ed. Bill Adler (1961). Kids' Letters to President Kennedy. (New York, NY: Morrow, 160 p.). Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.

--- (1962). Letters from Camp. (New York, NY: Macfadden-Bartell, 115 p.). Camps -- Humor.

--- (1965). The Churchill Wit. (New York, NY: Coward-McCann, 85 p.).

--- (1965). The Johnson Humor. (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 124 p.).

--- (1966). Dear Internal Revenue. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 71 p.). United States. Internal Revenue Service -- Humor. Authentic letters from the files of the Internal Revenue Service.

--- (1966). Kids' Letters to the F.B.I. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentrice-Hall, 1 vol.). United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation -- Anecdotes; United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation -- Humor; Children -- Quotations.

--- (1966). More Letters from Camp. (New York, NY: New American Library, 1 vol.). Camps -- Humor.

--- (1966). Presidential Wit from Washington to Johnson. (New York, NY: Trident Press, 241 p.). Presidents -- United States -- Quotations.

compiled and edited by Bill Adler (1966). The Stevenson Wit. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 95 p.). Stevenson, Adlai E. (Adlai Ewing), 1900-1965.

ed. Bill Adler (1967). The Complete Kennedy Wit. (New York, NY: Citadel Press, 203 p.).

--- (1967). The Washington Wits. (New York., NY: Macmillan, 270 p.). United States -- Politics and government -- Anecdotes; American wit and humor. Contents Introduction, by B. Adler.--Robert F. Kennedy and the Kennedy wit.--Hubert, the irrepressible: Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey.--The Republican wits.--The Democratic wits.--The wits of the Great Society.--Favorite stories from Capitol Hill.

--- (1971). Letters to Wall Street. (New York, NY: World Pub. Co., 83 p.). Stock ownership -- Humor.

--- (1986). Baseball Wit. (New York: Crown, 120 p.). Baseball--Quotations.

--- (1993). Great Lawyer Stories: From Courthouse to Jailhouse, Tall Tales, Jokes, and Anecdotes. (New York, NY: Carol Pub. Group, 141 p.). Lawyers--United States--Humor; Law--United States--Humor; Courts--United States--Humor; Lawyers--United States--Anecdotes; Law--United States--Anecdotes; Courts--United States--Anecdotes.

Bill Adler, Jeffrey Feinman (1976). Mel Brooks: The Irreverent Funnyman. (Chicago, IL: Playboy Press, 190 p.). Brooks, Mel; Comedians -- United States -- Biography.

ed. Bill Adler (1986). The Cosby Wit: His Life and Humor. (New York, NY: Carroll & Graf, 125 p.). Cosby, Bill, 1937- ; Comedians -- United States -- Biography; African American actors -- Biography.

Bill Adler and Jerry Feinman (1975). Woody Allen: Clown Prince of American Humor. (New York, NY: Pinnacle Books, 178 p.). Allen, Woody -- Biography; Comedians -- United States -- Biography.

Bill Adler with Bill Adler, Jr. (1985). The Wit and Wisdom of Wall Street. (Homewood, IL: Dow Jones-Irwin, 93 p.). Investments -- United States -- Quotations, maxims, etc.; Business -- Quotations, maxims, etc.; Wall Street (New York, N.Y.) -- Quotations, maxims, etc.

John Baily (1976). Intent on Laughter. (New York, NY: Times Books, 182 p.). Wit and humor--Philosophy; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects.

Peter L. Berger (1997). Redeeming Laughter: The Comic Dimension of Human Experience. (New York, NY: Walter de Gruyter, 215 p.). Comic, The--Religious aspects--Christianity; Wit and humor--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Arthur Asa Berger; with a foreword by William Fry, Jr. (1993). An Anatomy of Humor. (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 192 p.). Wit and humor--History and criticism; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects.

Swami Beyondananda (1999). Duck Soup for the Soul: The Way of Living Louder & Laughing Longer. (Naperville, IL: Hysteria Publications, 115 p.). Conduct of life--Humor; Religion--Humor; American wit and humor.

