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The 50 Funniest American Writers*: An Anthology of Humor from Mark Twain to The Onion Hardcover – October 13, 2011

by Andy Borowitz (Editor)

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Ever wondered who makes a very funny person laugh? Wonder no more. Brought together in this Library of America collection are America’s fifty funniest writers—according to acclaimed writer and comedian Andy Borowitz. Reaching back to Mark Twain and forward to contemporary masters such as David Sedaris, Nora Ephron, Roy Blount Jr., Ian Frazier, Bernie Mac, Wanda Sykes, and George Saunders, The 50 Funniest American Writers* is an exclusive Who’s Who of the very best American comic writing. Here are Thurber and Perelman, Lenny Bruce and Bruce Jay Friedman, Garrison Keillor, Dave Barry, and Veronica Geng, plus hilarious lesser-known pieces from The New Yorker, Esquire, The Atlantic, National Lampoon, and The Onion. Who does “one of the funniest people in America” (CBS Sunday Morning) read when he needs a laugh?

The 50 Funniest American Writers*: An Anthology of Humor from Mark Twain to The Onion

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sublimely funny... This book is a treasure trove of laughter and an ideal gift for anyone who needs to be cheered up or refreshed, which these days means just about everyone you know."
- Nell Minow The Movie Mom

A New York Times Best Seller

-- The New York Times

Editor's Choice and Best Seller

-- Buffalo News

"Had me laughing out loud."

-- Jack Goodstein, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Surprisingly excellent. Anthologies of this sort rarely live up to their claims, but the selections here are a great representation of American humor from the last 100 years."

--Goodreads

"Sublimely funny. . . . This book is a treasure trove of laughter and an ideal gift for anyone who needs to be cheered up or refreshed, which these days means just about everyone you know."
-- Nell Minow, The Movie Mom

"An indispensable book for anyone who likes to laugh. A surprisingly satisfying and consistently funny collection that might be the best American humor anthology on the market." Grade: A.
-- Humor Lit Books Blog

"You NEED this book. It's hilarious fun."
-- R. L. Stine

From the Author

Does being funny get you girls?

Growing up in Ohio, I was convinced that it did. I got this from a source I took to be representative of all women: Playboy centerfolds. Every issue, the Playmate Data Sheet would, with astonishing consistency, indicate that Miss Whenever's turn-on was "a sense of humor." (Turn-off? "Phony people.") I vowed to be a hilarious sincere person who would have sex with lots of naked people named Brandi.

I accepted this view of humor-as-pheromone despite mountains of real-world evidence to the contrary. At Shaker High, the girls mainly went for jocks whose idea of a witty retort was a wedgie. And if I had looked a little more closely at Playboy's monthly "Party Pics" feature, I might have noticed that the bunnies at Hef's Mansion gravitated towards the laps of people like Lee Majors, the star of "The Six Million Dollar Man" and not, to my knowledge, a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table.

What being funny got me, mostly, was a lot of free time. While the jocks were busy having tantric romps with cheerleaders, I kept myself occupied by reading Mark Twain, Woody Allen, and the many comic geniuses of The National Lampoon. Little did I know then that, over the course of a thousand dateless nights, a Library of America collection was being born.

So, getting back to my original question: does being funny get you girls? No. It gets you to be the editor of a humor anthology.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product details

Hardcover: 504 pages
Publisher: Library of America; 1St Edition edition (October 13, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1598531077
ISBN-13: 978-1598531077
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Theories of Humor
- #9 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Genres & Styles > Humor
- #54 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Anthologies

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Sublimely funny

ByNell Minowon October 14, 2011

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I'm a fan of humor anthologies and have a collection that includes books by E.B. White, Gene Shalit, and many more. This is the best because it was assembled by one of the funniest guys around, Andy Borowitz, the first winner of the National Press Club's award for comedy and the guy behind the Borowitz Report, the most hilarious tweet feed there is. I grabbed my copy as soon as it arrived yesterday and read for an hour, enjoying old favorites and finding new favorites. Borowitz begins with Twain but instead of the usual jumping frog or whitewashed fence he makes an unexpected but absolutely perfect and timely choice with Twain's declaration of his candidacy for President. I was delighted to see George Ade, Charles Portis, Frank Sullivan, and Peter DeVries included -- for different reasons, all four have been neglected and all four merit thoughtful reconsideration. Their selections are also superbly chosen. I was even more delighted to find that Orchid Thief author Susan Orlean could be so funny, to see many of my current favorites like Sloane Crosley and David Rakoff and Wanda Sykes, and to be introduced to authors who are new to me like Jenny Allen and Henry Beard and Larry Wilmore. Dave Barry's discussion of men, women, and relationships and Bernie Mac's description of African-American funerals are priceless. The piece by Donald Barthelme on the questionnaire about writers and drinking and the Molly Ivins about Texas politics, "the finest form of free entertainment ever invented" are among my favorites because they show how the simple recitation of actual facts can be funnier than anything you could exaggerate or make up. This book is a treasure trove of laughter and an ideal gift for anyone who needs to be cheered up or refreshed, which these means just about everyone you know.

