Games and Humor Books

I can only rate the service of the delivery and the accuracy of the description of the book. I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

The book arrived fast & in great shape. My nephew loves it! He loves it so much that he had to have the Scarne book on magic.

Many magicians own the Classic book "Scarne on Card Tricks." But it is said if you want to keep a trick a secret, put it in print! Most of what's in Scarne on Card Tricks is no doubt a complete mystery to most laymen--and many magicians! Its a great book for the card beginner.

On the other hand, there's a lot of boring and tedious count-down stuff in there as well.

The book is BIG--over 300 pages of carefully detailed effects. It can be a little overwhelming to someone the first time he picks it up. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff?

Best, in my view, are the tricks that can be done TOTALLY impromptu, with very little or no stacking, when a deck is shoved into your hands and somebody says "Do a trick!".

Here are some of the effects that I have judged to be best, based on the above criteria:

The Upside down Deck by Francis Carlyle
Hit the Deck
Scarne's Follow the Leader
Cardini's Color Discernment
Card on the Ceiling
Card through the Handkerchief

Of course, You Do as I Do is also a classic, though it is fairly well known among magicians.

In short, a little work digging out the best tricks will make you a true card magician in most people's eyes, with enough practice and performing experience.

John Scarne is today perhaps best remembered as a leading authority on gambling scams and card cheats. However, in his prime, he was one of the best magicians in America. In the late 40s, as stated in the Introduction, Scarne decided to gather for magicians a set of card tricks involving no sleight-of-hand. The result is "Scarne on Card Tricks". The 155 effects in the book range from quick tricks and puzzlers to more elaborate card demonstrations. All of the effects are attributed to either the originator of the effect or to a magician who used the effect frequently. The book clearly bears Scarne's unique genius not only in the selection and variety of effects, but in Scarne's improvements of the original effects. There is no doubt that anyone can put together a most entertaining routine with the material in this book. Two words of caution. First, the copyright of the book is 1950 and so some of the patter is clearly dated and needs to be revised for contemporary audiences. (Patter is the words or story that accompany the effect.) Second, because the effects are easy to do when practiced, there is a tendency to perform the effects before fully thought out. For every hour learning the basic effect itself, two hours should be spent on how to present it in an entertaining and interesting manner. The book itself, however, remains one of the very best in card magic. Scarne's work clearly stands the test of time. Frankly, the book is a steal at the published price. I bought two copies because I knew I'd wear one book out. I did. The book is that useful.

This is the definitive collection of non sleight-of-hand (you don't have to be quick with your hands) card tricks. I bought my first paperback copy in 1974 when I was still a schoolboy. Some of the tricks are easy but astounding, such that I've memorised two of them and have amazed my friends over the years until now. Since then, there hasn't been any other card trick manual that can beat this one, to the best of my knowledge.

As a big fan of The Onion style humor, this book really delivered for me. Its sports spoofs are right on and completely hilarious. The photos and ads make the parodies look so real, adding to the fun absurdity of the book. I loved it! If you're a big sports humor guy like I am, I would also recommend Robert Gussin's TRASH TALK. It's a pretty new and really funny fiction book that imagines an accidental pairing up professional athletes and environmentalists. Sounds wacky - and it is. In the best way possible! Check it out.

When I saw that this book had come out, I immediately thought, "Ooh, Leyritz!" Unfortunately there were no appearances from the lovable bald catcher, but there are plenty of humorous stories to both make you laugh and provoke fond memories of your favorite sports memories. It's a perfect blend of sports-insider humor and witty comments on society at large (see the guest appearances from Noam Chomsky and Joyce Carol Oates and the frequent "corrections"). Definitely buy this book -- you won't regret it!

This book is very cleverly done. It's very accessible to sports fans and even if you're not, the snippets are hilarious. My wife sometimes scoffs at my obsession with sports but when I read her some of the pieces aloud, she was cracking up. The book reminds me of the various sports "Hall of Shame" series I read as a child and hopefully these guys will follow suit. I enjoyed this one and look forward to more!