Walter Blair, Hamlin Hill (1978). America's Humor: From Poor Richard to Doonesbury. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 559 p.). American wit and humor--History and criticism.

Walter Blair; illustrated by John Sandford (1987). Tall Tale America: A Legendary History of Our Humorous Heroes. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 272 p.). Heroes--United States--Humor; Tall tales--United States; Legends--United States; United States--History--Humor.

Branko Bokun (1986). Humour Therapy: In Cancer, Psychosomatic Diseases, Mental Disorders, Crime, Interpersonal and Sexual Relationships. (London, UK: Vita Books, 221 p.). Wit and humor.

Tel D. Bonham (1988). Humor, God's Gift. (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 328 p.). Wit and humor--Religious aspects.

Jess Brallier and Sally Chabert (1996). Presidential Wit and Wisdom: Maxims, Mottoes, Sound Bites, Speeches, and Asides: Memorable Quotes from America's Presidents. (New York: Penguin Books, 270 p.). Presidents--United States--Quotations.

Jacob M. Braude; revised by Glenn Van Ekeren (1991). Braude's Treasury of Wit and Humor for All Occasions. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 280 p. [rev. 1964 ed.]). American wit and humor; Anecdotes.

Daniel R. Butler, Leland Gregory, Alan Ray; illustrations by Mike Harris (1995). America's Dumbest Criminals: Based on True Stories from Law Enforcement Officials Across the Country. (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 235 p.). Crime--United States--Case studies; Criminals--United States--Case studies; Crime--United States--Humor.

Daniel Butler and Alan Ray; illustrations by Mike Harris (1996). Wanted! Dumb or Alive: 100 New Stories from the Files of America's Dumbest Criminals. (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 235 p.). Crime--United States--Case studies; Criminals--United States--Case studies; Crime--United States--Humor.

--- (1997). The World's Dumbest Criminals: Based on True Stories from Law Enforcement Officials Around the World. (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 239 p.). Crime--Case studies; Criminals--Case studies; Crime--Humor.

--- (1998). Crimes and misDUMBmeanors: 100 New Stories from the Files of America's Dumbest Criminals. (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 223 p.). Crime--United States--Case studies; Criminals--United States--Case studies; Crime--United States--Humor.

--- (1999). These Aren't My Pants: The Dumbest and Dimmest from the Files of America's Dumbest Criminals / with New Stories. (Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press, 344 p.). Crime--Humor; Criminals--Humor.

Humphrey Carpenter (2002). A Great, Silly Grin: The British Satire Boom of the 1960s. (New York, NY: PublicAffairs, 391 p.). English wit and humor --History and criticism; Performing arts --Great Britain --History --20th century; Popular culture --Great Britain --History --20th century; Satire, English --History and criticism.

Gathered by William Cole (1995). I Am a Most Superior Person: The World's Greatest Egomaniacs Outrageously Explained by Themselves and Others. (New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 130 p.). Quotations; Quotations, English; Wit and humor.

Norman Cousins; introduction by René Dubos (1981). Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient: Reflections on Healing and Regeneration. (New York, NY: Bantam Books, 173 p. [orig. pub. 1979]). Cousins, Norman; Collagen diseases -- Patients -- United States -- Biography; Holistic medicine; Will; Laughter -- Physiological aspects; Healing; Medicine -- Philosophy; Authors, American -- Biography.

Jay David (1999). The Life and Humor of Robin Williams: A Biography. (New York, NY: Morrow, 218 p.). Williams, Robin, 1952 Oct. 5- ; Comedians -- United States -- Biography; Actors -- United States -- Biography.

Christie Davies (1998). Jokes and Their Relation to Society. (New York, NY: Mouton de Gruyter, 234 p.). Wit and humor--Social aspects. Humor Research.

Oliver Double (1997). Stand Up!: On Being a Comedian. (London, UK: Methuen, 262 p.). Stand-up comedy--Great Britain--History; Comedians--Great Britain--Biography.

--- (2005). Getting the Joke: The Art of Stand-Up Comedy. (London, UK: Methuen, 320 p.). Stand-up comedy--Great Britain--History; Comedians--Great Britain--Biography.

