.00
The Trail of the HawkSinclair Lewis10h 59m$2 · $0.00
Sinclair Lewis: Die großen RomaneSinclair Lewis109h 6m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Sinclair LewisSinclair Lewis261h 58m$1 · $0.00
The JobSinclair Lewis11h 47m$1 · $0.00
Das KunstwerkSinclair Lewis16h 10m$2 · $0.00
MantrapSinclair Lewis7h 50m$1 · $0.00
The Willow WalkSinclair Lewis1h 29m$1 · $0.00
BabbittSinclair Lewis15h 37m$1 · $0.00
Elmer Gantry (Kommentiert)Sinclair Lewis22h 49m$1 · $0.00
MantrapSinclair Lewis9h 13m$1 · $0.00
The Life of DaiDai Henwood, Jaquie Brown8h 2m$26 · $0.00
Poems of ParentingLoryn Brantz42m4 (1)$9 · $0.00
What If? 10th Anniversary EditionRandall Munroe7h 29m$23
Welcome to PawneeJim O'Heir6h 24m$24 · $0.00
Going PostalTerry Pratchett13h 36m$33 · $0.00
The Complete Chronicles of Barsetshire: (The Warden + Barchester Towers + Doctor Thorne + Framley Parsonage + The Small House at Allington + The Last Chronicle of Barset)Anthony Trollope140h 13m$1 · $0.00
Woman UninterruptedBrodie Kane7h 1m$24 · $0.00
1984 & Animal Farm (Annotated)George Orwell15h 54m$3 · $0.00
Kingsblood Royal (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis14h 42m$2 · $0.00
Hot Cowgirl Sh*tLacie Evans2h 15m$15
The Complete Novels of Mark Twain - 12 Books in One Volume (Illustrated Edition)Mark Twain154h 17m$2 · $0.00
This Is Going to HurtAdam Kay5h 47m$24 · $0.00
MAKE WAY FOR LUCIA - Complete Mapp and Lucia Series (6 Novels & 2 Short Stories)E. F. Benson60h 25m$1 · $0.00
You Will Get Through This NightDaniel Howell6h 56m$24 · $0.00
Northanger Abbey (Annotated)Jane Austen10h 7m$2 · $0.00
My Dear HamiltonStephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie23h 7m$46 · $0.00
The Night Before Christmas at Dunder MifflinBrian Baumgartner, Ben Silverman6m$4 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of G. K. Chesterton (Annotated)G. K. Chesterton58h 29m$3 · $0.00
The Complete Works of SakiSaki, H. H. Munro52h 37m$2 · $0.00
Jungle UpNick Pirog10h 8m$20
Body Refinement in a Beast Tamer’s World, Book 1Seth Ring14h 7m$27
EmberJeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews13h 58m$23
The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Unabridged)Jane Austen88h 8m5 (1)$1 · $0.00
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m5 (1)$28 · $0.00
Searching For ThanksgivingS.E. Smith4h 24m$20
Naughty 4Brenda Hampton7h 30m$17
The Dance with Me TrilogyShelley Shepard Gray21h 44m$35
Anne Shirley (Complete 14 Book Collection)Lucy Maud Montgomery125h 28m$2 · $0.00
The DopemanJaQuavis Coleman5h 25m$20
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.4 (14)$29 · $0.00
Grand Opening 2Carl Weber9h 16m$20
Sons of Valor II: Violence of ActionBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson12h 34m$23
Malevolent MagicMildred Abbott7h 13m$17
Bikes, Toys, and Hot BoyzGenesis Woods, Shantaé13h 9m$23
War LordBernard Cornwell13h 21m$33 · $0.00
Ghetto BastardK’wan7h 37m$20
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
The Vineyard BrideKatie Winters5h 5m$15
The Fyodor Dostoyevsky Complete CollectionFyodor Dostoyevsky266h 5m5 (1)$200 · $0.00
You may also like
Is sex necessary?E.B. White, James Thurber3h 3m$2 · $0.00
Race Me in a Lobster SuitKelly Mahon2h 55m$17 · $0.00
Seven Kinds of People You Find in BookshopsShaun Bythell2h 1m$15 · $0.00
Gullible's Travels etc.Ring Lardner4h 50m$2.30
Seductio Ad Absurdum (Annotated)Emily Hahn4h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Diary of a Nobody (Unabridged)George Grossmith, Weedon Grossmith5h 14m$2 · $0.00
The Roycroft Dictionary, Concocted by Ali Baba and the Bunch on Rainy DaysElbert Hubbard1h 58m$2 · $0.00
Is Sex Necessary? Or, Why You Feel the Way You DoJames Thurber, E. B. White3h 5m$20
Mr. Punch at Home: The Comic Side of Domestic LifeVarious2h 9m$1 · $0.00
The Descent of Man and Other StoriesEdith Wharton7h 49m$2.30
The Man Who Knew Coolidge (Summarized Edition)Sinclair Lewis2h 21m$1
The Best PolicyElliott Flower6h 36m$2 · $0.00
Bare Minimum ParentingJames Breakwell4h 7m$20 · $0.00
The Potiphar PapersGeorge William Curtis4h 24m$2 · $0.00
The Genial Idiot: His Views and ReviewsJohn Kendrick Bangs3h 50m$2.30
Imperfectly ProperPeter Donovan6h 28m$2 · $0.00
The Complete CynicEthel Watts Mumford Grant, Oliver Herford, Addison Mizner29m$2 · $0.00
GlopGabrielle Moss4h 16m$20 · $0.00
Nuts and NutcrackersCharles James Lever6h 28m$2 · $0.00
Notes From the Bathroom LineAmy Solomon6h 44m$24 · $0.00