Laughing Matters

by Gene Shalit

Book Overview

A celebration of American Humor selected and edited by Gene Shalit wiht cartoons and illustrations throughout. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385185472
• ISBN13: 9780385185479
• Release Date: September 1987
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 622 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Priceless laughter

Long an admirer of E. B. White's 1941 edition of "A Subtreasury of American Humor," author Gene Shalit felt that an update was needed. He began work on LAUGHING MATTERS - A TREASURY OF AMERICAN HUMOR** in 1981, and published his 600-page compendium some six years later. "Laughing Matters" includes prime samples of dozens of humorists, poets and artists, from classic authors like Mark Twain and Finley Peter Dunne, to early 20th Century greats (Benchley, Parker, Thurber, Saroyan, etc.), to stage, movie and radio excerpts, to popular comic strips, and farce from MAD Magazine and NATIONAL LAMPOON. The book has no chapter or category divisions. Shalit recommends that these short stories, poems, cartoons and article excerpts be read in order of publication, as there's a certain logical flow to the material. Thus for example, Philip Roth's "Letters to Einstein" is followed by a panel cartoon that illustrates an Albert Einstein quote. The majority of what's here is FIVE-STAR material. Points off however for Mr. Shalit's inclusion of a few favorites from his youth that may not measure up, also for some substantially reduced-in-size repros of magazine pages that can't be read without a magnifying glass. **The Barnes & Noble reissue name for "Laughing Matters - A Celebration of American Humor" FOR COMPLETE CONTENTS LISTED BY AUTHOR, SEE COMMENT #1 (located below)

Priceless Laughter

Long an admirer of E. B. White's 1941 edition of "A Subtreasury of American Humor," author Gene Shalit felt that an update was needed. He began work on LAUGHING MATTERS - A CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN HUMOR in 1981, and published his 600-page compendium some six years later. "Laughing Matters" includes prime samples of dozens of humorists, poets and artists, from classic authors like Mark Twain and Finley Peter Dunne, to early 20th Century greats (Benchley, Parker, Thurber, Saroyan, etc.), to stage, movie and radio excerpts, to popular comic strips, and farce from MAD Magazine and NATIONAL LAMPOON. The book has no chapter or category divisions. Shalit recommends that these short stories, poems, cartoons and article excerpts be read in order of publication, as there's a certain logical flow to the material. Thus for example, Philip Roth's "Letters to Einstein" is followed by a panel cartoon that illustrates an Albert Einstein quote. The majority of what's here is FIVE-STAR material. Points off however for Mr. Shalit's inclusion of a few favorites from his youth that may not measure up, also for some substantially reduced-in-size repros of magazine pages that can't be read without a magnifying glass. FOR COMPLETE CONTENTS LISTED BY AUTHOR, SEE COMMENT #1 (located below)

Great book for great laughs

This book is a remarkable collection of shorts stories by some of the best humorists in American History. It features some of Woody Allen's best works. Plus the editor of the book was film critic Gene Shalit. One look at his hair makes people laugh.