Athena du Pre (1998). Humor and the Healing Arts: A Multimethod Analysis of Humor Use in Health Care. (Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 228 p.). Wit and humor in medicine.

Bill Engvall and David Brown (1997). You Don’t Have To Be Dumb To Be Stupid. (Atlanta, GA: Longstreet Press, 86 p.). Founding Member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. American wit and humor.

Harvey C. Gordon; with foreword by Robert J. Herguth and ill. by Rand Kington (1980). PUNishment: The Art of Punning or How to Lose Friends and Agonize People. (New York, NY: Warner Books, 123 p. [2nd ed.]). Puns and punning; Puns and punning. A collection of puns arranged under such categories as "Animals," "Doctors and Dentists," "Food and Drink," "Parts of the Body," and others. Also discusses techniques for punsters.

John Y.T. Grieg (1969). The Psychology of Laughter and Comedy. (New York, NY: Cooper Square Publishers, 304 p. [orig. pub. 1923]). Laughter; Comic, The; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects.

Leon Grizer (1972). Wit and Wisdom in Business; A Collection of Great Thoughts by Great Minds. (New York, NY: Exposition Press, 509 p.). Business--Humor; Wit and humor.

Charles R. Gruner (1978). Understanding Laughter: The Workings of Wit & Humor. (Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall, 265 p.). Laughter; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects.

--- (1997). The Game of Humor: A Comprehensive Theory of Why We Laugh. (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 197 p.). Laughter; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects.

Robin Andrew Haig (1988). The Anatomy of Humor: Biopsychosocial and Therapeutic Perspectives. (Springfield, IL: Thomas, 202 p.). Wit and humor--Psychological aspects; Wit and humor--Social aspects; Wit and humor--Physiological aspects; Wit and humor--Therapeutic use; Laughter; Psychotherapy; Wit and Humor.

Don Hauptman; illustrations by Arnie Levin (1991). Cruel and Unusual Puns. (New York, NY: Dell Pub., 137 p.). Puns and punning; Play on words; Wit and humor; Spoonerisms.

Carl Hill (1993). The Soul of Wit: Joke Theory from Grimm to Freud. (Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 244 p.). Wit and humor--Psychological aspects; Subconsciousness.

Norman N. Holland (1982). Laughing, A Psychology of Humor. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 231 p.). Laughter; Wit and humor -- Psychological aspects.

Monica Hoose & Carolyn Naifeh; illustrations by Bob Staake (1992). True and Tacky II: More Weird Stories from the World's Newswires. (New York, NY: Topper Books, 124 p.). Wit and humor; Tackiness--Humor.

Monica Hoose & Carolyn Naifeh; illustrations by Keith Johnston (1990). True and Tacky: Weird Stories from the World's Newswires. (New York, NY: Topper Books, 128 p.). Wit and humor; Tackiness--Humor.

Bob Hope with Melville Shavelson (1990). Don't Shoot, It's Only Me: Bob Hope's Comedy History of the United States. (New York, NY: Putnam, 315 p.). Hope, Bob, 1903- ; United States -- Armed Forces -- Recreation; Entertainers -- United States -- Biography; Comedians -- United States -- Biography.

Donald A. Johnson (2005). The Humor of Healing: An Amusing History of American Medicine. (Oregon, WI: Badger Books, 264 p.). Practiced Neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and for 30 years in Washington, DC. Medicine--United States--Anecdotes; Medicine--United States--History--Anecdotes; Medicine; Wit and Humor--history. 

compiled by Lois L. Kaufman; with illustrations by Lyn Peal Rice (1989). Old Age Is Not for Sissies: A Witty Look at Aging. (White Plains, NY: Peter Pauper Press, 64 p.). Aged--Humor; Aging--Humor.

Kenji Kawakami (2005). The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions. (New York, NY: Norton, 303 p.). Founder, International Chindogu Society (the art of "the unuseless idea"). Inventions; humor. 