From the title itself to all of the content, this book is thoroughly entertaining and very humorous. I enjoyed all the spoofs on sports metaphors, the swimsuit issue, the interviews with fake sports celebrities, and all the little jokes woven throughout the book. There are many clever and witty gags that any sports fan would surely relish. I definitely recommend this title!

Hilarious! Hard to read the articles because the next headline is so funny. But stick it out-- these guys don't overcook the roastbeef. Some morsels:

"Rocky VIII: Rocky vs. Bullwinkle"
"NASCAR Rookie Asked to Stop Using Turn Signals"
"Woeful Season Blamed on Liberal Media"
"Nike Signs Spelling Bee Champ to LIfetie Non-Endorsement Deal:$4.3 Million Agreement Ensures Gawky 8th Grader Will Never Wear Company Apparel"

Really more of an investment in humor than a purchase...

Even if you don't drink, this book is a fun time to be had hanging out with your friends. You'll certainly come up with lots more on your own too. If you just want to check it out instead of buy it, though, just go to the Barguments' website. There are extra bargument questions sent in by website viewers on there too.

A fun and clever way to spend time with loved ones . . . .

great book that will make you really think about things that you never thought about.

What a great book! I foresee many sequels....
Barguments for Prison Inmates: Which is worse: A month in solitary or being Leroy's special love interest....for a year?
Barguments for Kids: Which is more disgusting: nose picking or scab picking?
Barguments for US Soldiers in Iraq, Barguments for Moms, Barguments for College Students....the possibilities are endless.

Having known Doug and his counterpoint Eric for a long time, I loved this book. The whole time I read along, I could see the conversations, the players, and the locations. My wife and I sat down to go through this one together (each holding our own copy) and laughed and thought, and tried to avoid arguing for real. Just a really fun conversation starter for everyone.

I have reached a point now where I am continuously reading 100 to 200 pages of sci-fi/fantasy novels, then throwing them away and searching for the next Jack Vance work. I keep finding that he has already written entire, masterful books on random notions that I have had about what the next few decades will bring....and he wrote them decades ago. I've been tearing through his work at a steady clip, and haven't been disappointed yet.

For example, I just wrapped up Blue World, which is somewhat of a cross between Moby Dick and The Old Man and the Sea. It's a masterpiece, and more metaphorical and symbolic than most of Vance's works. On one hand it can be read as a straight-forward adventure story about the descendants of shipwrecked starfarers attempting to defeat an aquatic monster. However, it can simultaneously be read as an indictment of religion, orthodox thinking, and institutionalized bureaucracies as being stultifying narcotics that sap human free-will and advancement.

It is amazingly and deliciously subversive. A good read even for those who don't like science fiction or aren't familiar with Vance.

Jack Vance has some great books, but has also written quite a few not-so-great ones. I expected this book, which was originally a short story but later expanded to novel size, to be one of the not-so-good ones. I was pleasantly surprised. The action is fairly constant throughout the first 3/4 of the book. Things slow down towards the final chapters, and the ending is slightly disappointing. Still, all in all, this is a better-than-average story.

Jack Vance is one of my favorite authors although admittedly he has written a few duds. At his best, as in The Blue World, he has an uncanny knack of making his quirky and exotic societies and locations seem real and believable. While Blue World is technically Science Fiction it's really a story of human triumph and ingenuity. A shipload of people stranded on a world without land, who not only survive but flourish could just as easily have been a 16th century galleon stranding its crew on a desert island.

An entrenched quasi-religious priesthood built up over generations to worship a very large & vindictive sea creature (called a Kragen probably after the Kraken of Norse mythology) who demand orthodoxy and are willing to kill those who oppose their views or threaten to harm the monstrous Kragen is soundly based on human experience.

The interaction of those who want to rid themselves of the beast and those of orthodox view led by the "priests" who see the Kragen as a god-like entity to be worshiped and fawned over is at the heart of the story and rings so true it could be describing the U.S. Senate's conservative vs. liberal debates. The justification for war to rid the world of unorthodoxy is as old as time and shows a real understanding of human nature that Vance often uses to advantage.

