Humor Books

A most unique book!. If the reader is a fan of Mad magazine, vintage cars (luxobarges), art, satire, etc., prepare for a treat. Top notch illustrations of impossible machines faux vintage advertising of the past. Its truly funny! He pokes fun at the gluttonous elite life of the rich with excellent illustrations. This book changes frequently and takes some time to absorb it all up.

I just ordered a copy of the 1999 Barnes and Noble (reprint... not original publisher, Knoppf) hardcover edition of Bruce McCall's Zany Afternooons.

Much to my surprise, they have replaced four pages found in the original with four different pages I've never seen before.

The original paperback edition from 1982 on page 114 - 117 featured "Stewardesses of the Emerging Nations" - RwandaAir and all that jazz. The new printing has replaced that material with "The Adventures of The Hotel Throckmorton, est. 1906." This new (?) material (though still funny) is not nearly as good - even though my Dad and I both agree that "Stewardesses..." was probably our least favorite section of the original. But why the replacement? Was the orignal artwork misplaced? Very very odd.

One thing to note that I JUST spotted after years of faithful reading, one the airplanes featured in this original section was one of the first commercial jetliners that flew for British Airways... the De Havilland Comet. Infamous in real life for it's disastrous window blowouts. The plane originally had square windows which would occasionally blow out at altitude causing the entire fleet to be scrapped. Looks like the "Airlines of Emerging Nations" contained an extra insider "joke" from Mr. McCall.

As the odiferous prose of Monsieur McCall slides over your cerebellum, the effect on sanity is rather similar to the effect of hot water on snow. A melting and dissipation takes precedence, rendering the subject either harmless or dangerously psychotic. All in all, hooray for everything - especially this book.

...I have to say that this book is as close as I've ever come to perfection in humour. It completely matches my sense of the absurd and has such historical accuracy. The bloke really is a genius. My copy has long since fallen to pieces and I spend my life trying to buy back the copies that I gave away. Interestingly enough, many people just don't get it. You need to have a sense of what he is mocking I guess.

The funniest thing that I have ever read and looked at, this is after reading and looking at it for 20 years!!

Most highly recommended of all.

If you are visiting this item in the Amazon.com online catalogue, then something special brought you here. You already know of the book, perhaps already own it, and you want to see what other say about it -- or you know nothing about it. If the latter is the case, something lucky and/or magic brought you here, and you owe it to yourself to BUY THIS BOOK NOW. Maybe you heard some snippet about it, or glanced at a copy while visiting a friend. Whatever the case, SOMETHING in your psyche drew you to this fantastic volume of fantasy and art, and you absolutely need to have a copy in your home. People drawn to Zany Afternoons, regardless of the reason, have bigger, funnier, more open and creative minds than everyone else in the world, and the common bond we all share is the book itself. Detachable pants cuffs, five-in-one food paste, tank polo -- these are the creative/artistic concepts embraced by those of us who have been chosen by nature to live on Earth and put the "life" in "lifetime." If you're here, buy it now. You'll know why, after it arrives.

I enjoyed this book from line one. Josh Wolk is a wonderfully funny story teller. Even if you never spent any time in summer camp, you will love the stories and characters. I didn't want it to end!

About: Thirtysomething guy goes back to his boyhood camp to be a counselor

Pros: Hilarious. I had to stop reading it on an airplane because I had to laugh out loud several times. Well written. The camp is a wonderful setting. Generally good character development

Cons: It can be confusing as to who some of the minor characters are when they are mentioned more than once. Gets kind of repetitive, but I guess that's to be expected as summer camp only has a finite amount of activities.

Grade A-

I am never at all sure why I like reading camp books. I hated the actual camp experience, due to overwhelming homesickness and general dislike of being in groups! But I love reading about camp, and this is probably the best book about it I've ever read. Josh Wolk spends the summer before getting married working as a counselor at the camp he attended for many summers as a boy. The best part of this book is that it really doesn't romantize the experience. Josh feels like a misfit much of the time, the 14 year old boys in his cabin can be very, very hard to deal with, the other counselor in the cabin doesn't pull his weight at all...but still, he has many moments of remembering what he loves about the camp. It sounds like a great camp. I have 13 and 10 year old boys, and I wish now that overnight camp wasn't out of our price range, as it sounds like it could be a wonderful experience.

I hope Wolk writes more books. I'd love to hear about his life as a parent, as he seems like someone with real insights.