Kenji Kawakami with Dan Papia (1997). 99 More Unuseless Japanese Inventions. (New York, NY: Norton, 164 p.). Founder, International Chindogu Society (the art of "the unuseless idea"). Inventions; humor. 

Kenji Kawakami; Translated by Dan Papia (1995). 101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions. (New York, NY: Norton, 160 p.). Founder, International Chindogu Society (the art of "the unuseless idea"). Inventions; humor. 

Robert F. Kennedy (1968). The Robert F. Kennedy Wit. (New York, NY: Berkley Pub. Corp., 126 p.). Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968.

Allen Klein (1987). The Healing Power of Humor: Techniques for Getting Through Loss, Setbacks, Upsets, Disappointments, Difficulties, Trials, Tribulations, and All That Not-So-Funny Stuff. (Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 213 p.). Laughter; Wit and humor -- Psychological aspects; Adjustment (Psychology).

Antony B. Lake; cartoon ill. by Harold Montiel (1975). A Pleasury of Witticisms and Word Play. (New York, NY: Hart Pub. Co., 240 p.). Wit and humor.

H. Jack Lang (1990). Dear Wit: Letters from the World's Wits. (New York, NY: Prentice Hall, 266 p.). Letters--Humor; Wit and humor.

Herbert M. Lefcourt, Rod A. Martin (1986). Humor and Life Stress: Antidote to Adversity. (New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 142 p.). Wit and humor--Therapeutic use; Stress (Psychology).

Herbert M. Lefcourt (2000). Humor: The Psychology of Living Buoyantly. (New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 208 p.). Wit and humor--Psychological aspects; Wit and humor--Therapeutic use.

compiled by Jay Leno (1992). Jay Leno's Headlines. Books I, II, III: Real but Ridiculous Headlines from America's Newspapers. (New York, NY: Wings Books, 382 p.). Newspapers--Headlines--Humor; American wit and humor. Real but ridiculous headlines from America's newspapers.

--- (1994). Jay Leno's Police Blotter: Real-Life Crime Headlines from "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". (Kansas City, MO: Andrews and McMeel, 160 p.). Crime--Humor; Newspapers--Headlines--Humor; American wit and humor.

Peter V. MacDonald (1996). From the Cop Shop: Hilarious Tales from Our Men and Women of the Badge. (Toronto, ON: Stoddart, 246 p.). Police--Anecdotes; Police--Humor; Crime--Anecdotes; Crime--Humor; Canadian wit and humor.

Jon Macks; introduction by Jay Leno (1998). Heaven Talks Back: An Uncommon Conversation. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 175 p.). God--Humor; Conduct of life--Humor.

Edited by Robert Mankoff; foreword by David Remnick (2004). The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker. (New York, NY: Black Dog & Leventhal, 656 p.). New Yorker (New York, N.Y. : 1925); Caricatures and cartoons--United States; American wit and humor, Pictorial. 2,500 cartoons.

Paul E. McGhee (1999). Health, Healing and the Amuse System: Humor as Survival Training. (Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 281 p. [3rd ed.]). Laughter; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects; Wit and humor--Social aspects; Stress management; Adaptation, Psychological; Wit and Humor--psychology.

Paul E. McGhee; illustrated by Edie Pistolesi (1979). Humor, Its Origin and Development. (San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman, 251 p.). Humor in children; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects.

Vern McLellan (1988). Shredded Wit. (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 188 p.). Conduct of life--Humor.

--- (1991). Cream of Wit. (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 167 p.). Conduct of life--Humor.

C.W. Metcalf and Roma Felible (1992). Lighten Up: Survival Skills for People Under Pressure. (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 290 p.). Laughter; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects; Stress management.

Mark Crispin Miller (2001). The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder. (New York, NY: W.W. Norton, 290 p.). Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946- --Language; Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946- --Humor; Presidents--United States--Language; Malapropisms.

Raymond A. Moody, Jr. (1978). Laugh after Laugh: The Healing Power of Humor. (Jacksonville, FL: Headwaters Press, 128 p.). Medicine, Psychosomatic; Laughter--Therapeutic use; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects; Wit and humor in medicine; Health.

