Best of
Humor

1970

If Only They Could Talk


James Herriot - 1970
    From the author whose books inspired the BBC series "All Creatures Great and Small", this first volume of unforgettable memoirs chronicles James Herriot's first years as a country vet, with the signature storytelling magic that has made him a favourite the world over. Here is a book for all those who find laughter and joy in animals, and who know and understand the magic of wild places and beautiful countryside.

My Crowd


Charles Addams - 1970
    The New Yorker published its first Addams cartoon in 1932, and his cast of genial ghouls, friendly freaks, and the famous family brought a touch of gleeful creepiness to its pages for more than five decades. This classic collection of more than 200 cartoons, from the master of the macabre at his most diabolical, contains the best cartoons from his first six books and is sure to delight both fans and cartoon connoisseurs.

The King Who Rained


Fred Gwynne - 1970
    Full color.

Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing


Judi Barrett - 1970
     ...because a snake would lose it, a billy goat would eat it for lunch, and it would always be wet on a walrus! This well-loved book by Judi and Ron Barrett shows the very youngest why animals' clothing is perfect...just as it is.

Beasts in My Belfry


Gerald Durrell - 1970
    - Sunday TelegraphIf you looked you would think that his mind was full of beautiful and poetic thoughts...A ball of food would make its appearance at the base of the long neck and would travel upwards with all the majesty of a department store lift. The ball was generally the size of a coconut and would end its travels by rolling into his mouth. A satisfied expression would replace the look of thoughtful genius and Peter's lower jaw would recommence its monotonous movement.A loving chronicle of jitter-bugging gnus, singing duets with a bear, stealing eggs to feed the Arctic foxes, practising tiger sniffs...Highly entertaining and informative. - The TimesDurrell manages to convey not only that he loves animals, but that he enjoys life too - and wants you to enjoy it with him. - Daily MirrorCover Illustration: Arthur Robins

Right Ho, Jeeves & Carry On, Jeeves; P. G. Wodehouse Collected Works


P.G. Wodehouse - 1970
    G. Wodehouse, the second full-length novel featuring the popular characters Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, after Thank You, Jeeves. It also features a host of other recurring Wodehouse characters, and is mostly set at Brinkley Court, the home of Bertie's Aunt Dahlia. It was first published in the United Kingdom on October 5, 1934 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on October 15, 1934 by Little, Brown and Company, Boston, under the title Brinkley Manor. Before being published as a book, it had been sold to the Saturday Evening Post, in which it appeared in serial form from December 23, 1933 to January 27, 1934, and in England in the Grand Magazine from April to September 1934. Wodehouse had already started planning this sequel while working on Thank You, Jeeves.Carry on, Jeeves is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 9 October 1925 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on October 7, 1927 by George H. Doran, New York. Many of the stories had previously appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, and some were rewritten versions of stories in the collection My Man Jeeves (1919). The book is considered part of the Jeeves canon.The first story in the book, "Jeeves Takes Charge", describes Jeeves' arrival in his master's life, as a replacement for Wooster's previous, thieving valet, and features Lady Florence Craye, as well as a passing mention of Lord Emsworth and Blandings Castle.Several of the other stories are set in New York, and the book includes appearances by regular characters Bingo Little, Aunt Dahlia, Anatole, and Sir Roderick Glossop.

The General Danced at Dawn


George MacDonald Fraser - 1970
    It is a generally fond fictionalization of life in the British army, specifically the Highland Infantry Division, soon after the end of the Second World War.

I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression


Erma Bombeck - 1970
    Whether it's cleaning up after the kids and him, or expendable mothers-in-law, Erma Bombeck gets to the heart of the matter and makes us laugh through our tears.

How to Care for Your Monster


Norman Bridwell - 1970
    Have a new monster as a pet? Worried about how to groom him, what (or whom) to feed him, how to keep him healthy, happy, and howling? Here's all you need to know -- including how to catch your very own Frankenstein, Vampire, Mummy, Werewolf.

Peanuts Classics


Charles M. Schulz - 1970
    Contains a clipping of comics pages from Times Herald of Port Huron, Michigan, announcing under the date of 2-13-00 Schultz's retirement.

Benchley Lost and Found


Robert Benchley - 1970
    The discomforts of travel on trains, large and heavy suitcases that must be carried by unwilling porters, standing in line at the post office (then to learn that your package is improperly tied), malicious fogs that blot out the race track at the last lap, the sand that gets kicked into one's face at the beach, vitamins and their puffery, and all the petty annoyances that we grumble about ourselves but laugh at when they befall others.The 39 prodigal pieces greatly enlarge the corpus of the best Benchley. Forty-four original illustrations, mostly by Peter Arno, are included.

Constant Reader


Dorothy Parker - 1970
    It was an open secret that 'Constant Reader' was Dorothy Parker, though her name never appeared. Her original books of poems and short stories were being published in those same years, but no one collected the Constant Reader pieces - partly, perhaps, because of the convention of pseudonymity, which would have prevented the use of her name. Yet these light-hearted essays about reading and writing played as much part in creating the Parker legend, and were as much a part of the times, as her stories and poems. They were a new and very personal kind of book reviewing. Without pretending to the Higher Criticism, they were still far from being merely fun. In the more close-knit literary world of the late twenties and early thirties, they often made or unmade reputations. And time has confirmed most of her judgments.Of the forty-six Constant Reader pieces that appeared, thirty-one have been reprinted here in whole or in part."

