Rating: 
Summary: A welcome addition to the Vonnegut canon
Review: Since most of the stories in "Bagombo Snuff Box" were previously uncollected in book form, the arrival of this collection is a treat for all Vonnegut fans. As a writer of "slick fiction" for the magazine market of the 1950's and early 1960's, Vonnegut tailored his stories for a general readership; while the experimentalism of novels like "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Breakfast of Champions" is nowhere on display, Vonnegut's craftsmanship is well-documented by these stories. "Bagombo Snuff Box" should be treated much like The Beatles Anthology collections; neither is for the casual fan, but both are indispensable for completists. The stories included in this collection are a cut below the stories in "Welcome To the Monkey House" (it's easy to see why they were left out of Vonnegut's first collection), but each is an enjoyable read, with several stories ("Thanosphere", "Custom-Made Bride" and "Souvenir") standing out for their voice and originality. This is also required reading for any serious students of Vonnegut, as many of the themes explored in his major works are given an early run-through in these stories. "2BRO2B" reads almost like a first draft of "Welcome to the Monkey House" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" from the Monkey House collection. The stories are also interesting as snapshots from a by-gone era, particularly in their treatment of women. One of the strongest characters in the collection is Sheila White, of "Lovers Anonymous," a talented, ambitious woman whose sublimated talents places a strain on her marriage. While the impact of the story is lessened by a careless final sentence, Vonnegut should be credited for sneaking a potentially subversive theme into a mainstream publication. A reader's reaction to "Bagombo Snuff Box" will probably mirror his or her expectations. Anyone expecting cutting-edge Vonnegut will be disappointed. Fans who like to read everything a favorite author has written will be thrilled to add this to the collection. Since I put myself into the latter category, the arrival of "Bagombo Snuff Box" is like a Christmas present in July. Thoroughly unexpected, and completely enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Warm, Satisfying... but don't expect too much.
Review: The author has always been an intriguing and offbeat writer but to be honest for most of my life I haven't much cared for his writings. That is, until I put down Mr. Vonnegut's novels and tried his short stories. Very few writers can do short stories well, and Vonnegut is superb. This collection is not of his best, but of many older stories that many have not read. Most are excellent, a few are magnificent and only one was a quick death--thank God.Good collection for Vonnegut lovers, but perhaps not worth the hardpack price for others.
Rating: 
Summary: vonnegut in short form
Review: The contents are short stories from mainly the fifties that Vonnegut got published in various magazines of the day. The stories read like typical Vonnegut, though in short format, you can tell Vonnegut focuses more on characters than on plot. I found it enjoyable. My one critique is that many of the stories were very very similar. As if he published one in Cosmo, and they called him and said "we like that! give us more as close to that as possible!"
Rating:
Summary: vonnegut in short form
Review: The contents are short stories from mainly the fifties that Vonnegut got published in various magazines of the day. The stories read like typical Vonnegut, though in short format, you can tell Vonnegut focuses more on characters than on plot. I found it enjoyable. My one critique is that many of the stories were very very similar. As if he published one in Cosmo, and they called him and said "we like that! give us more as close to that as possible!"
Rating: 
Summary: Daughter pleaser, father face-saver
Review: The only KV I've read is "Cat's Cradle" and that was 30 years ago. I noticed that my divine and discerning elder daughter carrying round various Vonnegut volumes so, ..., I snapped it up.
Rating:
Summary: Can the real Kurt step up?
Review: There is a definite reason where the introduction bewares of this being Pre Vonnegutan days. There's the beginning of a master, some twists but that's all. Vonnegut is best known for his quirky, cynical twist on society. If anything in a lot of these stories he supports it. Especially when in "Lovers Anonymous" when he went on about magic markers and report cards, (you have to read it in order to know what I'm talking about.)
Rating:
Summary: Can the real Kurt step up?
Review: There is a definite reason where the introduction bewares of this being Pre Vonnegutan days. There's the beginning of a master, some twists but that's all. Vonnegut is best known for his quirky, cynical twist on society. If anything in a lot of these stories he supports it. Especially when in "Lovers Anonymous" when he went on about magic markers and report cards, (you have to read it in order to know what I'm talking about.)
Rating:
Summary: Power naps of Vonnegut
Review: These short stories, harking back to another age and a near-extinct genre, offer what amounts to fifteen-minute power naps, delivering Vonnegut's refreshing wit and unique perspective in small doses potent enough to be memorable. Though written fifty years ago for popular magazines such as Colliers, Cosmopolitan, and Playboy, many of these stories still hit right on the mark, satirizing and lampooning such sacred American values as spirituality, industry, and consumerism. If you have long been a fan of Vonnegut, I highly recommend this collection. For a first-time reader, some of his earlier, more renowned novels would be recommended before enjoying these little desserts.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining collection of short stories
Review: This book offers an entertaining set of Vonnegut's previously uncollected short stories, most of which were written in the 1950s and early 1960s. While the quality of the tales is not as good as those in his previously published "Welcome to the Monkey House," anybody who is a fan of Vonnegut's work, or even someone who simply likes good stories, will enjoy this book.
Yet like all good fiction, Vonnegut's work is as valuable for its insights as for its ability to entertain. While the stories collected here are in a variety of genres, one theme does emerge from them - the hunger for distinction. From the title story to "The Package", "The Powder-Blue Dragon" to "Runaways," many of the stories are about people seeking something that distinguishes them from the rest of their world, usually somthing that is artificial or external to who they are. That these searches usually end in folly for the characters appears to illustrate Vonnegut's point - it is who we are as people that matters, not the trinkets we buy or the poses we adopt. Though hardly radical today, it is a point that offers an interesting contrast to the consumer-driven age that spawned such tales.
Rating:
Summary: Pure short story Vonnegut, nothing more, nothing less.
Review: This is for readers who still enjoy a good short story, period. This is an outdated medium but persists nonetheless. If you are looking for sci-fi fantesy, you will find little here. If you looking for true Vonnegut humanism and irony, there is more than you bargained for. The author rests his stories on his history...WWII most notably. If you are smart enough to make the transferance you will enjoy the stories. I am savoring each and every one.
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