Blue World is Sci-Fi at its best.

First, to all those who have never read Jack Vance: he is nothing like the vast multitudes of "space-opera" writers of today. And if you are expecting more of that kind of pulp you may not like his stories. If you are willing to let go of your notions of what scif-fi should be, then Vance is the writer for you! His writing style is detailed but very concise, and he rarely (basically never) wastes the reader's time with superfluous space-filler. This means his novels are usually quite short. His stories often have very strong themes (with a subtext of humor) and are generally very believable thought experiments; in the sense that all entities and characters act belivably within the context.

Blue World is a thought experiment. The setting revolves around a society situated on a planet with no land that must rely on a giant sea-plant for all of their needs. There is a strong conflict in the story between the the society (or members of it) and external factors (specifically a giant sea monster), but the real magic of this story is the interaction and conflict that goes on within the society (the sea monster is simply the catalyst, and the general theme of conflict is between religious conservatism and scientific progress). The individual characters in Blue World are generally static and proceed along specific trajectories from the outset. However, this is not a weakness since the interaction BETWEEN characters leads to dynamic and unpredictable results. It is almost as if the whole society of Blue World is Vance's character. It works very well.

A few further notes: the details in this story include a strange "religion" based sea-monster appeasment, comunication systems using towers and an interesting symbolic lights, and a whole slew of well thought out ways to use a sea-plant to build a civiliazation. Very imaginative!

My only complaint, the book is too short! But all great books are and this one leaves a lasting impression.

This was the first Vance novel I ever read- humans marooned on a world without solid land. The themes of human beings as the most alien creatures we'll ever meet, the exotic societies, the strange worlds we are cast down on all combined to a memberable book. Look for how the folks on this planet gather iron; it's an image that has stayed with me for over thirty years.

The Garfield Day- to Day Calendar is a great thing to look forward to every morning because it gives you a laugh and wakes you up.

Garfield is the best cartoon in the world im his #1 fan. I have been since i was born. they should have a lot more of garfield.......one more thing...GOD BLESS AMERICA......

The pictures are cute,after you read you must be a Garfield fans

This book is hillarious, and if your not a morning person the comic strips featured in it will wake you up with laughter. I definatly recommend this book to all Garfield fans!

The Garfield Day- to Day Calendar is a great thing to look forward to every morning because it gives you a laugh and wakes you up.

Both the text and drawings of this book will have you in stitches, and keep you wondering. While seemingly simplistic, the small phrases like "FLEX, ELF" accompanied by a drawing of a dwarf desperately trying to muster up to large cloned muscle men are absolutely hilarious. If you love words, language, and a sharp wit, this is the book for you. Truly one you will want to return to again.

Both the text and drawings of this book will have you in stitches, and keep you wondering. While seemingly simplistic, the small phrases like "FLEX, ELF" accompanied by a drawing of a dwarf desperately trying to muster up to large cloned muscle men are absolutely hilarious. If you love words, language, and a sharp wit, this is the book for you. Truly one you will want to return to again.

this book is found in one of my local libraries and it helps me to get out of my adult depressions. I'm especially enamored of the guy in the Chinese Restaurant who's asked by the waiter, "Wonton?" and his reply is "Not now!"

Both the text and drawings of this book will have you in stitches, and keep you wondering. While seemingly simplistic, the small phrases like "FLEX, ELF" accompanied by a drawing of a dwarf desperately trying to muster up to large cloned muscle men are absolutely hilarious. If you love words, language, and a sharp wit, this is the book for you. Truly one you will want to return to again.

Palindromes. Hard to write, fun to read, especially in the expert hands of Jon Agee.

A palindrome is a word or phrase that is spelled the same way forwards or backwards, as in "Go hang a salami! I'm a lasagna hog!", which has to be one of the longest and most complicated palindromes in existence.