Even though it's been 35 years since the first time I was a counselor, every year around Fathers Day I have the urge to grab my sleeping bag and head up to camp for staff orientation. This book reminded me of why that urge is still so strong - why I spent six summers of my life as summer camp staff, working 14 hours a day most days and making less than I could have working a virtually anywhere else.

In the summer before he married and entered a new phase of life, the author chose to relive part of his childhood by becoming a camp counselor at the same camp he'd attended as an adolescent. Although older than the typical counselor and with a fiance waiting at home for him to finish his adventure, the authors experiences of feeling like he didn't quite fit in with the staff, his struggles with trying to stay upbeat after weeks of little sleep and hard physicial work and the silliness he shared with his campers mirror the experience of every counselor, whatever age. His story rang so true - although I worked at two coed YMCA camps rather than an all boys camp, the songs, jokes, activities and adolescent angst are universal.

For those who were campers, it's a window into the mysterious life that counselors led. For those of us who staffed camps, it's a sometimes funny, sometimes touching reminder of why we chose spend our summers without creature comforts of home, making little money while living with other people's children.

I take that title from a Frank Black song, which I think is a pretty accurate way of describing the nervous step you take into full-fledged adulthood. "Cabin Pressure" details Josh Wolk's step.

I first took notice of Wolk through his terrific writing at "Entertainment Weekly." He wrote day-after commentary on the "Real World" that was so gut-bustingly hilarious my friends and I used to E-mail the highlights to each other. After a while, the writing was so good and the show so bad, we stopped watching the show and just read the wrap-ups.

Wolk's best skill as a writer is his gift of observation. Give him any scenario and he can instantly break it down, expose each player's motivation, and end it all with a hilarious analogy.

He brings that keen observation to "Cabin Pressure," his tale of heading back to camp as a counselor on the brink of his wedding day. Having remembered camp as a kind of innocent oasis, Josh wants to reexperience it one more time before he becomes, gulp, a husband and a father.

Wolk fills us in on summer-camp life -- what he remembered from his day, what has changed, and what hasn't. The best part of the book is Wolk's interaction with the kids in his cabin. He does an amazing job of letting you know each one, whether they are charming, maddening, or depressingly and prematurely stressed-out and miserable.

I don't necessarily think I bought into Josh's overall theme here -- this whole nostalgic innocence trip -- but it doesn't matter because "Cabin Pressure" is often hilarious and reading this book is like a well-spoken, really funny friend telling you his best summer-camp stories.

The tone can shift from body-odor humor to some strong emotional connections with the boys, and all the while Wolk's razor-sharp observation and pitch-perfect punchlines remain.

After reading Wolk in "Entertainment Weekly" all those years, and laughing my butt off, this book lives up to all of my expectations. Funny and insightful, "Cabin Pressure" is a wonderful debut book.

This book shows you how to sell with scores of real-life examples (stories) followed with post-mortems where Seidman discusses the failure.

The stories alone are fascinating and worth the price of the book.

Dan Seidman knows what he is talking about. I have seen him in action. He know just what to say, how to say it and who to say it to. He instantly makes himself interesting, credible and fun.

This book is about relationships. Selling relationships.

Dan Poynter, ParaPublishing.com

Before starting to write business books, I asked everyone I saw what they liked about the business books that they had liked. The recommendations were unanimous: Failure stories!

Looking at failures is a great way to learn. The awful circumstances are indelibly etched in our minds. If we can think of a way to deal with THOSE situations, surely we can deal with more ordinary ones.

As I read The Death of 20th Century Selling, I was struck that the book has much in common with the humor best seller, The Darwin Awards. The sales people here act in disabling ways in unexpectedly tricky circumstances through 50 riveting true stories. The results are dangerous to their sales careers and income. Mr. Seidman goes on to explore ways that the blundering sales people might have recovered.

These stories are pretty amazing. Sales people insult the prospect's spouse, mother, and even act insensitively towards a family member's grave. In other cases, the sales people make themselves look literally like buffoons. In The Darwin Awards, the victims usually do themselves in by being drunk and using very poor judgment. In The Death of 20th Century Selling, the equivalent sources of error are a self-centered focus on the seller's needs rather than noticing the buyer's perspective. "Show me the money" might be the mantra of many of these failed sales people.