John Morreall (1983). Taking Laughter Seriously. (Albany, NY: State University of New York, 144 p.). Laughter; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects.

ed. John Morreall (1987). The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor. (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 270 p.). Wit and humor--Philosophy.

Ted L. Nancy; introduction by Jerry Seinfeld (1997). Letters from a Nut. (New York, NY: Avon Books, 1 vol.). Letters--Humor; American wit and humor.

Ted L. Nancy; more introduction by Jerry Seinfeld (1998). More Letters from a Nut. (New York, NY: Bantam, 1 vol.). Letters--Humor; American wit and humor.

Ted L. Nancy; backward by Jerry Seinfeld (2000). Extra Nutty!: Even More Letters from a Nut. (New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1 vol.). Letters--Humor; American wit and humor.

Neal R. Norrick (1993). Conversational Joking: Humor in Everyday Talk. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 175 p.). Wit and humor--History and criticism; Conversation--Psychological aspects; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects.

Wendy Northcutt (2000). The Darwin Awards. (New York, NY: Dutton, 3 vols.). Stupidity--Anecdotes. 

Wendy Northcutt (2001). The Darwin Awards II: Unnatural Selection. (New York, NY: Dutton, 240 p.). Stupidity--Anecdotes. 

Wendy Northcutt, Christopher M. Kelly (2006). The Darwin Awards 4: Intelligent Design. (New York, NY: Dutton, 320 p.). Stupidity--Anecdotes; Stupidity--Humor. Filled with more than one hundred new tales of evolution in action, and complete with essential science and safety discussions.

Ross and Kathryn Petras (1993). The 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said. (New York, NY: Doubleday, 220 p.). Quotations, English; Wit and humor.

--- (1994). The 776 Even Stupider Things Ever Said. (New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 228 p.). Quotations, English; Wit and humor.

--- (1996). The 176 Stupidest Things Ever Done. (New York, NY: Doubleday, 192 p.). Anecdotes.

--- (1998). Stupid Sex: The Most Idiotic and Embarrassing Intimate Encounters of All Time. (New York, NY: Doubleday, 197 p.). Sex--Anecdotes; Sex--Humor.

--- (1998). Stupid Celebrities: Over 500 of the Most Idiotic Things Ever Said by Famous People. (Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 240 p.). Celebrities--Quotations.

--- (1999). The Stupidest Things Ever Said by Politicians. (New York, NY: Pocket Books, 274 p.). Political science--Quotations, maxims, etc.; Politicians--Quotations.

Albert Rapp (1951). The Origins of Wit and Humor. (New York, NY: Dutton, 208 p.). Wit and humor.

Linda Richman (2001). I'd Rather Laugh: How To Be Happy Even When Life Has Other Plans for You. (New York, NY: Warner Books, 223 p.). Laughter; Wit and humor -- Psychological aspects; Happiness.

Jon E. Roeckelein (2002). The Psychology of Humor: A Reference Guide and Annotated Bibliography. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, p.). Wit and humor--Psychological aspects; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects--Bibliography.

Paul Rosa (1995). Idiot Letters: One Man's Relentless Assault on Corporate America. (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1 vol.). Letters--Humor; Complaint letters--Humor; Consumer complaints--Humor.

--- (1997). The Complete Idiot Letters: One Man's Hilarious Assault on Corporate America. (Washington, DC: Regnery Pub., 204 p.). Letters--Humor; Complaint letters--Humor; Consumer complaints--Humor.

Leo Rosten (1985). Leo Rosten's Giant Book of Laughter. (New York, NY: Crown, 573 p.). American wit and humor.

Compiled and manicured by Leo Rosten (1994). Leo Rosten's Carnival of Wit: And Wisdom, plus Wisecracks, Ad-Libs, Malaprops, Puns, One-Liners, Quips, Epigrams, Boo-Boos, Dazzling Ironies ... from Aristotle to Groucho Marx. (New York, NY: Dutton, 538 p.). Wit and humor -- History and criticism; Wit and humor.

ed. Willibald Ruch (1998). The Sense of Humor: Explorations of a Personality Characteristic. (New York, NY: Mouton de Gruyter, 498 p.). Wit and humor--Psychological aspects; Personality.

