Best of
Comedy

1997

Men at Arms: The Play


Stephen Briggs - 1997
    Since the captain of the City Watch has left the force to become a gentleman, Discworld is in search of a few good cops. And being a cop in this unpredictable universe is no easy job, so the search goes on for a few good trolls, dwarves, and such.

FoxTrot Beyond a Doubt


Bill Amend - 1997
    Between son Jason's elaborate schemes, daughter Paige's attempts at cooking, and son Peter's indoor football games, life is rarely dull for parents Andy and Roger Fox.In this treasury, which is comprised of bestsellers At Least This Place Sells T-Shirts and The Return of the Lone Iguana, the Foxes find themselves again surviving an amusing round of adventure, from their summer vacation at Fun-Fun Universe, to Paige's adventures in baby-sitting, to Jason's inaugural ice-cream date. At the same time, the Foxes also face a variety of real-life situations, from thermostat wars to forced vegetarianism to Roger's challenges with a workplace efficiency expert. All in all, this spirited family of five gives fans by the millions a daily dose of reality with a side-splitting helping of humor.

Douglas Adams' the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: the Authorized Collection (Comic)


John Carnell - 1997
    Comic book adaptation!"To celebrate its quarter century and the legacy of Douglas Adams, this deluxe edition gathers never-before-collected photographs, original artwork, memorabilia (from the strange to the sublime), and wisdom gleaned from a first read or first encounter as Douglas's friends remember how the galaxy was forever changed a mere twenty-five years ago (not to mention the original text of the novel) into a one-of-a-kind Guide as stunning as two suns setting over Magrathea." Whether you are well versed in the antics of Arthur Dent, a mild mannered Earthman plucked from his planet seconds before it's demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, and Ford Perfect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy posing as an out-of-work actor, or are hitching a ride for the first time, this is the book that has everything you'll need to know about anything.

The Third Rumpole Omnibus


John Mortimer - 1997
    Rumpole a la Carte, a delightful discourse on the British legal system, takes us from a restaurant battle over Rumpole?s mashed spuds to a confrontation with a detective-novelist on a ship. The zany yarns of Rumpole on Trial are ingenious: devil worshippers, Juvenile Court, a mysterious seductress searching for a barrister to defend her husband for a murder not yet committed, and courtroom strategies a little too lunatic force Rumpole to face the Disciplinary Committee of the Bar Council. Rumpole and the Angel of Death offers a comic commentary on cruelty to animals, human rights, and the fallibility of the justice system. The Third Rumpole Omnibus promises insight and laughter from the barrister who?s "as much a detective as Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot" (The Boston Sunday Globe).

Naked


David Sedaris - 1997
    In Naked, Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, his family, and his unique worldview—a sensibility at once take-no-prisoners sharp and deeply charitable. A tart-tongued mother does dead-on imitations of her young son's nervous tics, to the great amusement of his teachers; a stint of Kerouackian wandering is undertaken (of course!) with a quadriplegic companion; a family gathers for a wedding in the face of imminent death. Through it all is Sedaris's unmistakable voice, without doubt one of the freshest in American writing.

Enter Jeeves: 15 Early Stories


P.G. Wodehouse - 1997
    Many are unaware, however, that Bertie had a prototype — Reggie Pepper — who stumbled into the same worrying situations involving old school chums with romantic troubles, irate female relatives, threatening suitors, and other troublemakers.This is the only collection to contain the first eight Jeeves short stories as well as the complete Reggie Pepper series. Included are such delightful tales as "Extricating Young Gussie," "The Aunt and the Sluggard," Leave It to Jeeves," "Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg," "Absent Treatment, "Rallying Round Clarence," "Concealed Art," and more.Awash in an eternal glow of old-boy camaraderie, these stories offer hours of delightfully diverting entertainment sure to recaptivate Wodehouse fans of old as well as tickling the fancy of new readers, who will soon find themselves caught up in the splendidly superficial antics of Messrs. Wooster, Jeeves, Pepper, et al.

Brain Droppings


George Carlin - 1997
    Now, for the first time, Carlin has produced a book of original humor pieces, Brain Droppings. Filled with thoughts, musings, questions, lists, beliefs, curiousities, monologues, assertions, assumptions, and other verbal ordeals, Brain Droppings is infectiously funny. Also included are two timeless bonus items from the past, "A Place for Your Stuff" and "Baseball-Football." Readers will get an inside look into Carlin's mind, and they won't be disappointed by what they find: I buy stamps by mail. It works OK until I run out of stamps. What year did Jesus Christ think it was? A tree: first you chop it down, then you chop it up. Have you ever noticed the lawyer is always smiling more than the client? I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed. If you ever have chicken at lunch and chicken at dinner, do you ever wonder if the two chickens knew each other?

Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing


Patrick F. McManus - 1997
    In McManus's world, nothing is what it should be. All steaks should be chicken-fried, strong coffee is drunk by the light of a campfire, and fishing trips consist of men acting like boys and boys behaving like the small animals we've always assumed they were.

Peter Cook: A Biography


Harry Thompson - 1997
    All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dust cover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels.Some of our books may have slightly worn corners, and minor creases to the covers. Please note the cover may sometimes be different to the one shown.

Clerks & Chasing Amy


Kevin Smith - 1997
    Clerks was the independent film success story of 1994, winning the Prix de la Jeunesse and the International Critics Week Award at Cannes, and the Filmmakers' Trophy at Sundance. Set in the everyday world of a New Jersey QuickStop and its adjacent video store, the film revolves around the obsessions, love lives, and friendships of the clerks. Janet Maslin of the New York Time called it "a buoyant comedy...and exuberant display of ingenuity," and Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times raves, "Clerks is boisterous and irreverently funny...an example of what is best and most hopeful about the American independent film scene."

State by State with the State: An Uninformed, Poorly Researched Guide to the US


The State - 1997
    From a popular comedy troupe that found fame with a stint on MTV comes for the first time a printed version of its irreverent, topical, and odd-ball humor in the form of a mock travel guide covering all fifty states in America.

My Dog's Brain


Stephen Huneck - 1997
    Sally is sensitive, loyal, and loving. But she is also a realist: faced with deep moral quandaries like whether or not to sleep on the sofa, snag a morsel from the kitchen counter, or stick her nose into other people's business, she favors immediate gratification. Her thoughts on the enduring concerns, appetites, and existential dilemmas of canines-and their human relations-make a wry, playful, life-affirming gift to warm any dog lover's or art aficionado's heart.

The Two Fat Ladies Ride Again


Jennifer Paterson - 1997
    But they are much more than entertainers, as The Two Fat Ladies Ride Again reaffirms. Packed with more than 120 recipes, from Light Dishes, Starters, and Savories to Picnics, Ride Again rises to the standard set by the Ladies' best-selling first collection. Breakfast has never been so lavish as with their Aniseed Waffles, Bread and Butter Pudding, and Red Flannel Hash. Feast on Devilled Fish Sandwiches and Scottish Seed Cake, then wash it all down with a Royal Bombay Yacht Club Cocktail ("As drunk by the very drunk at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club"). The Ladies laugh in the face of the fat-fearing fanatic and are proud to share such decadent gems as Spare Ribs and Whisky Chocolate Pie.Sprinkled throughout are whimsical personal anecdotes and snapshots of the Ladies, inviting all to experience their world of devilish fun and feast. Dickson Wright and Paterson eat and live indulgently and encourage others to do the same, giving readers license to partake in their full-flavored food--and enjoy every delicious moment.

Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death


Barbara Johnson - 1997
    Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death is your wise and witty guide to the joys and challenges of aging gleefully."They say the best way to grow old is not to be in a hurry about it and Lord knows, I've put it off for as long as I could," says Barbara. But old age happens without any effort on our part. If you're alive, you're getting older. So what happens when you find yourself between menopause and LARGE PRINT? This best-selling author offers a delightful recipe for living life to the fullest in your later years and spices it with loads of laughter. She shows how she came to her own decision to age ferociously instead of gracefully.From savoring the "here and now" to preparing for our glorious future in heaven, Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death is a lighthearted and encouraging book on the joys and problems of growing older. You'll laugh at Barbara Johnson's zany insights on aging.

The Plums of P. G. Wodehouse


P.G. Wodehouse - 1997
    

Stone Soup


Jan Eliot - 1997
    Stone Soup is a funny, irreverent, sympathetic comic strip read by more than 8 million people every day. This first collection, with forward by Lynn Johnston, creator of For Better or For Worse, will help you find the humor in modern family.

League of Champions: Glory Gardens, #5


Bob Cattell - 1997
    Hooker and company enter with typical Glory Gardens gusto. But have they really got what it takes to excel at the trials and at Headingley? Featuring score sheets and action diagrams, this series is recommended by the English Schools Cricket Association.

Men In Black


Steve Perry - 1997
    That alien beings are here--now--walking among us in human form. These men are members of an agency dedicated to tracking and policing the movements of these aliens--a top secret organization known only as...Men in Black.James Edwards is a tenacious, streetwise NYPD cop who's recruited by Agent Kay of the Men in Black. He will step into a world where his identity will be erased, where nothing is what it seems on the surface. His first case will threaten to make Earth the battleground for two warring races...and end humanity's rule in a fiery apocalypse.

Tundra


Chad Carpenter - 1997
    This is an important addition to any self-respecting bathroom library!