Then gradually, repressed memories of my own sales disasters came back. I could have written my own version of this book! Having seen these failures made me able to see how I might have down better in my own disasters. That was great.

Mr. Seidman also does a nice job of weaving the stories into patterns, especially of those who are addicted to sales techniques that have not worked in decades, those who inexperienced and dabble at sales without a winning process, those who let their egos get in the way, and people who are undisciplined.

Rather than leaving you with faint hope, he goes on to explain and show the benefits of helping prospects understand the consequences they will face if they do not choose to purchase your offering.

The book was a very pleasant surprise in that it contains a lot of wisdom in a quite brief and inexpensive book. The material is engrossing and easy to absorb. Although he suggests reading the examples over time, I raced through to the end . . . hardly able to wait to find out what else has gone wrong for other sales people.

Selling is a lonely profession in many ways. You face some pretty weird situations, and often there's no one there to help you deal with them. Afterwards, you can feel like a fool. After reading this book, you're more likely to be flexible in the tough situations. I know I'll think . . . now, what would Dan Seidman suggest?

If you are in sales, think you might want to go into sales, or even meet with salespeople, you owe it to yourself to read and laugh loudly with this delightful book!

Donald Mitchell, co-author of The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage

...From the time we open our eyes in the morning and choose the shoes we will wear for the day, we are selling. We must sell ourselves first and after that the pressure to sell only gets more intense. It matters not whether we are artistes or janitors or CEOs, we will be selling something. We will be selling to our bosses, our clients, our own families. Dan Seidman author of "The Death of 20th Century Selling," tells us how to do it and illustrates his lessons with "50 hilarious sales blunders."

Dan Seidman has had more than two decades of experience selling on the net and off. He is a nationally known speaker and has written for national magazines. Now he shares his knowledge in "Death."

This book is not only a volume full of practical and funny how-tos of selling, it is an example of what Dan Seidman professes. After one has read the book, one need only look at the cover art and read the cover text to understand what I mean by this. The only thing this cover lacks is a warning. That should read something like this: "Warning: Saying or thinking `I don't need this book, I'm not a sales person,' can be dangerous to your future." ...

I went to elementary school in the days when you were sent to the principal for disobeying in class. Because I tended to goof off a bit, I recieved my share of wackings. In the business world we all go through similar elementary classes, or lessons. I wish my teachers there (mentors and managers) had given me Dan's book for assigned reading (or at least homework). I found that I learn best in some situations by watching others fail or make mistakes. This book gives me that advantage in the same painful way, but without being the recipient of the pain. I can't think of a salesman today who wouldn't want the opportunity of learning from others' mistakes. I just wish the book had been written 20 years ago! Great paperback--I can't wait for the movie!

Every sales professional has experienced those embarrassing moments . . . those moments we wish we could just take back instantly. Life isn't like that, so the key is to avoid the problems. This book will help salespeople-at all levels-gain some better perspectives on their roles.

The stories about the sales situation blunders are short and sweet. The author wastes no time in getting to the point. And each story has a point-a moment of instruction, if you will. The book is organized by the type of story, the category of failure: dinosaur, tourist, Napoleon, and maverick. You may recognize yourself in every section of the book! The funniest, craziest stories are probably the ones with the most value.

Adding value are contributions from recognized sales authorities and authors who provide insightful pieces-again short enough to be absorbed by busy sales professionals who have precious little time for reading. Other pieces, which almost seem like chapters tacked on to put a little more in the book, do add extra value.

While this is not a step-by-step instruction book to fine salesmanship (it's not intended to be), it's filled with food for thought. Nourishing without being one of those rah-rah motivational books. Written by a professional sales trainer and speaker who hasn't seen it all, but has seen enough to provide us with some more valuable learning. You'll enjoy it.

This book was a great take on how the life of one dog destined to be destroyed was saved, found a wife, lived part-time in France and yes...was able to jacuzzi whenever the mood struck him.

Carole's ability to capture Jinky's plausable thoughts on what it was like to endure callousness from uncaring owners who abused him and "threw him away" into the joy of being given a second chance is uplifting.

This book is a testimony to those who can not speak for themselves and gives the reader a look at how saving one life destined for death can be turned into a life that dreams are made of.

Being a member of the United Yorkie Rescue Organization, Jinky's message really resonated with me. Not only is he hysterically funny, his lessons on rescuing a dog instead of buying from a puppymill or pet store (where most of the dogs are puppymill babies) or backyard breeder are right on target.