11 comment 115 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Humor for the sophisticated crowd

ByEast-Enderon December 29, 2011

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I wish I could write half as well as these writers. To convey the subject and the story in such a way that makes the reader laugh out loud is a talent that is unique among writers. Great humorous fiction, great comedic films and comedians are often under rated and under appreciated. Don't get me wrong, we love our comedians and those who make us laugh. We do not, however, take them seriously. I think this is very wrong. What could be more important than to have a daily laugh that makes our sides hurt or even a laugh that makes one pees one's self a little? Wouldn't having Stephen Colbert for president have been a great thing? We really should have statues erected of all the court jesters of all time and not these stodgy old mounted warriors with swords and such. Thanks to Andy Borowitz you have created a new, go to book, for me when I need a reminder that there is hope for humanity. :^)

0Comment 20 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Divinely Inspired

ByKeith Otis Edwardson December 28, 2011

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Just as the Holy Bible reflects the mentality of society during the Bronze Age in which it was written, so likewise, does The 50 Funniest American Writers reflect the American Century, and I think that this book should replace the Bible as a source of comfort and inspiration to us all. And just as every home always had at least one Bible handy, even if no one there could read, everyone should have at least one copy of this book -- even if you can't read.

Just as there were once squabbles over what Scripture should be included in the Bible (I'm partial to 2 Machabees and don't think it's been given a fair shake), one could argue that George Ade should instead be represented here by "The Joys of Single Blessedness" or "The Waist-Band That Was Taut Up To The Moment It Gave Way," or that H. L. Mencken's recollection of press agent "A. Toxen Worm" (whom he claimed was a real person) would've been the better choice.

The 50 Funniest is analogous to The New American Standard Bible or even the Book of Mormon, as it includes recent selections, which is nice, because you can now read those pieces you once skipped over in The New Yawkeh.

Although, if you have been keeping up with the weekly Shouts & Murmurs, and if you already have The Onion bookmarked, or if you are more interested in writers of the past, there are better collections than this. A Sub-Treasury of American Humor by Mr. & Mrs. E. B. White is better because it's a thicker book, and so is The Best of Modern Humor edited by Mordecai Richler. However, this collection by Borowitz has two things to recommend it over those volumes.

One, you owe it to Andy to buy it, because he's been sending you The Borowitz Report for free (guilt!), and two, it's so cheap!

That's another similarity with the Bible, because you can always steal a Bible from any hotel or motel room. Can't get any cheaper than that! I've obtained dozens in this manner, and one is propping-up a corner of my washing machine against the sloping basement floor. You apostates may scoff if you wish, but my clothes actually do come out cleaner (especially the whites) since using the Bible. I may add The 50 Funniest American Writers to the other corner to completely overcome ring-around-the-collar.

11 comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A great collection

ByDiane Kidmanon July 1, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I love humor writing, especially in the form of short stories and essays. This book covers a great many writers in the genre and has some wonderful selections. Naturally, humor is a subjective art form, so what is funny to some isn't to others. Most of the stories I found to be very funny. Others had me scratching my head a bit - but I've seen those same selections in other anthologies, so perhaps you'll laugh at them more than I would. Regardless, I'm glad I have the book in my collection, and I'll definitely be reading them again and again. The book itself is very attractive. Great book jacket, nice binding, excellent paper quality and type. A good choice as a gift.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Uneven

ByGabriela L.on January 20, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Humor is highly subjective, so I didn’t expect to enjoy “every” story, but I did expect to like most. The Borowitz report hilarious IMHO. Unfortunately, the good ones were few and far between: E.g. Borowitz’s book intro, Mark Twain, Douglas Kenney and Henry Beard, The Onion, O’Henry. Most were ho-hum or downright annoying (Lenny Bruce).

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

You Might Find It Funny

ByBook Mavenon November 2, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I gave this collection two stars instead of one to allow for the possibility that there is something humorous hiding between the book's covers. I didn't read everything. What I did read, though, simply did not strike me as funny. Disappointing.

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most recent customer reviews

Don't Waste Your Time or Money on this Book

As much as I love Andy Borowitz's snide cracks on the internet, this collection is anything but funny.Read more

Published 18 days ago by Truthseeker

Two Stars

not so funny...kind of old-ish and outdated

Published 2 months ago by Barbara Minguet

... a lot of time to read these are quick funny reads with good variety

If you don't have a lot of time to read these are quick funny reads with good variety. I enjoyed!

Published 11 months ago by Amazon Customer

One Star

Boring and stilted.

Published 11 months ago by Blaine B Rader

Leaves out the best. A LAZYwriter.

He himself is from Ohio, yet he neglects to mention one of our most prolific, most hilarious writers, who also came from Ohio and moved to NY.Read more

Published 1 year ago by Whats My Line

Five Stars

good product that works excellent! love it!

Published 1 year ago by Erikk

Funny stuff

Good compilation

Published 1 year ago by James E.

Sad Not Funny

If these are the 50 funniest writers in America then we've lost our sense of humor. Where's Dave Barry or Erma Bombeck or PJ O'Rourke?Read more

Published 1 year ago by Rick Huffman

Three Stars

Good source book for funny material to steal.

Published 1 year ago by Jerry B.

An "American humor" book without Damon Runyon?!?

The pieces here range widely -- from extremely funny to not-funny dirty.

But where, oh where, is anything by Damon Runyon?

Published 1 year ago by Reader in New York

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