Neil Schaeffer (1981). The Art of Laughter. (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 166 p.). Wit and humor--History and criticism; Wit and humor--Philosophy.

Ed. Ned Sherrin (2007). The Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 560 p.). Presenter of BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends. Quotations, English; Wit and humor.

Eds. Paul Slansky and Arleen Sorkin (2006). My Bad: 25 Years of Public Apologies and the Appalling Behavior That Inspired Them. (New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 192 p.). Apologies. A collection of famous and infamous apologies, from grudging to groveling.

Mark Twain (1906). Mark Twain's Library of Humor ... (New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 4 vols.). American wit and humor; Wit and humor. Contents [v. 1] Men and things.--[v. 2] Women and things.--[v. 3] The primrose way.--[v. 4] A little nonsense.

Ian Urbina (2005). Life’s Little Annoyances: True Tales of People Who Just Can’t Take It Anymore. (New York, NY: Times Books, 191 p.). Reporter for The New York Times. Life skills. Compendium of human inventiveness, by turns juvenile and petty, but in other ways inspired and deeply satisfying.

Michael West (2000). Transcendental Wordplay: America's Romantic Punsters and the Search for the Language of Nature. (Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 518 p.). Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862 --Knowledge--Language and languages; American literature--19th century--History and criticism; Puns and punning in literature; American wit and humor--History and criticism; English language--United States--Rhetoric; English language--19th century--Rhetoric; Transcendentalism (New England); Romanticism--United States; Nature in literature; Play on words.

Daniel Wickberg (1998). The Senses of Humor: Self and Laughter in Modern America. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 267 p.). American wit and humor--20th century--History and criticism; Laughter--Social aspects--United States; Self in literature; United States--Social life and customs--20th century.

Rusty Wright & Linda Raney Wright (1985). Secrets of Successful Humor. (San Bernardino, CA: Here's Life Publishers, 224 p.). Wit and humor--Psychological aspects; Wit and humor--History and criticism; American wit and humor.

Norris Wilson Yates (1964). The American Humorist: Conscience of the Twentieth Century. (Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 410 p.). American wit and humor--20th century--History and criticism.

Richard Zoglin (2008). Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America. (New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 256 p.). Senior Editor and Writer (Time). Stand-up comedy--United States--History--20th century. Backstage view of the time when a group of brilliant, iconoclastic comedians ruled the world; behind-the-scenes look at one of the most influential and tumultuous decades in American popular culture.

__________________________________________________________

LINKS:

American Humor: A Study of the American Character http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/rourke/cover.html                           Electronic version of this book by Constance Rourke (originally published in 1931) tracing the regional development of American humor. Topics include Southern humor, Yankee humor, comic poets, strolling actors, and humor of the West and California. From American Studies at the University of Virginia.

Comedy College                                          http://comedycollege.publicradio.org/                                                         Unedited presentation of complete works: full episodes of old radio shows, entire live stage performances, and uninterrupted improvisational sketches and scripted routines; brings together people who love to laugh. Along the way, hosts provide context, a little background information, and some professional insights into the business of making people laugh. From the genius of improvisational comedy to the scrutiny of scripted material, and from the essential timing of punch lines to the lyrical verse of comedic song, Comedy College stitches it all together with laughter.

Darwin Awards                                                     http://www.darwinawards.com/                                                                              We salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who remove themselves from it in really stupid ways. Of necessity, this honor is generally bestowed posthumously.

The Gift of Jewish Women's Comedy     http://www.jwa.org/discover/comedy/                                                                       Essay about American Jewish women comedians who have "demonstrated a superb wit, wonderful verbal skills, and the masterful use of irony, satire, and mockery, including self-mockery." Includes material about Fanny Brice, Judy Holliday, Madeline Kahn, Molly Picon, Gilda Radner, and Sophie Tucker. From the Jewish Women's Archive.

