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The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose
The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose: From William Caxton to P.G. Wodehouse : a Conducted Tour | Frank Muir
3 posts | 1 read | 1 reading | 1 to read
In this magisterial collection, Frank Muir guides the reader on a journey of discovery and delight through five centuries of humorous prose in the English language.Starting in London with William Caxton and a Preface written and printed in 1477, and ending with P. G. Wodehouse whose last novel was published in 1977, the route is meandering: from England to Ireland and Scotland, back to England again, on to America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. There areexamples chosen from humorous fiction, letters, and journalism written by over 200 authors and ranging from medieval jests to the New Yorker and Beachcomber; from Thomas Nashe and Tom Brown's galloping bawdy to Jane Austen and on to Garrison Keillor and Arthur Marshall; from the jokes in SamuelJohnson's Dictionary to Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim and his hangover. The great humorous writers such as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and P. G. Wodehouse are given a kind of mini-anthology of their own so that the range and versatility of their work can be appreciated.The extracts are embedded in a commentary that sets the writers in their historical context with items of contemporary gossip and anecdotal biography.As tour leader of this enjoyable enterprise, there could be no one better than Frank Muir to entertain, inform, and above all amuse the reader in his own distinctive fashion.
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Kimberlone
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KVanRead Love it 😍😂 3y
Gissy Lovely blanket☺️When I review my books choosing maybe next read, I feel that I need all of them near to me!📚😍 3y
kspenmoll 😂😂 3y
readordierachel Lol, the dream 3y
41 likes4 comments
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TheSpineView
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This funny little cartoon was in the Friends of the Library newsletter. It was too cute not to share!🤣 I love book humor!❤📖

GingerAntics 🤣😂🤣 it‘s amazing how true this is. Poor kids. 5y
GingerAntics Admittedly, some books do actually have batteries. lol My favourite books when I was little had a cassette that read the story and made a dinging, glistening, magical sort of sound when you were supposed to turn the page. Loved those. I don‘t think they have them anymore. 5y
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TheSpineView @GingerAntics I remember those! 5y
GingerAntics Weren‘t they awesome?! 5y
TheSpineView @GingerAntics Yes! The best thing since sliced bread!🤣 5y
GingerAntics I think it was the easiest way for my parents to make dinner or get things done. I wasn‘t bugging them to read to me. lol 5y
73 likes8 comments
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MrBook
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😂👏🏻 #LitsyHumor

Sungirl79 😂😂😂 6y
kspenmoll 👏🏻😂 6y
Cathythoughts 😂👏🎉🎉 6y
Bklover 😂😂😂😂 6y
156 likes4 comments