Now, Harry shares many of his hilarious insider tips.

    Topics range from ruminations on why Charles Dickens was among the best of writers and the worst of men to the haunting science fiction of J.G. Ballard; from the enduring legacies of Thomas Jefferson and George Orwell to the persistent agonies of anti-Semitism and jihad. Hitchens even looks at the recent financial crisis and argues for the enduring relevance of Karl Marx. The book forms a bridge between the two parallel enterprises of culture and politics. It reveals how politics justifies itself by culture, and how the latter prompts the former. In this fashion, Arguably burnishes Christopher Hitchens' credentials as (to quote Christopher Buckley) our "greatest living essayist in the English language."

    From its first moment on air, the series's rich characters, subversive themes, and layered humor resounded deeply with audiences both young and old who wanted more from their entertainment than what was being meted out at the time by the likes of Full House, Growing Pains, and Family Matters. Spawned as an animated short on The Tracy Ullman Show—mere filler on the way to commercial breaks—the series grew from a controversial cult favorite to a mainstream powerhouse, and after nineteen years the residents of Springfield no longer simply hold up a mirror to our way of life: they have ingrained themselves into it.  John Ortved's oral history will be the first-ever look behind the scenes at the creation and day-to-day running of The Simpsons, as told by many of the people who made it: among them writers, animators, producers, and network executives. It’s an intriguing yet hilarious tale, full of betrayal, ambition, and love. Like the family it depicts, the show's creative forces have been riven by dysfunction from the get-go—outsize egos clashing with studio executives and one another over credit for and control of a pop-culture institution. Contrary to popular belief, The Simpsons did not spring out of one man's brain, fully formed, like a hilarious Athena. Its inception was a process, with many parents, and this book tells the story.

    . . Of Perfectly Useless Information comes another treasure trove of extraordinary facts and mind-boggling trivia. Whether you're trying to show off in front of your coworkers around the water cooler, hoping to impress a member of the opposite sex with your wide range of knowledge, or just looking to pass the time on the toilet, This Book . . . Of More Perfectly Useless Information is for you.From science (ocean waves can travel as fast as a jet plane) to culture (82 percent of the Beatles' music was about love) to gossip (Uma Thurman once washed dishes for a living), This Book has something for every mood. It's so addictive, you just might never put it down!

    I make a magazine called Found. We publish notes & letters that folks find on the street. I asked my favorite writers, musicians, artists & entertainers to tell me about the things they've found. These are the stories they've shared.

    . . . This treasure trove of linguistics, sociology, history and folklore offers a fascinating look at how, through the centuries, a unique and enduring language has reflected an equally unique and enduring culture.”—Publishers Weekly, starred reviewThe main spoken language of the Jews for more than 1,000 years, Yiddish offers a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled them to survive a millennium of unrelenting persecution across Europe. Through the idioms, phrases, metaphors, and fascinating history of this wonderful tongue, Michael Wex gives us a moving and inspiring portrait of a people, and a language, in exile. From tukhes to goy, meshugener to bobe mayse (cok-and-bull story), Born to Kvetch offers a wealth of material, some that has never appeared in English before, on all elements of Yiddish life, including food, nature, divinity, humanity, and even sex.

    Growing up in Yorkshire and then CountyDurham, the boy who would be Reeves somehow managed to escape the attentions of 'Randy Mandy' and get a crash course in pig castration, before having encounters with Jimi Hendrix and the Yorkshire Ripper.Peopled with weird and wonderful characters, Vic Reeves' memoir is authentic, witty and inventive, and as unique as you'd expect from one of Britain's most exceptional comedy talents.

    His life reads like an adventure story complete with knock down fights, beautiful women and double-fisted excitement on every page. He has hunted jackalopes with Bobby Kennedy and Peter Lawford, had more than his share of his amorous exploits, and formed the greatest on-air team in the history of televised news. Along the way, he hobnobbed with people you wish you knew and some you honestly wish you didn't -- celebrities, presidents, presidents' wives, celebrities' wives, dogs, and, of course Veronica Corningstone, the love of his life. Walter Cronkite, Barbra Streisand, Katie Couric, the list goes on. Who didn’t Mr. Burgundy, or “Ron” as he is known to his friends, rub elbows with in the course of his colorful and often criminal life? This may well be the most thrilling book ever written, by a man of great physical, moral and spiritual strength and not surprisingly a great literary talent as well. This book deserves a real shot at a Pulitzer Prize. In fact if it doesn’t win one then we will finally have proof that the Pulitzer is rigged. Ron Burgundy has taken the time to write a book. We owe it to him, as honest Americans, to read it.

    From culinary treats (and catastrophes) to swoon-worthy romantic encounters (and heartbreaking mishaps), this anthology takes you on a journey through one of the most beautiful cities in the world.Visit this cosmopolitan metropolis through the eyes of Parisians, Francophiles and travelers who fell in love with the city and still hold a piece of it in their hearts. That's Paris is a glimpse into living, loving and laughing in the City of Light.So fasten your seat belts and prepare for landing - you'll be arriving soon in Paris through the pages of this humorous and heartwarming book!Interview with the Editors There are so many stories about Paris. What makes this book unique? The charm of this short story collection is the variety of voices from people who, for the most part, have spent a considerable amount of time in the City of Light. Stephen Clarke, author of best-selling book A Year in the Merde sets the tone in the foreword, reminding us there is always more to write about Paris!What types of stories will we find in this anthology? From humorous essays to Paris love stories, this book has it all. There are foodie anecdotes, tales of family secrets and friendship, stories set at sidewalk caf�s. That's Paris is perfect for those who have visited Paris or would love to one day.After Hemingway and the Lost Generation, how does it feel to be a modern-day author writing about Paris? Some of the stories in That's Paris are set in the same places featured in A Moveable Feast. Paris hasn't changed much in all these years! It still inspires us to write.

    More than two hundred photographs highlight an entertaining celebration of the ten years of the popular television series in this its final season, in an official guide that includes behind-the- scenes anecdotes of life on and off screen, interviews with the cast and crew, a look at guest appearances

    In illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions, author Chelsea Cain -- who grew up on an Iowa hippie commune -- provides practical and playful know-how for the hippie and hippie-at-heart. Learn how to milk a goat, build a compost pile, play "Kumbaya" on the guitar, teach a dog how to catch a Frisbee, and get your file from the FBI. Discover the finer points of caring for a fern, choosing a mantra, organizing a protest, naming your hippie baby, and making sand candles as holiday gifts. Including primers on cooking, dressing, driving, telling time, dancing, and celebrating your birthday in classic hippie style, and a righteous appendix of essential hippie books, movies, and slang, The Hippie Handbook knows the score. Right on.