10 h 36 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 10 h 36 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if escaping the city only brings you closer to neighbors, household disasters, and a whole new kind of noise?
In Out of the Hurly-Burly; Or, Life in an Odd Corner, Max Adeler follows a narrator who trades city noise for a quiet country town. Peace seems within reach. Then the neighbors reveal their habits, household plans fall apart, and ordinary events begin to swell into absurd trouble. The escape from bustle becomes a fresh source of it.
These separate comic sketches explore the promise of country peace, the quirks of small-town characters, and the chaos of domestic life. A stubborn neighbor, a self-important official, or a badly timed visitor can set trouble moving. Adeler lets a little mishap grow until a household or street is in uproar, keeping the humor broad, brisk, and good-natured.
What you’ll discover
- Peace with a catch Watch the hope of a quiet country life collide with the people next door.
- Neighbors worth meeting Meet local characters whose stubborn habits and inflated importance give each sketch its comic spark.
- Small mishaps grow large Follow the slow build as everyday trouble grows into a household or street uproar.
- Domestic plans come undone Find good-natured comedy in the gap between a household's intentions and what actually happens.
- A sketch at a time Enjoy separate episodes that let you dip in without following one continuous plot.
Who will love it
Readers who like gentle, good-natured American humor, tall tales told with a straight face, and small-town characters with big opinions. It suits anyone who enjoys Mark Twain's sketches or a cheerful love story.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A city man goes looking for quiet
- Household machines and servants refuse to behave
- A runaway plant and a lesson in marriage
- Neighbors test your temper and your dignity
- Bob's courtship and the doctor next door
- The newspaper editor who prints nonsense
- A horse, a fishing trip and a church
- Tall tales from a lieutenant who exaggerates
- A cruel law and the legend of Mary Engle
- Slander, nonsense and the real subject of the book
Who’s who
- Max AdelerThe narrator, a city man who moves his family to New Castle for quiet and finds that neighbors and mishaps keep him busy.
- Mrs. AdelerHis sensible wife, who listens to his jokes, doubts his stories, and wants a horse, a servant and a happy household.
- Bob ParkerMrs. Adeler's young cousin, in love with Bessie Magruder, who cannot find the nerve to propose.
- Bessie MagruderThe pretty, gracious daughter of the village's well-off Magruder family, who wants to marry Bob.
- Judge PitmanThe honest, uneducated neighbor with a borrowed title, who is happy in every kind of weather.
- Mr. CooleyThe neighbor on the other side, who teases Adeler, quarrels with his wife and keeps a barking dog.
- Colonel BangsThe editor of The Morning Argus, proud of his title and eager to claim credit for other people's work.
- Lieutenant SmileyAn army officer formerly in the Navy, charming and fond of impossible stories, who wants Bessie for himself.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Aus dem Durcheinander; oder: Leben in einem seltsamen Winkel
by Max Adeler · 1874
A city man seeks quiet in New Castle and finds a runaway step ladder, a feuding neighbor and a wild century plant.
Medium level5–10 hours to readDeutsch
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanischFranzösischDeutschItalienischJapanischPortugiesischEnglischHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What happens when a worn-out city man decides that peace lives in a small town? In Out of the Hurly-Burly, Max Adeler moves his family to New Castle, Delaware, a sleepy village on the river.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A city man goes looking for quiet
Adeler opens by arguing that village life beats both the city and the farm. In the city, thin walls bring a music teacher, crying babies, a barking dog and a steam whistle. In the deep country there is lonely silence and a walk to the post office. A village gives company when you want it and solitude when you do not.
He is honest about the price. In a village, everyone knows what your carpets cost and when your wife's winter bonnet arrives. One gossiping old woman can ruin a show of wealth in an hour. Adeler finds this nosiness almost kind, because it ties neighbors together.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1874
- Language
- Deutsch
- Reading time
- 6 h 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Adeler, Max. Out of the Hurly-Burly; Or, Life in an Odd Corner. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/out-of-the-hurly-burly-or-life-in-an-odd-corner.
Adeler, M. (2026). Out of the hurly-burly; or, life in an odd corner. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/out-of-the-hurly-burly-or-life-in-an-odd-corner (Original work published 1874)
Adeler, Max. Out of the Hurly-Burly; Or, Life in an Odd Corner. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/out-of-the-hurly-burly-or-life-in-an-odd-corner.
@book{adeler2026out,
author = {Adeler, Max},
title = {Out of the Hurly-Burly; Or, Life in an Odd Corner},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/out-of-the-hurly-burly-or-life-in-an-odd-corner},
note = {First published 1874}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Aus dem Durcheinander; oder: Leben in einem seltsamen Winkel
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Out of the Hurly-Burly about?
It is a comic account of a city man, Max Adeler, who moves his family to the Delaware village of New Castle for peace and finds neighbors, gadgets, gossip and a love story, told in short humorous episodes.
Is Out of the Hurly-Burly a true story?
No. It is a work of humor in which the narrator, Mr. Adeler, is a comic character. It mixes invented village scenes with real places and local history, such as old Fort Kasimir and the river at New Castle.
Who is Judge Pitman?
He is Adeler's next-door neighbor, a wealthy, uneducated man called judge though he has never held a court. He is warm and honest, mangles his words, and is happy in every kind of weather.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in humour and satire
See all