The Dogged Victims of Inexorable Fate


Dan Jenkins - 1970
    Book by Jenkins, Dan

The Junior Woodchucks' Guide


Walt Disney Company - 1970
    

The Price of Fear


Vincent Price - 1970
    The host and star of the show was American actor, Vincent Price.1. "Cat's Cradle" 2. "Come as You Are"3. "Speciality of the House"4. "The Ninth Removal"

Mr Finchley Discovers His England


Victor Canning - 1970
    He decides to go to the seaside. But Fate has other plans in store…From his abduction by a cheerful crook, to his smuggling escapade off the south coast, the timid but plucky Mr Finchley is plunged into a series of the most astonishing and extraordinary adventures.His rural adventure takes him gradually westward through the English countryside and back, via a smuggling yacht, to London.This gentle comedy trilogy was a runaway bestseller on first publication in the 1930s and retains a timeless appeal today. It has been dramatized twice for BBC Radio, with the 1990 series regularly repeated. What people are saying about the Mr Finchley series: ‘Wonderful character from a kinder slower England between the wars.’‘An overlooked gem. An innocent picaresque novel set in an arcadian version of mid 20th century England. The literary equivalent of naive painting, it narrates the adventures of a respectable upper middle-aged man who takes retirement.’‘An antidote to the rush of the early 21st century.’‘A thoroughly enjoyable stroll through a vanished England with some lovable characters. Don't expect modern, fashionable agonisings, here there is good, evil, and understanding. A lovely reminiscent wallow of a read.’‘Gentle well told simple story, full of pleasant surprises, and a mild mannered believable hero. Loved it to bits.’‘So gentle, it hurts.’‘There is a freshness about the writing which is charming and that disarms criticism. Don't expect any great profundities, a gripping plot or inter-character tensions - these books are of the world of Billy Bunter and William Brown - but do expect a very well-written and enjoyable romp through early twentieth-century England in the company of an engaging protagonist.’‘A delightful story of a man who finds himself jolted out of his comfort zone and taken on a journey beyond his wildest imaginings.’‘Another lovely book detailing the adventures of Mr Finchley in altogether far too short a series. Full of humour and a book I was sorry to finish as I wanted it to go on and on.’‘Highly recommended for anyone seeking an entertaining amusing read.’‘A delight to be transported to an England I never knew despite growing up in the 1950s and to experience the countryside through the sharp eyes of the author who obviously had a great love of all things rural.’ Editorial reviews: ‘Quite delightful, with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm … The longer we travel with Mr Finchley, the better we come to love him. He makes us share his bread and cheese, and beer and pipe. His delight at the beauties of the countryside and his mild astonishment at the strange ways of men are infectious.’ Daily Telegraph‘His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writing.

The Portable Mad


MAD Magazine - 1970
    The Portable Mad... and make it your bag!(It's valise you can do!)

Al Jaffee's Mad Book Of Magic And Other Dirty Tricks


Al Jaffee - 1970
    But most significant is the one that says, "It is grievous bad luck to pick up a book about magic and put it down withoug buying it." Not for the Customer, for the author.For the customer it is joyous good luck.But for those of you who never had good luck, and wouldn't know it if it hit you square in the face, this book is right up your alley. So get with it by learning your first bit of magic right now. It's called, "The dazzling disappearing coing trick." Your bookdealer will be more than happy to help you with this trick.Amaze friends...astound neighbors...nauseate magicians.

You're Out of Sight, Charlie Brown


Charles M. Schulz - 1970
    

Arf! The Life and Hard Times of Little Orphan Annie, 1935-1945


Harold Gray - 1970
    

Mad about Mad


Sergio Aragonés - 1970
    Sergio Aragonés, who has been amusing MAD fans for years with his hilarious “border-line cases”, steps out of the “margins” and into the spotlight again with another collection of panto-mind-blowing gags calculated to drive you mad about MAD!

Meanwhile, Back at the Castle


Hope Campbell - 1970
    Lawrence River is an independent country.Another story about the family from Why Not Join the Giraffes?

Watermelon Man


Herman Raucher - 1970
    The uppity novel about the uppity movie Watermelon ManA novel by HERMAN RAUCHERbased on his screenplay now a Columbia Picture A Bennet -Mirrell-Van Peebles Productionstarring GODFREY CAMBRIDGEand ESTELLE PARSONS

Be Bold with Bananas


Unknown - 1970
    (Printed in Capetown, RSA). Lavish full page colour photographs. A recipe book. No date, though known to be early seventies. Unpaginated. "Drip mayonnaise down the sides of the bananas."However, http://bookriot.com/2011/11/30/when-u...Sums it up more effectively

Why Not Join the Giraffes?


Hope Campbell - 1970
    Suzie undergoes a summer full of learning--learning to accept herself and the individualistic members of her family, especially her musician-brother.

A Kiss for a Warthog


Wende Devlin - 1970
    But Quimby had one thing that Oldwick didn't: a warthog for their zoo. The Mayor of Quimby couldn't let this situation continue, and ordered a warthog from Africa. But when the warthog arrives, she refuses to leave the ship until someone gives her a welcoming kiss.

Mrs. Purdy's Children


Ruth Loomis - 1970
    Purdy and her eighteen children have unusual adventures especially when Mrs. Purdy is nominated "Mother of the Year" and then declared a fraud.