Carole Davis gives Jinky a distinctive voice. Everyone should listen--and read! And let's have more Jinky books. I'm recommending him to everyone I know--and what a great idea for stocking-stuffers!

Jinky Tells All

Have you ever wondered what your dog was thinking? Well this dog tells all in a really funny tail (oops) about a terrier who goes from down on his luck to the good life. Wherever there's a scrap on the floor of Hollywood, Jinky is there. He's been everywhere from Cannes to Cancun, but he is still the every-dog, taking on the elite and effete in a dog eat dog business! If you like Hollywood, see it from a dog's eye point of view. And if you don't like Hollywood, you'll know why after you read Jinky. I loved it!

This is one of the best books that that I have ever read. The humor and honesty is unparalleled. I truly believe that every adult should read this book and especially the last 4 or so pages where the author discusses important issues such as adopting versus shopping. She is so right, that people should take a trip to their local shelter and LEARN that until we spay and neuter we will ALWAYS face the sadness of all the wonderful animals that await their forever home. Mrs. Davis is a wonderful person and a true hero of mine. God Bless her and her wonderful animal companion Jinky. May we all learn from him and one by one change the world!

From death-row in San Pedro to the A-List in the Hollywood Hills ~ I Love Jinky!
This book is hilarious! I think Hollywood can only benefit from a dog's diary. Jinky teaches us all that humans are a nutty breed and that we spend way too much time complaining about things that don't really matter. So much so, that we can barely appreciate the finer things in life. Like the the perfect "Tootsie Roll" poop. Life is full of Stupid Kitties, so what? To know Jinky is to have the answer to the eternal question, "Is the dog bowl half-full, or half-empty?" Especially in Hollywood, there's nothing like a little laughter and gas between friends!
Thank you Carole Raphaelle Davis for writing such a fun and entertaining book ~ and thank you so much for your continuing work in support of animal rescue!!!

This is the second year I have used this as my desk calendar at work. I love it. It makes me laugh all the time and it has just enough room to keep track of dinner dates or appointments.

Good desk calendar; it's fun to relive some of the classic Get Fuzzy strips.

I received the calendar within a couple of days of my placing the order. The service is great and I love to read my daily cartoon.

My daughter loves day by day calendars & Get Fuzzy. It was a perfect match

"Get Fuzzy" is the current reigning champion of comic strips. Anyone with pets (or who loves animals) can appreciate the inter-species conflicts and hilarity in this comic strip (I particularly enjoy Bucky's attempts at world domination and related ventures.) Here, as in years past, some of the best strips have been put together in calendar form to ensure that everyone can have a bit of humor in their daily lives.

I can't imagine not having this calendar in my house; it's always a great way to start the day. Many of these strips are so good that I have cut them out and saved them or sent them to other animal lovers in my life, while the remaining pages become great for scratch paper.

This is a great calendar and I highly recommend it to anyone.

I Love This Guy is the 4th collection of the popular webcomic created by Ryan Sohmer and Lars DeSouza, Least I Could Do. For the uninitiated, Least I Could Do follows the escapades, sexual or otherwise, of Rayne Summers, an overgrown frat boy who in this latest edition shows newfound maturity in addition to his usual lovable-jerk persona.

Least I Could Do is at its heart a wish-fulfillment fantasy. Rayne scores dozens of girls, gets a highly-paid executive position without any relevant experience, and drives expensive custom cars. Even the name, Rayne Summers, is a thinly-veiled reworking of creator Ryan Sohmer. In any other comic, having such a Mary Sue as the protagonist would be a kiss of death, but Sohmer and DeSouza make it work.

Least I Could Do is always amusing and frequently hilarious. When push comes to shove, a comic needs to be funny, and very few comics today produce a daily strip that is this consistent. The comic is still most effective during the sexual jokes, and during its homages to geek culture, which Sohmer clearly has a broad knowledge of. Weaker moments come when the comic tries to justify Rayne's behavior, such as during spoof of A Christmas Carol where a ghost shows Rayne his own future coming up roses. It would be a great disservice not to mention the artwork of DeSouza, who must rank on any shortlist of comic artists today. Especially effective are his use of unique shot compositions that add vitality to otherwise ordinary scenes.

In the end, those interested in this book will have read the webcomic and liked it, and are wondering if the print version is worth it. To that query I can answer an emphatic YES. The book is jam-packed with author notes and artist sketches. If you liked the comic, you will love the book.