Mr. Agee has collected some fantastically fun and funny palindromes in this collection illustrated by the author. There is a picture of a lion on a sunny beach with a bottle of "lion oil" behind him. Winnie the Pooh is doing the hula hoop (it's "Pooh's hoop", of course!!). My personal favorite (and an exceptionally long palindrome) is of an inventor in a room full of switches, gadgets and wires. In the middle of the room sits a tiny box playing music. He exclaims, arms out, "I madam, I made a radio! So I dared! Am I mad, am I?!" Go ahead, spell it backwards...

In a world where good English skills are swiftly becoming a rarity and few folk seem interested in grammar or word games, Mr. Agee's book is a breath of fresh air. At times, the illustrations fit the palindromes so perfectly that you almost forget that these are special sentences that are quite difficult to create, and the read more like a comic strip.

Kudos to Mr. Agee for not only playing about with words to create Palindromes, but for publishing some for those struggling folk (like myself) who can't seem to come up with any of our own!! Readers may also want to check out his other book, "So Many Dynamos!"

I really enjoyed this book and it's what I turn to whenever I'm having a "blah" moment. The drawings are easy to follow, the writing is short and brief and there are tons of little extras throughout the book (stickers, punch outs, etc). It's more of an activity book than a drawing book and even if you have no interest in drawing, you'll enjoy the wit and whimsy of the words and illustrations. A great buy at the original price, but a fabulous bargin at anything less!

How to Draw a Radish: And Other Fun Things to Do at Work
How to Draw a Cup of Coffee and Other Fun Ideas for Home & Garden
How to Draw a Clam: A Wonderful Vacation Planner
All three books, by Joy Sikorski

I have owned these three wonderful books since the late nineties & have re-visited them many times.

In the field of what I would like to term as 'deliberate doodling', I consider these three books to be the best in the genre. Unlike the common doodles, which seem whimsical, 'deliberate doodling' involves some form of structure & purpose. I am very impressed by what the author has done in the three fun books of hers.

All three fun books are spiral bound, each with almost two hundred pages of inspirational doodling techniques, on top of various other discovery games & paper crafts for professional & personal entertainment. Each is sturdily constructed with two pockets for special projects, organised with ten card-board dividers & yet small enough to fit into your briefcase.

From my personal perspective, they are wonderful toys for grow-ups: playful, instructive & absolutely worthwhile!

The author has actually written another similar book, entitled 'Squeaky Chalk : And Other Fun Things to Draw (And Do) When There's Nothing to Do!' but for some strange reasons, I did not lay my hands on it.

For the benefit of readers, let me share this personal experience of mine: I have combined the 'deliberate doodling' techniques from Joy with the 'rapid viz' techniques from Kurt Hanks, & integrated them into the 'private writing' processes as formulated by Mark Levy in his wonderful book, 'Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing .'

I use what I often like to term as my 'scratch pad', the type artists use, foolscape size, spiral-bound, 100 pages per pad, 100 gms weight, in conjuction with a multi-colour/multi-utility pen from Rotring. At one point in time, (for about 3 years) I used the Bienfang spring-bound note/sketch pads until the only local supplier went out of business unexpectedly.

On many occasions, I have astonished myself by being able to wrestle with the valuable business & life insights from my own seemingly disparate "private writing"/'deliberate doodling'/'rapid viz' pages. The doodles & illustrations often add a perceptive visual dimension to my seemingly random thoughts on paper. My scratch pad is always a visual smorgasbord of relatively heavy text, mystical doodles & logical illustrations (thanks & no thanks to my engineering training!). I have translated many of my valuable insights into pragmatic projects. One of the sideline projects is writing reviews on amazon website.

To all readers: If you really want to use both sides of your powerful brain to generate valuable insights, I can guarantee that these three books can drive your imagination engine into hyper-speed mode.