Christopher Durang: Complete Full-Length Plays, 1975-1995


Christopher Durang - 1997
    From one of America's freshest, most daring, and truly original playwrights! Marked by biting wit, hilarious parody, revealing characters, and a pastiche of pop culture, the plays of Christopher Durang have garnered Obie awards, acclaim, controversy, and a devout following.

Jeg Arne (Arne And, #1-4)


Charlie Christensen - 1997
    

The Wiz Biz


Rick Cook - 1997
    What the spell delivered was master hacker Walter "Wiz" Zumwalt. The wizard who east the spell was dead and nobody -- not the elves, not the dwarves, not even the dragons -- could figure out what the shanghaied computer nerd was good for.But spells are a lot like computer programs, and, in spite of the Wiz's unprepossessing appearance, he was going to defeat the all-powerful Black League, win the love of a beautiful red-haired witch, and prove that when it comes to spells and sorcery, nobody but nobody can beat a Silicon Valley computer geek!Published in parts as Wizard's Bane and The Wizardry Compiled This is the first unitary edition.

The Comedy of Survival: Literary Ecology and a Play Ethic


Joseph W. Meeker - 1997
    Here, Joseph Meeker expands upon his consideration of comedy and tragedy, not as dramatic motifs for humor and sadness but rather as forms of adaptive behavior in the natural world that either promote our survival (comedy) or estrange us from other life forms (tragedy). In this third major edition of his classic work, Meeker examines the role of literature in shaping such behavior. Drawing upon centuries of western writing from Dante to Shakespeare to E. O. Wilson, he demonstrates the universality of comedy in both human and animal behavior and shows how the comic mode helps us to live in harmony with nature. Meeker then defines the tragic view of life, interweaving that behavior with exploitation of the environment. With imagination and flair, the author also introduces the idea of a play ethic, as opposed to a work ethic, and demonstrates the importance of play as a necessary and desirable component of the comic spirit. Within a growing body of environmental literature dealing with spirituality, ethics, ecofeminism, nature writing, and alternative lifestyles, Meeker's is a one-of-a-kind book, combining elements of literary criticism, ethology, New Age thinking, and personal narrative. Full of provocative twists and turns, The Comedy of Survival is a book for literary critics, environmentalists, human ecologists, philosophers, and anthropologists. Many will find much to ponder in this clear explication of how we might become better stewards of the Earth.

Bouncing Back: I've Survived Everything... and I Mean Everything...and You Can Too!


Joan Rivers - 1997
    -- I've Been Through It All. This degree comes not on parchment but on gauze, and it entitles me to tell you that there is a way to get through any misfortune." -- From Bouncing BackSurvival stratagems from Joan RiversWhatever doesn't kill you makes you strongerAnd always remember: Surviving is the best revengeLook at Alexander Graham Bell, who did 22,000 experiments before he hit on the telephone. Just a few more and he would have had call waitingWhenever I hit bottom, the only thing I think of was set down by Jerome Kern: Pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again. Dr. Kevorkian will get no call from me, unless I think he'd look good in a brooch.A fiercely honest and moving story of how Joan Rivers, one of comedy's greatest stars, survived the worst that life could throw at her, how she hit bottom and then made it back to the top.

The Scrapper


Brendan O'Carroll - 1997
    Sparrow's dream is the World Lightweight Championship. But when he finally has it in his grasp he can't deliver the finishing punch. Sparrow's life falls apart, and fifteen years later he's a bum, a loser. Then something happens that convinces him that there are still things worth fighting for ...

To The Manor Born


Peter Spence - 1997
    Soundtrack highlights from the original much-loved BBC TV series starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles.Presented for the first time ever on CD, in a special vinyl facsimile edition, this collection was first published on LP in the 1980s.When Audrey fforbes-Hamilton's husband dies, and she is forced to leave Grantleigh Manor, she takes up residence at the nearby Lodge from where she can keep a watchful eye on the Manor's new owner, Richard DeVere!Featuring the cast of the TV series, including Penelope Keith as Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, Peter Bowles as Richard DeVere and Angela Thorne as Marjory Frobisher.Vintage Beeb: classic albums first available as BBC LPs, now on CD for the first time ever.

Forth And Abroad: Still Merry On Land And By Sea


Mary Francis - 1997
    In her own charming way, she relates the story - not only of the spiritual adventure of one contemplative nun, but also of the spread of contemplative life from New Mexico to Holland. Throughout the book the author explores spiritual themes about the call each person receives from God to venture forth into the spiritual unknown beyond the confines of our own "life plans" into the greater fulfillment of God's loving Providence. God gives His summons; the answer must be ours.

