National Lampoon's Big Book of Love [Hardcover]

Scott Rubin (Author), Sean Crespo (Author), Mason Brown (Author), Steve Brykman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2004

At long last, an off-color, politically incorrect, and sometimes cringe-inducingly hilarious collection of the National Lampoon's most notorious R-rated material on, about, and having nothing at all to do with Love.

Culled from the twenty-odd year archives of offensive material from the National Lampoon vault, plus original material from the National Lampoon's new breed of sophomoric talents, National Lampoon's Big Book of Love is sure to offend every member of a church or synagogue; every man or woman, gay or straight, young or old; all Republicans and Democrats; and anyone belonging to any club or association of socially responsible people in the United States or around the world.

From soup to nuts, the National Lampoon has its own point of view on everything loosely associated with love. Lowlights include "Nancy Reagan's Guide to Dating Dos and Don'ts," P. J. O'Rourke's "How to Write Love Letters," Michael O'Donoghue's "Pornocopia," Emily Prager's "Clampax Instruction Booklet," and, of course, "Foto Funnies."

A book for college freshmen of all ages, National Lampoon's Big Book of Love is simply awesome.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A mix of old gags pulled from two decades' worth of the National Lampoon and a crop of new material from today's "sophomoric talents," this big, colorful collection runs the gamut from amusing to tiresome all the way to offensive. There's the essay "My Penis," about a girl who wakes up with one, and her subsequent (presumably) titillating activities; this is coupled with "My Vagina," a parallel tale in which a boy wakes up with said genitalia and eventually is gang raped ("the worst thing that happened was that I had to use up most of my money I was saving...to get an abortion"). It's almost impossible to imagine who might find that funny. The "Foto Funnies" throughout the book are real dinosaurs, a sort of Love American Style-meets-comic-book, with lots and lots of naked breasts-in other words, they're silly and harmless. There's "Nancy Reagan's Guide to Dating Dos and Don'ts" ("if you are going on an unchaperoned date, an additional girdle or two can be a welcome "something extra" when the full moon rises and that "all-American becomes "all hands"!); a fake catalogue of lingerie for toddlers, an engagement guide (as women age, the author counsels, "Everything gets bigger, hairier and close to the ground"). But why include pieces like "First Blow Job," which contains a forced fellatio scene, or "Rape Mysteries," a phony advertisement for books with titles like "To Rape a Mockingbird" and "Dial R for Rape"? There's always the argument that the whole thing is tongue-in-cheek, meant to offend, etc.-but the book lacks the self-awareness of, say, the Onion, which smartly and uproariously pulls off deeply un-PC humor. For readers nostalgic for the Lampoon's glory days, this may be a treat; others should reach for a copy of the Onion. It's funnier-and it's free. (Feb.
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About the Author

Scott Rubin is the editor in chief of National Lampoon Inc.

Sean Crespo and Mason Brown are the associate editors who did all of the real work.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rugged Land (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590710185
• ISBN-13: 978-1590710180
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true retrospective of the magazine., January 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: National Lampoon's Big Book of Love (Hardcover)

200+ pages of the very best of National Lampoon, the magazine teenage boys had to use to see naked chicks before the internet was invented.
Quality stuff by P.J. O'Rourke, John Hughes, Doug Kenney, and the other NL alumni. Holds up well, and there's a smattering of new material that ranks right up there. The biggest surprise is a piece by William S. Burroughs (!)
Can't wait for the next "Big Book"

5.0 out of 5 stars Still funny after all these years, September 1, 2011

By 

M H "Renaissance Man" (Ca.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: National Lampoon's Big Book of Love (Hardcover)

I was able to read the original articles in my Uncle's collection in the 70's and 80's,
but then Katrina washed everything he owned into the Lake.

This collection of all those great articles is a wonderful way to relive the non-PC, edgy humor of those times.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Naughty, but funny, July 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: National Lampoon's Big Book of Love (Hardcover)

Lots of the best bits from the magazine, plus plenty of stuff I'd never seen. A great gift.