I simply love this little book. I found it on clearance and thought "Hey, what can it hurt?" It didn't hurt at all, obviously. I love the whimsical flow and little extras like the herb labels and "postcards." It's also very informative, teaching you how to doodle things like cups of coffee, mice and peanuts, and the ever-honorable peccary. This would make an excellent gift for those who like a little silliness in their everyday life.

A delightfully silly and surreal book. I enjoyed the drawing lessons most.

If you are looking for a fun gift look no further! this book is an exellent peice of work from people of all ages! It is fun and creative and never boring! Read it and give it a try!

How to Draw a Radish: And Other Fun Things to Do at Work
How to Draw a Cup of Coffee and Other Fun Ideas for Home & Garden
How to Draw a Clam: A Wonderful Vacation Planner
All three books, by Joy Sikorski

I have owned these three wonderful books since the late nineties & have re-visited them many times.

In the field of what I would like to term as 'deliberate doodling', I consider these three books to be the best in the genre. Unlike the common doodles, which seem whimsical, 'deliberate doodling' involves some form of structure & purpose. I am very impressed by what the author has done in the three fun books of hers.

All three fun books are spiral bound, each with almost two hundred pages of inspirational doodling techniques, on top of various other discovery games & paper crafts for professional & personal entertainment. Each is sturdily constructed with two pockets for special projects, organised with ten card-board dividers & yet small enough to fit into your briefcase.

From my personal perspective, they are wonderful toys for grow-ups: playful, instructive & absolutely worthwhile!

The author has actually written another similar book, entitled 'Squeaky Chalk : And Other Fun Things to Draw (And Do) When There's Nothing to Do!' but for some strange reasons, I did not lay my hands on it.

For the benefit of readers, let me share this personal experience of mine: I have combined the 'deliberate doodling' techniques from Joy with the 'rapid viz' techniques from Kurt Hanks, & integrated them into the 'private writing' processes as formulated by Mark Levy in his wonderful book, 'Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing .'

I use what I often like to term as my 'scratch pad', the type artists use, foolscape size, spiral-bound, 100 pages per pad, 100 gms weight, in conjuction with a multi-colour/multi-utility pen from Rotring. At one point in time, (for about 3 years) I used the Bienfang spring-bound note/sketch pads until the only local supplier went out of business unexpectedly.

On many occasions, I have astonished myself by being able to wrestle with the valuable business & life insights from my own seemingly disparate "private writing"/'deliberate doodling'/'rapid viz' pages. The doodles & illustrations often add a perceptive visual dimension to my seemingly random thoughts on paper. My scratch pad is always a visual smorgasbord of relatively heavy text, mystical doodles & logical illustrations (thanks & no thanks to my engineering training!). I have translated many of my valuable insights into pragmatic projects. One of the sideline projects is writing reviews on amazon website.

To all readers: If you really want to use both sides of your powerful brain to generate valuable insights, I can guarantee that these three books can drive your imagination engine into hyper-speed mode.

I bought this book 5 yrs ago.I just love it.This book has a very easy instruction and pictures to follow,it is especially easy for a child to follow the step by step pictures. I use it myself and now I gave it to my daughter, she is 3 yrs old,I love to see her face everytime she draws a picture, her eyes just says it all.She loves it so much that we both draw and paint together with the guide of this book. I have showed it to friends and care takers in the family center, all have agreed that it is a must to buy book.this book is not only for children,but also a coffee table book.You will not regret!!!

I received this book in a "Secret Santa" and just LOVED it!
What a great little treasure to teach the unbelievably talentless how to draw!
Joy breaks down radishes, butterflies, flowers, etc into easy to draw pieces that all add up together.
I can now doodle with the best of them!
Pick up two - one for your Secret Santa and one for yourself!

i go to a lot of meetings at work, and i don't have to do a lot of talking, so i do a lot of doodling. unfortunately, i can't draw at all. but this book has simple instructions (for more than just doodles, too), and has really expanded my 'meeting doodle' abilities.

This was just the most adorable little book I ever picked up. I just wanted to buy millions of copies to send them to friends who have boring jobs. I loved the little rabbit eating on the grass. It's a great doo-dad book that everyone should have to keep them entertained. I rarely laugh outloud at a book, but I couldn't help myself.

