Comedy Thesaurus (Paperback)

by Judy Brown (Author) "It's always seemed a shame to me that every hook of "humorous quotations" drags out the same tired one-liners from dead white males like Oscar..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Father's Day, Mother's Day (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
On politics: "You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: It wasn't that long ago that we were swept away by the Macarena."

Product Description
Every book of "humorous quotations" features the same tired one-liners from dead white males like Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain—until now. The Comedy Thesaurus features more than three thousand quips from the funniest people on the planet—everyone from Margaret Cho and Conan O'Brien to Eddie Murphy and Lewis Black. Arranged A to Z by subject (accidents, aging, alcohol, etc.) and thoroughly cross-referenced, it's chock-full of hilarious observations. On politics: "You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: It wasn't that long ago that we were swept away by the Macarena."—Jon Stewart On shopping: "Every town has the same two malls: the one white people go to, and the one white people used to go to."—Chris Rock On sex: "Engaged women have sex 2.9 times a week. And the .9 is really frustrating."—Jay Leno And that's just the beginning. Full of laugh-out-loud remarks from the most popular comedians on the planet, The Comedy Thesaurus is a terrific resource for writers, speakers, fans of stand-up comedy, and anyone who appreciates a good joke.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (August 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594740585
• ISBN-13: 978-1594740589
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #134,580 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the editor of The Comedy Thesaurus Judy Brown, June 3, 2006

By	Judith J. Brown "judybrowni" (Santa Monica CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A below "review" on this site (if it hasn't already been removed) accuses me of "stealing" comedians' material via a "legal loophole."

Which is a not only a misreading of US Copyright Law, but misrepresents the content of my book, my methods for compiling it, and my intent.

Up to 100 comedians directly contributed jokes to me for this book; and the material gathered under the Fair Use provision of US Copyright law is not only correctly contributed to each comedian, but in addition I have, whenever possible, provided contact information for comedians, so that readers who like the glimpse of a comedian's act provided, can then contact the comedian and buy the CD, DVD of his/her act or find out where to see that comedian live or on TV.

The Fair Use provision of the US Copyright laws is no mere "legal loophole" -- it has not only provided the basis for the compiling of every other quote book in existence in the USA for at least 100 years, but is the underpinning of every news report you read (or hear), and every history book written in the United States. Fair Use has not only been upheld by the Supreme Court, it has been championed by every free speech advocate imaginable, including the ACLU.

If my intent had been to "steal" I could have printed the quotes without attribution (which happens all too often on the internet, usually by those unfamiliar with US Copyright law or fair use, in any sense.) And I certainly wouldn't have gone to the trouble to provide comedian credits, bios and contact information (including email or website addresses, whenever possible.)

But as a reporter on the comedy scene for over 20 years -- including as the comedy critic for the LA Weekly for over a dozens years, and also freelance for the Los Angeles Times, Mademoiselle magazine and other newspapers and magazines -- that would be unlikely to be my intent.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Deal!, April 19, 2006

By	Tokyo Shock Boy (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

This is basically a smart-ass version of Bartlett's Quotations -- and what a terrific deal. 3000+ quotes for $16.95. And they're not the same quotes that you see in all the other quote collections -- no Mark Twain, no Oscar Wilde, no Dorothy Parker. These quotes are all refreshingly contemporary -- culled by the author from a ton of standup performances. If you're looking for funny/fresh observations to use in a speech or article, this is the perfect reference. (And kudos to the book's illustrator -- the oddball chapter openers are delightful!)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars greater than expected, February 23, 2006

By	Karariki (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

i'm usually lazy writing book reviews, but this book is quite good and i think it deserves my compliments. I bought this book b/c the it's a relatively clean joke book and seems to be better than the other books that i glanced thru when i was at the book store. When i started reading it, it was much better than i expected. not everything in this book is funny, but the majority is. it's not a dumb joke book, it's witty & clever & right into the point. it's worth my money. everyone who has a sense of humor would definitely love this book.