Comedy by the Numbers: The 169 Secrets of Humor and Popularity (Paperback)

~ Eric Hoffman (Editor), Gary Rudoren (Editor) "We've debated amongst ourselves just what this book "wants" to be for you..." (more)
Key Phrases: mirror routine, triple take, comedic effect, Monty Python, Steve Martin, Sid Caesar (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book is perfect for people who are funny and for those who aren't funny (thus it is marketable to 100 percent of the population). As we all know, true creativity comes from simple formulas and the memorization of data. This new bible makes the secrets of comedy accessible, not only to those funny few among us, but also to those who might not have the ability or talent to be funny. One no longer need worry about originality — just find the right comedy number and apply as needed... and then you're on your way to POPULARITYVILLE!© Comedy by the Numbers is a NEARLY comprehensive list of all comedy characters, bits, scenarios, sketches, skits, shtick, and much more. (We say nearly because we want to leave room for Volume 2.) Included are special hints, tips, and unboring comedy history. Comedy by the Numbers is the brainchild of Prof. Eric Hoffman (Mr. Show) and Dr. Gary Rudoren (Annoyance Theatre) — AND features loads of comedy fun facts that you can memorize and use to impress people at parties!

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: McSweeney's (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932416757
• ISBN-13: 978-1932416756
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #341,322 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A clever idea that gradually wears thin, February 8, 2009

By	Brother Russell the First ""Ignorance is ... (Collapsed States of America) - See all my reviews

The authors have managed to create a parody of the old-fashioned "how-to" books that folks used to order from the backs of men's magazines or comic books, while at the same time giving a pretty insightful look into the fact that when it comes to comedy, it's all been done before. So the book works on two different levels at the same time. This is truly absurdist humor with some laugh-out-loud funny bits of satire, but there are also some interesting (and at times depressing) factoids about real comedians and comic traditions.

I have two main complaints about the book. First, the writing style has a somewhat uneven and at times slapdash quality, as if the writers were struggling to achieve a certain page count. Second, the overall concept or premise of the book begins to wear thin (and the laughs become fewer and further between) as you get into the last third of it.

I should also that the physical construction of the book is a bit sub-standard. The cover is made of some sort of recycled brown cardstock or heavy paper, with a three-hole punch (perhaps to make it look more like a manual or handbook, or at least that's how they are probably justifying the shoddy materials). To be fair, however, the paper quality inside the book is more than adequate (bright and readable).

Comedy by the Numbers is definitely worth a look if you can find it for a good 25% of more off the list price, but otherwise, you should probably skip it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't do this thing, June 25, 2008

By	S. Quattry (NYC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't do book reviews, I don't do surveys, I'm really lazy. But, for this book? For this book, I will take three minutes to write my first ever book review. It will be short. Ready? This is the funniest book I have ever read in my entire life. Sure, it could just be a crazy coincidence that the humor of the authors is the exact humor I like, but I think that anyone will find this book funny. I read the book over the course of a month so as to savor it, and I read 5 pages a night, and I laughed every single night, and 3/4ths of the nights I laughed till I had tears in my eyes. I'm cynical and not humored easily. But this book is incredibly funny.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strictly a bathroom reader, July 19, 2009

By	Phillip Schwarzmann "Billingual Illiterate" (Espoo, Finland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Any fans of stand-up comedy will like the idea of this book, one section for each aspect of comedy. But unfortunately it falls into the same trap most comedy books: It's tries to be funny first and interesting second.

There's little substance, just jokes, and very few times I really laughed. Reading this from front to back is ill-advised, put it next to the can and read a few pages while you're dropping the kids off at the pool.

BTW, there's a book-on-tape out on this book where popular comedians read out chapters of the book in front of audiences. It's also kinda Zzzz....: [...]