Humor Bookstore: Recommended Reading

Napalm & Silly Putty
by George Carlin
The hilarious follow-up to his best-selling "Brain Droppings." "Best of all and with a big "Yippee," there is no plot. ... This book goes for belly-roars by scaling mountains of jokes, sure and pimpled, flinging the reader over the precipice into an exhilarating freefall of laughter." Read the full review and George Carlin appreciation.
Hardcover.

Our Dumb Century: One Hundred Years of Headlines from America's Finest News Source
by Scott Dikkers and The Onion Writers Staff
State-of-the-art American comedy. In The Onion's debut book, these bright smartasses sling bull's-eyed barbs at the entire 20th century in a finely detailed, whoop out loud, parade of satirical newspaper front pages.
Trade paperback.

Private Parts
by Howard Stern 
Howard is tasteless, vile, repugnant, outrageous. He is also breathtakingly honest, a master showman, and gut-howlingly funny. He is an interesting enigma; and here in his first book, the basis for his movie, he will do strange things to your mind. Sure, we'll all go to Hell for reading it; but hey, you only die once. I found multiple orgasmic laughs in this book! Paperback.

Ranting Again
by Dennis Miller 
He's back with another verbose collection of pithy grumblings and venomous observations. To paraphrase Mr. Miller, "Aw, buy it! Who wants pie?" Paperback.

Rants, The
by Dennis Miller
There is very little more melodic in comedy than good ol' Dennis when he rolls through one of his trademark rants, whether you agree with him or not. He can be steamroller funny. In his first book, you'll find a collection of 43 tickling tirades culled from cable TV's Dennis Miller Live. Paperback.

Rat Pack Confidential: Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, Joey and the Last Great Showbiz Party
by Shawn Levy
Ace show business biographer Levy turns his eyes to The Clan -- remembered as The Rat Pack, the swinging icons of hip before the hippies. Sinatra, Martin, Davis and crew partied hard, hardly working, or so it appeared. Brash, funny times. Ring-a-ding-ding! Paperback.

Scratching the 'Net: Web Sites for Cats
by Jon Mathis and Mary J. Shomon
Find out what your cats do with the mouse when you're not around, surfing the Web to a private world of information and entertainment. This humorous collection parodies cyberspace and our furry pals. Mary, coincidentally, is About's Guide to Thyroid. Paperback. 

SCTV: Behind the Scenes
by Dave Thomas, Robert David Crane, and Susan Carney 
A must have item for fans of the landmark comedy show. Cast member Thomas has assembled personal remembrances and photographs along with the other performers and crew's input. Suitable for any coffee table. Also, suitable for laughing. Paperback. 

Successful Stand-up Comedy: Advice from a Comedy Writer
by Gene Perret
Mr. Perret has had a superlative comedy career writing for the greats of modern history, including a long stint with Bob Hope. His books are genial and instructive. When it comes to stand-up advice, not only does he have experience, but also, more importantly, he has the ears. Paperback

There's a Hair in My Dirt
by Gary Larson
He's back, our Far Side professor, with a volume that looks deceptively(?) like a children's book. It's all about life and death in the worm world; but one glimpse of those skewed drawings and we know we're in for a treat. It's worth the entire purchase for the throwaway sight of the cigarette-smoking squirrel whose t-shirt proclaims: "I kicked Thumper's ass." Paperback.