The book Least I could do "I love this guy" will make you laugh no matter what your mood and its in full color!

I'd like to cover the technical issues first with this book. To say this is a high quality product wouldn't be doing it justice. Not only is the cover thick and glossy, but every page inside is as well. This is a solid, well put together book. The print quality is great as well.

But really, none of that matters if the content isn't gold right? Well fear not, this comic is PLATINUM. For those of you not familiar with ghetto ranking systems, I'm pretty much saying that this is some damn funny stuff. I've only collected one other comic strip collection before and that was Calvin & Hobbes. So me paying money for this (and the other 3 previous books) when I could read them all for free should tell you something about how awesome Least I Could Do really is.

Why not read it for free you say? Other than being an nonsupportive jerk, you'll be missing out on so much! Damn near every strip has commentary from the creators, not to mention random sketches thrown around all over the book as well. Do yourself a favor and check out the strip for free at http://www.leasticoulddo.com/ and if you like it, shell out a few bucks and buy this book! It's worth it, promise!

I Love This Guy is a gorgeous memory for all die-hard Least I Could Do fans, and a knee-slapping-roll-me-over-and-poke-me-I-might-be-dead-I've-been-laughing-so-hard for absolutely anyone who reads it. With the extra commentary bubbles and random artwork between strips, it's a definate must-have. I am THRILLED that I have my own copy!

Lar and Sohmer continue to bring the creative genius and subtle (and not so subtle) wit of Canucks everywhere to print. The fourth installment of the Least I Could Do comic series delivers great comics, fantastic interviews with the writer and image creator and gives you an unparalelled look into their minds. I highly recommend this book.

I was so involved in this book I neglected my friends and family until I could finish finding EVERY SINGLE THING on the lists! I loved it, and even though it's almost useless to ME now that I've found everything, I'll keep it on the shelf and show/lend it to others who come to visit. Maybe in a few years I can pick it up again and start over; my senior moments are becoming more frequent, and I might just forget where everything was hiding!

This was another great I spy book. Keeps the kiddies interested.
I loved it too.

Item as described and received in a timely manner... an excellent buying experience!

Very difficult book, but one you can't stop playing. Great person that I bought it from.

My grandson and I spend hours on these I Spy books. What I love is that even if we finish finding everything in the book (which we haven't on this particular book in the I Spy series), a couple months later, we have just as much fun doing it all over again!

So many books about business lessons are a struggle to plow through - they tend to be full of statistics and the authors often full of themselves. Michael's book is a quick read with funny, apt anecdotes from his life - like Lesson #10 and the old man with the tea. What a great, simple story from his personal life with a crystal-clear message that we can all use. I was making notes to myself at the end of each chapter about something I could do to grow our business or reputation - or just make my job more enjoyable. It's also a great book for anyone who's been considering quitting their job and starting something on their own -- but needs either encouragement or a push!

As a subscriber to the Blue Penguin Development Newsletter for years, I've long been a fan of Michael Katz's writing. When I got a note from Michael that he had written a book, I ran over to Amazon (well not really, more like walked, actually just clicked a couple of buttons but you get the point)to get my copy.

As a retired professional who started a solo business after retirement and as founder and owner of SocialMaturity I'm always interested in information that will give boomers and beyond insight into starting a business on their own and retirees an easier transition into retirement. Because so many of us start second careers, I found Michael's book to be a "must read."

His engaging wit and his easy writing style made each chapter/"quirky" story a valuable lesson for those of any age who are starting a solo business.

"It Sure Beats Working" is highly recommended for anyone, young or old, who is starting a solo business.

If you haven't eaten all day and have but $12.99 in your name, buy this book and you will never go hungry again.

What, you thought I would suggest buying chopped liver and herring at Zabar's?

Seriously, assuming I can be serious, well, at least relatively serious, buy a bagel, buy this book, and then read it while you have a nosh.

Michael Katz, in his book "It Sure Beats Working: 29 Quirky Stories and Practical Business Lessons for the First-time, Mid-Life, Solo Professional", made me feel as if I was involved in a personal conversation with the author through his journey towards becoming a solo professional. While reading, I laughed and shook my head in affirmation while Katz recounted stories which included starting a business, and the lessons he learned while growing his business. Katz candidly divulges his true feelings and experiences, while letting the reader learn from his trials and successes.