Humor and Laughter: Health Benefits and Online Resources http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm                                   This site considers the health benefits of laughter, such as reduced stress, lowered blood pressure, and improved brain functioning. It describes laughter's positive effects on the body, the mental health benefits of laughter, and examples of humorous experiences. Also includes links to related articles and sites. From HelpGuide.org, a nonprofit resource on a mental health and healthy lifestyles; it is a project of the Rotary Club of Santa Monica and Center for Healthy Aging.

Humour Summer School     http://www.humoursummerschool.org/08/index.html                                    International Summer School and Symposium on Humour and Laughter; ensures strong foundation in existing theoretical and methodological issues, pitfalls confronting the scientific study of humour; introduction to kinds of approaches that are being used around the world to put humour to work and to deliver the benefits of humour and laughter.

The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/marktwain/  Biographical material about prizewinners of this annual award for "comedians and writers of piercing wit who have left their mark on our ideas, attitudes, and language." Winners include Richard Pryor, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Lorne Michaels, and Steve Martin. From the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Lambiek Comiclopedia                                                        http://www.lambiek.net/artists/index.htm                                                                 An illustrated compendium of over 7,000 international comic artists with biographies and artwork examples.

Late-Night Jokes                                          http://www.newsmax.com/liners.shtml                                                              Those of us unable to see the top late night shows can browse this site for the liner jokes from the popular hosts. Archived from November 5, 1998 to the present. Subjects: American wit and humor...

Laughter Arts and Sciences Foundation               http://www.laughterfoundation.org                                                                       The Laughter Arts and Sciences Foundation sponsors World Laughter Day, the first Sunday in May. Its site provides a history of this day that was first commemorated in 1998, and a directory of events throughout the world.

MRC Library Internet Subject Guide: Humor http://www.mtroyal.ab.ca/programs/academserv/lib/Subguide/sghumour.htm  Maintained at Mt. Royal College (Calgary, AB).

Oddly Enough http://today.reuters.com/news/newsChannel.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews  Strange-but-true news from the news wire, on celebrities, crimes and criminals, ordinary people, lawsuits, government, scientific studies, and more. Includes some video clips and a months' worth of archived stories. From Reuters.

Political Humor: Tax Jokes                          http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/taxes/                                                          Collection of material and links to sites with "tax jokes, political cartoons, and other itemized objections to income taxes and the IRS." Includes jokes from late-night shows, an income tax return for laid-off dot-com employees with no job prospects, tax humor one-liners, "Income Tax Top 10s," and more. From About.com, "a part of The New York Times Company."

Puns Galore                                                               http://www.punsgalore.com/                                                                    Searchable and browsable collection of over 500 puns. There are also a random pun generator and related links. Subjects: Puns and punning...

Radio Lovers                                                             http://www.radiolovers.com/                                                                                  Before the days of video games, shopping malls, MTV, and the Internet, families used to sit in their living room each night to listen to radio shows - went off the air when TV become popular in the 1950's; now live on at websites and on weekly nostalgia radio broadcasts worldwide.

Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird http://www.newsoftheweird.com/archive/                                             Approximately six-months of archived columns from this syndicated feature on strange and bizarre news items, involving crimes, medicine, science, government actions, arts and entertainment, strange-but-true stories, confusing headlines, and more. Some of the ongoing themes include police blotter items, "Least Competent Criminals," and "Undignified Deaths."

Studies in American Humor                                        http://www.compedit.com                                                                                        This site features a selection of essays that appeared in the journal Studies in American Humor from 1974 to 1994. Topics include Mark Twain, immigrant stereotypes 1880-1900, "Catch-22" and angry humor, Will Rogers, S. J. Perelman, and New Yorker cartoons. From a retired editor of the journal.

Winners of the IgNobel Prize                                http://www.improbable.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html                                       "Every Ig Nobel Prize winner has done something that first makes people LAUGH, then makes them THINK." Here's the complete list of winners and their, er, achievements, from 1991-2005. Marvel at the inventor of the alarm clock that runs away and hides, and the scientists who definitively answered the question, "Will humans swim faster or slower in syrup," and "What are the effects of country music on suicide?" and many, many others.