Milton Berle's Private Joke File: Over 10,000 of His Best Gags, Anecdotes, and One-Liners [Paperback]

Milton Berle (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

One of the legends of show biz delves into his personal treasury of jokes ("The most comprehensive storehouse of 20th-century humor in the world"--Los Angeles Magazine) to present the most astounding array of one-liners, anecdotes, quips, and gags ever published. Line drawings.

From the Inside Flap

One of the legends of show biz delves into his personal treasury of jokes ("The most comprehensive storehouse of 20th-century humor in the world"--Los Angeles Magazine) to present the most astounding array of one-liners, anecdotes, quips, and gags ever published. Line drawings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (January 28, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517587165
• ISBN-13: 978-0517587164
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #374,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A resource if you like to (and need) laughs!!, August 29, 2001

By	Joel L. Gandelman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Milton Berle's Private Joke File: Over 10,000 of His Best Gags, Anecdotes, and One-Liners (Paperback)

This has to be the most impressive joke book ever asssembled. I've seen others that have lots of very funny stuff. Others that are better organized. And others that better reflect a comedian or editor's particular humor page per page. This one is truly a joke file. It's a big, thick, fat book with highly readable type -- and jokes that "rock." These jokes range from old-style vaudeville, burlesque jokes to jokes more "modern," from puns to insults, to long anecdotes. I'm an entertainer and when I do a show and am looking for a joke I look to this; sometimes I use one of them to fill a gap but often it gives me an idea upon which I can expand. If you like to laugh or need laughs for your speaking programs, shows, etc. you MUST have this on your library shelf. I often enter jokes that I like in my database but there are just so many I have cirlced here that I love that I go to the original. Also, it is big and fat and hilarious but the subjects may not include every single subject you want. Some other "big" joke books have more subjects, but this covers most of the basics and the selection is so wonderful that it's worth it. Actually, if you get this you should have the second volume he did, too -- which I also have and enjoy. Joke per joke I think this is the best, most diverse joke book ever published. Well worth the price in the enjoyment you'll get and the laughs you'll generate!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Collection of Really Funny Jokes, March 4, 2001

By	Edward J Vasicek (Kokomo, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Milton Berle's Private Joke File: Over 10,000 of His Best Gags, Anecdotes, and One-Liners (Paperback)

This book is filled with many ideally sized jokes arranged by numerous topic. Although I do not appreciate off-color jokes, most of those are avoidable by avoiding the off-color topics.

I have used many of these jokes in writing and speaking and highly recommend this as perhaps the funniest large-volume jokebook.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Every joke you have ever heard, June 6, 2000

By	Philip J. Bohlken (Caldwell, Idaho) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Milton Berle's Private Joke File: Over 10,000 of His Best Gags, Anecdotes, and One-Liners (Paperback)

This book contains every joke you have ever heard, although the setting may be presented differently. The index is not too helpful because the joke you heard may have been about two guys in Arizona, but Berle tells it about two women in India. Some of the jokes assume a Jewish or a New York background, and are a little hard to use in other settings. Still, it is a rich resource for toastmasters, etc. I suggest you just read the whole book and mark jokes you like. Make notes inside the cover to find them again.