Michael began his adult life as most of us do, graduating collage and working for a large corporation. As many working professionals can relate, he discovered working in a large company was not his true direction in life. If you are stuck in a cubicle hard at work and are trying to avoid the political drama at work, you will share his angst when he speaks of attending unproductive meetings and his yearning to leave a boring job.

Katz attained his goal of leaving his "secure" job with a large company and striking out on his own. If you are thinking of leaving your job, or you have recently joined the ranks of solo professional, this book is a must for you. The greatest benefit to the reader is the authors ability to candidly tell us his experience, and make the reader realize he is not alone in his struggle to make it in the world as a solo professional.

Since I am also a mid-life individual who changed course in his professional life, I felt as if he was speaking directly to me, although I can't relate to his struggle with baldness. My hair is all there, but has turned gray.

The chapter I enjoy most is entitled "Become a Leading Expert in Something". Michael Katz is an expert in development of electronic newsletters, and one day found himself with a client who was a life coach. This life coach had lived the majority of her life with chronic illness, but had not capitalized on her uniqueness in raising a family and building a successful career while battling this illness. Michael while consulting with the life coach on a newsletter was able to refocus her efforts and declare her new expertise. Now the life coach can be defined as an expert in the field of thriving in the workplace while having a chronic illness.

If you are on the fence thinking of starting your own business you will enjoy his "10 Really Good Reasons to Quit Your Job and Start Your Own Business". Some of the top ten reasons I enjoyed include: dancing to your own music, never having to retire, and finding your purpose.

This book is typical Michael Katz, funny, informative, and a great read. Although his book focuses on the solo professional, much of his advice transcends the sol proprietor and is good advice in being successful in both your personal and business life.

When this book first arrived in the post I never intended to read it right away (too busy working as a solo professional!) So I just dipped into it and read one or two of the stories.

Then one or two became three or four. And more...

It's humorous. It's motivating. It has practical lessons for your solo future. But most of all, it's a super read. How often can you enjoy an entertaining couple of hours with a book and be helping your career and buisness prospects at the same time?

I've been coaching Little League for five years now, and loved reading this account of Little League from about 20 years ago. The stereotypical depictions of coaches that Geist uses are still dead-on accurate, as are his descriptions of how bad the catching equipment is, and how to hide a bad ballplayer that you have to play in the infield. This is a priceless look at Little League ball that anyone who has ever coached should enjoy.

There are lots of laughs to be had, and you'll find yourself sharing parts with other coaches you know.

I am sure the book is great-the book was purchased for a gift.

The humorist columnist Bill Geist had many years of experience coaching his son's little league baseball and kids basketball and his daughter's softball team. He relates his experiences with his usual wit, sarcasm and humor. The book focuses on a particular season of little league baseball where he was able to work with his son Willie's team and actually win the league championship by upsetting Knavery's team in the final game of the season. The tale tells how he bends the rules (though not as much as some other) in a way that still allows the weak players to have fun and yet stay competitive. There is a large degree of truth to the various caricatures of players, coaches and parents that he presents in this tale. But some of the stories are so incredible and it seems like fiction is mixed with reality but clearly it is based on real experience. I relate to many of the issues he brings out. ...
In the epologue Geist confesses that he want his son Willie to be a star player but was satisfied that he made the high school varisty teams. In the end no matter how good or bad they are in little league they all eventually stop playing to do other things that interest them more or they find to have more success and rewards.

To illustrate the humor in the final game losing 12-4 Geist gives the kids sugar treats to pick up their energy. A rally starts but thinking ahead with the worst hitter Monique likely to come up with two outs, Geist gets a 40 ounce drink and gets her to leave on a bathroom break. ... This book has short easy to read chapters and integrates Geist's softball and basketball experiences in the theme of the little league season whereas Dunow had long chapters going back and forth from little league with his son to his childhood experiences with his father. Both books are good in their own way. But this one is much easier to read and more light hearted.

I do a ton of reading and just went back and re-read this book. This is probably my favorite all-time book. This book has to be the funniest one I've ever read. Geist is not only a gifted writer, he tweaks all the right people and no irony goes unnoticed.

At least, I'm half of Mean Gene Huffman. Gene Ret and I were conglomerated into one large, gawky intimidating Little Leaguer. Who was the more large, gawky, and intimidating is one of the great debates of our time.