Advice for a Happy Marriage: From Miss Dietz's Third-Grade Class


Debi Dietz Crawford - 1997
    In it are musings ranging from the truly wise to the uproariously funny. Now, Dietz Crawford shares these nuggets of wisdom with readers everywhere. 20 color illustrations.

The Warwick Todd Diaries


Tom Gleisner - 1997
    

Dictionary of Homophones


Leslie Presson - 1997
    It will also serve as a quick reference for writers and copy editors, as a supplement to dictionaries for anyone who needs to look up a word, and as a source for word puzzle fans. Homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Here are more than 600 homophone pairs, listed alphabetically, each with its own brief definition and part-of-speech designation. Some homophones are easy to distinguish--"ate" and "eight," for instance. Others can cause common spelling errors or confused meaning--for example, apprise, which means to give notice, and apprize, which means to appreciate or to value. Here is a volume that belongs on every language reference shelf. Cartoon illustrations.

The Collected Short Plays of Thornton Wilder, Volume I


Thornton Wilder - 1997
    Volume One of the collected short plays by one of the greatest American playwrights of the Twentieth Century.

America A to Z: People, Places, Customs & Culture


Reader's Digest Association - 1997
    More than 1000 alphabetically arranged entries bring to light little-known facts, hidden histories, and sometimes strange stories about familiar people, places, events, inventions, fads, foods, and much more. Hundreds of illustrations -- including vintage photographs and woodcuts, drawings by well-known artists like Norman Rockwell, and portraits of movie stars, writers, entertainers, politicians, and other public figures -- enhance every page."America A To Z" reveals the origins of everything from blue jeans to hot dog buns, the Boy Scouts to the League of Women Voters. It introduces the heroes of the Alamo, the occupants of the Oval Office, the denizens of the locker rooms in every sport, and the men and women who have exercised their creative genius in laboratories, automobile factories, and fashion showrooms, on typewriters and piano keyboards. Readers will peek behind the scenes at the FBI and the Mall of America, get the inside scoop on Walter Winchell, and find out what Paul Revere really shouted on his ride through Boston, which children's author got his start writing advertising copy, and who invented Lincoln Logs.A great family reference, "America A To Z" makes it fun for kids to look up facts, for adults to journey down memory lane, and for everyone to get a close up look at America's rich and diverse history and culture.

Bless This Mess [With Ribbon Mark]


Jay Steele - 1997
    Addressed to a higher power, here are prayers covering the earthly trials of dieting, family life, computers, ATMs, the assault of television commercials, traffic, exercise, waiting in line, and, of course, the rigors of looking good.Here is the Picnic Benediction. Prayer Before Takeoff. Intercession for the Newly Divorced. There is support for when the computer crashes (again). Supplication for a blind date. An act of contrition for making personal phone calls at work. And deliverance from thine enemies, like the person in the express lane who has more than 10 items. Because the smaller the request, the more reasonable it seems that you should get your way. Because it can't hurt to ask.

When a Man Loves a Walnut


Gavin Edwards - 1997
    Mishearing the words of such classic rock artists as the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen, as well as alternative bands like Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam, Gavin Edwards provides an assemblage of more than 250 misconstrued song lyrics. 90 line drawings.

The Return of Lum, Volume 5: Feudal Furor (Urusei Yatsura, #6)


Rumiko Takahashi - 1997
    

While I'm Dead, Feed the Dog


Ric Browde - 1997
    Salinger had a sense of humour ...this intelligent, off-beat novel is fast-paced, wicked, dark and extremely funny. "My publishers are trying to convince me that books are like albums and sell better when they are released posthumously. Seeing the point, I ask if I can at least fake my own death, but it seems that is fundamentally dishonest and they flatly refuse to be involved in any such fraud. "So just in case I've croaked by the time you read this (and everyone but me is filthy rich), here is my story: one day I'm trying to get into the pants of the most beautiful girl in the world, Nina Pennington, and the next day I'm in the back of a limo on the road to rock'n'roll superstardom opening up for Bowie. But we hit a bump or two -- a few dead Mafia hitmen here, a nyphomaniac next door there, not to mention a few dying Latin teachers, narcoleptic nuns, inept policemen, unscupulous laywers, buffoon reporters, huckster televangelists and greedy relatives -- and now for some unknown reason a lot of people don't want to talk to me anymore." When sixteen-year-old Ric Thibault's story opens with his mother's attempted suicide note: "While I'm dead...feed the dog" and he can't stop laughing while the paramedics haul her away, you know you're in for some ride. ..this is a hilarious novel with a beat you dance to.

The Book of Duh: Celebrating Those Less-Than-Magic Moments


Charlene Ann Baumbich - 1997
    The self-proclaimed Queen of Duh! has collected a side-splitting array of dumb things she and her correspondents have done, in the hope that knowing you're not alone will help you laugh at yourself and get on with living.