Charles S. Holmes is considered one of the preeminent scholars of Thurber's literary career. Holmes's 1972 biography of James Thurber, The Clocks of Columbus, is a detailed examination of both the writer and his works. It is accepted by many as the definitive biography.

Among contemporary humor essayists, Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris are among the most respected. Vowell's most recent collection is The Partly Cloudy Patriot, published by Simon & Schuster in 2002. Sedaris's masterpiece is "The Santaland Diaries," a Thurberesque account of his stint as an elf at Macy's one Christmastime, included in the 1994 collection Barrel Fever.

Essays that Thurber wrote about the writing profession have been collected in Collecting Himself: James Thurber on Writing and Writers, Humor and Himself, edited by Michael J. Rosen. It was published in 1989 by Harper & Rowe.

Most of Thurber's best humor pieces, including "The Night...