Great story. I never knew my drunken high school antics were witnessed by Bill Geist until I got to the end of the book. Geist saw me crash through his bushes and play some sloppy basketball with his son and friends for a few minutes while reminiscing about the old Little League days. And, he parlayed my mishap into a convenient parable on lost youth to wrap up his story.

Well, he's just lucky they were playing basketball that night and I wasn't trying to unload my ferocious fastball or swing a bat. Stay young, eat flax, and long live the glory days of Little League.

This is a amazing book filled with full color glossy pages on every page! The perfect way to get your hands on the "originals." These books make great collectors editions. You will want to display this beauty! I purchased this for my husband who loves Spiderman & this is the only way for him to "have" the spectacular story from the very begining. This hard cover book with colorful dustjacket makes a great gift for any comic book fan as long as they don't insist on the real deal.

I purchased this collection for my father as a gift. HE LOVES IT!!! He owned many of the original Spiderman comics when he was a child and living on a military base in Japan. When my grandfather was stationed back in the U.S. my grandmother made him leave them in Japan.
This is a great gift for any true Spideerman fans or anyone who wants to get familiar with the actual comics. :)

An irradiated spider bite, a tragic twist of fate, a poignant proverb; over the years there have been numerous attempts to re-tell or re-interpret Spider-Man's origin. With some of them being successful and others not so much, any Spidey fan's best bet is to actually read the original Lee/Ditko comics in all their grandeur. The Marvel Masterworks series provides Spider-Man fans with this exact opportunity. Important to note - unlike some trades that compile these comics in black & white, in this collection, they are all in magnificent COLOR!

This particular volume, Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol.1 consists of Amazing Fantasy #15 (Spider-Man's first appearance) along with Amazing Spider-Man #1-10. This volume provides a great window to explore the original and definitive origin of Spider-Man with the introduction of his supporting cast, including: Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, Betty Bryant, and J.J. Jameson. We also see first appearances by classic villains, such as: Chameleon, Vulture, Doc Ock, Sandman, Lizard, and Electro, along with lesser known foes such as: the Fantastic Four's Doctor Doom, the Terrible Tinkerer, the Living Brain, and the Enforcers. Spider-Man also runs into some allies, with the Human Torch making multiple guest appearances as the webslinger's teenage foil.

Overall, the strength of these stories is Stan Lee's revolutionary concept in re-defining the traditional characteristics of a superhero. Unlike the morally perfect, father-figures that had dominated comic book pages for decades, Peter Parker was a socially awkward teenager who reflected his youth-oriented readers. Reading these early comics, we witness what is to become the trademark of Peter Parker's life: problems. From girl issues to money woes to his physically feeble Aunt May, it is Peter's personal life that remains the emotional core of his stories. While other heroes have the ability to retreat into their secret-identity, Peter's personal life is only more complicated by his newly earned powers and responsibilities. It is this aspect that made Spider-Man the most relatable superhero. Steve Ditko equally contributes to the success of the wallcrawler by making Spider-Man's world stand out with unique visuals, quirky costumes, and greatly depicted battles, particularly the classic showdown with Doctor Octopus.

Like all older comics, there is some dated dialogue that doesn't translate well into the vocabulary of the 21st century. There also is a tendency for Spider-Man and his villains to verbally narrate every action they engage in. However, the joyful and emotionally compelling nature of these stories diminishes these flaws entirely. This is a must have for any old or new Spider-Man fan!

That's what I call a great comic book collection! It just covers the earlier adventures of the Amazing Spider-man (#1-10 plus Amazing Fantasy #15) and the episodes'arts and scripts may not be as entertaining as some on the further issuses but still this collection remains a classic of its genre and is functional to the full understanding of the super-hero character Spider-Man.

For people who love comic books this is a nice thing to have. See how the Amazing Stan Lee started out his most popular creation. This book begins with Amazing Fantasy # 15 where Spiderman made his first ever appearance then goes on to present Amazing Spiderman # 1 - # 10. It includes Spidermans origin and goes on into battle with some of Spideys' most enduring enemies from Doctor Octopus to the Lizard, to Electro, Dr Doom and the Sandman. Spiderman even battles the Fantastic Four. The book even includes a small introduction by Stan Lee. The Marvel Masterworks series sits really well on the bookshelf next to the DC Archives sets. Collect books from both publishers and build a nice library of Superhero Mythologies.