My wife is Jewish and I am in the process of conversion. I bought the book version and each year, I've faithfully bought the calendars and have given them as gifts.

They're informative, respectful, sensitive, hilarious, and I often feel I'm given a little bit of Judaica on each page.

A superb and highly enjoyable work!

I highly recommend this series.

Alan Lennox, Va

I recommend this calendar for anyone interested in Jewish culture and humor. As a history and trivia buff, I found it loaded with unusual and interesting facts and figures too.

Extremely well-edited, this author has a gift for picking just the right material, and blending beautifully to give the reader a rich experience.

More a book than calendar, I suggest you buy two: one to use, and one to keep as a reference.

Marilyn Shoen

NYC

FUNNY, FAT, FULL!!! OK, IT'S NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT TO BE ETHNIC. WHO CARES? THIS IS AN ETHNIC BOUQUET OF A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING. I WAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED WITH THE INFORMATION ABOUT NON-JEWS WHO CAME TO THE AID OF JEWS.

A WINNER. I LOVE GETTING AND GIVING IT.

IRV SACKOFF,
WEST VIRGINIA

Ususally calendars are simplistic -- a gimmick behind a date. A Little Joy, A Little Oy was a shocker. It's a superb blending of date and facts, humor, sentiment. Filled with information that many books don't offer, it far exceeded our expectations.

For anyone interested in Yiddishkeit I recommend it highly! A unique offering.

Ernie Small, LA

I received the book version as a gift, then I went out and bought the calendar in 2002, fell in love with the thoroughness of the entries. Then again in 2003 and now in 2004.

It never fails to disappoint. Frankly, I'm amazed that the entries are not only fresh, unusual, hysterical, but keep getting better and more seasoned.

It's full of a variety of Yinglishisms, which are my favorites, along with history, literature. Something for everyone.

I'm buying them up as great gifts.

More please!

Jason Blauvelt

I gave this book to my friend's daughter and she absolutely adores the book. It's so imaginative, beautiful and well-written that any "princess" you know is bound to love it.

The illustrations are gorgeous, and the writing is enjoyable for an adult to read as well, because there's a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor sprinkled with some fairy dust throughout that had me purchasing my own copy after I gave it as a gift!

An absolute charmer from start to finish, Princess Crafts is a magical mixture of craft projects and handbook for princesses both
young and old. Full of fun, fashion, and oodles of glitter, the
craft projects are creative without being complicated. From
Rapunzel Ribbon Wigs to Fancy-Prancy Dancing Slippers, this crafty
book will surely bring out your inner princess!

Both of my goddaughter's LOVED this book! Each had their favorite craft---Your Carriage Awaits allowed Nicole to have the most glamorous bicycle on the block---she was certainly the princess on her custom designed chariot! Nicole was also inspired to have a princess party with her friends! Alexa loved making the Rapunzel hair and couldn't wait to show her dad how fun it was to have cool super-long ribbon hair! This book was so well written--easy to follow instructions and entertaining factoids. Little girls love to play dress up and it's great that there are ideas for all kinds of beautiful princesses---sparkly, glittery fuzzy & more!

This book is chock full of fantastic craft ideas for kids of any age, economic status and creativity. The author is able to take items we already have around the house and make fun and diverse craft projects. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has a princess in THEIR family.

Princess Crafts celebrates the "modern princess," as it combines classic princess ideas from literature and film with a modern twist for the soon to be independent woman. The creative and fun craft projects (which mostly require simple and easy to obtain supplies) will entertain little girls endlessly (and some adults too). The text, charmingly written by Hauser, is clever and humourous yet consistently provides clear instructions on the projects. Parett's dynamic illustrations and high quality photographs also provide a solid road map for the crafts. Finally, one of the best aspects of this book is that the projects and activities are sure to inspire these young princesses to be creative and crafty beyond the scope of this fantastic and original book for kids.