Humor Books

Wonder Woman: The Complete History is a delightful book for fans of the character, even if you only know her from the old TV show. The background of her creation by a clinical psychologist was very enlightening.

The illustrations throughout are excellent and all in all, it's terrific book, exceptionally well written by Les Daniels.

I have always enjoyed Les Daniels and his carefully researched books of comics history, but everyone has a blind spot. Wonder Woman is obviously his. This book, beautifully designed as it is, fails to capture what has made Wonder Woman such an enduring character and icon. It's clear on almost every page, Daniels is unimpressed by her. It's fine if he doesn't like her -- no one character can be everyone's favorite -- but it does make for a frustrating read at times when one wishes to celebrate Wonder Woman's unique place in comics history. His fascination with her creator is evident to the point that it seems clear Daniels would much rather write about Marston than Diana. His heavy emphasis on the bondage subtext of the Golden Age incarnation undercuts the more postive surface elements of those stories. Indeed, he sneers at Gloria Steinem's endorsement of those early years, casting great disbelief that there could be anything of substance taken from them.

Also, as another reviewer points out, Daniels gives short shrift to George Perez's post-Crisis revamp. Widely acknowledged by fans as the high point of her modern career, it's strange to see Daniels blandly note the support Perez got from female collegues in overhauling Wonder Woman's character and deride it by calling the later issues akin to ADVENTURES OF MENOPAUSAL MOM (I'm paraphrasing but only slightly). Daniels here suffers from the same fanboy syndrome that infuses the industry these days -- the idea that if HE doesn't appreciate it, it must be terrible. Meanwhile, Mike Deodato's art is viewed favorably, despite that being universely considered a lower point in the post-Crisis stories.

At the end of the book, it really seems as if Daniels only reluctantly churned it out because of a contractual obligation. His Superman and Batman books are excellent and filled with total respect for the characters and their appeal. If only he could've retained enough objectivity for the Wonder Woman assignment. Despite it all, it is a beautiful book and the history is thorough and still fascinating if somewhat subjective. Good for historical nuts, not so good for WW fans.

Not only do you get hte nostalgic book with the history of this heroine, you get the figurine that you can display and become the envy of all your friends! The statue is of classic Wonder Woman, the one from the 50's. She's still wearing the skirt.

This is truly rare. It's fantastic for all collectors and a MUST-HAVE for all die-hard fans!

First off, loved the book. It was nice to read the comments from Lynda Carter and see the multitude of changes that WW has gone through. But I did notice two things, the actress that played Wonder Woman's mother in that tiny demo in the 60's was named Maudie Pricket and the photo of Ms. Carter's costume says it is from the first season and it's not, it's from the CBS years as are the bracelets and tiara on the following page. I know Ms. Carter preferred the CBS years updated costume but the original on worn while fighting Nazis in the more humorous years will always be my absolute favorite! Thanx...

Les Daniels' Wonder Woman: The Complete History is the third book in a 3-volume series (the first two addressed Superman and Batman). While not without its flaws, it's overall a well-researched and enjoyable treatment of the character.

Wonder Woman first appeared in 1941, the brainchild of Dr. William Moulton Marston (writing under the pen name Charles Moulton), by any standard a bit of a weirdo who's remembered today for two things: (1) he invented the polygraph, (2) Wonder Woman, of course.

I could pick a few nits with Daniels' text. In places he does reveal an ignorance on certain topics. For instance, when speaking of Marston's World War I U.S. Army service, he states Marston "rose to the rank of second lieutenant." False. No officer (and I can't imagine someone of Marston's high educational level ever being an enlisted man) "rises" to Second Lieutenant because that's the absolute lowest officer rank.

Daniels is extremely opinionated. How much space is allocated to any of Wonder Woman's creative teams over the decades is very much controlled by how much Daniels likes their work. Obviously the Marston stories, with artwork by Harry G. Peters, are his favorites thus receive the most attention, though he devotes surprising time and positive comment to the generally despised stories written by Robert Kanigher. This is fine. Half the fun of a book like this is getting the writer's likes and dislikes on the character and her creators. Where I part company with Daniels is his low opinion of the George Perez stories of the mid-1980s thru early '90s. Daniels devotes an entire chapter to Kanigher's creation of such fascinating (hah!) characters as Glop (a "shapeless mass of grinning goo from outer space [which] absorbed everything in its path including 100 rock 'n' roll records"), Wonder Tot ("Mommy be proud to see me now!"), and Egg Fu (a Chinese Communist agent inexplicably shaped like an egg the size of a house, who used his mustaches as weapons and had a Charlie Chan speech pattern). After that, it was more than a little disappointing to have the Perez stories, considered by many Wonder Woman fans including myself the character's finest hour (especially the stories on which Perez did the artwork in addition to scripting) dealt with in a mere seven text pages, much of that explaining how they weren't really all that hot.

The only truly major flaw in this book involves its layout. These days, book publishers are terrified of the Internet. And well they should be. However, instead of focusing their efforts on what books do better that the 'net - provide one, continuous, uninterrupted stream of information - publishers' response has been to make their book pages look as much as possible like web pages. Lots of bright colors, lots of sidebars. I hate sidebars. I don't appreciate having to flip back and forth between pages, sometimes reading blocks of text in four or five different locations, to get all the info. More to the point in this particular book, choice of color on some of the sidebars is extremely poor, so much so it's difficult to read the text. Black lettering against a dark blue or dark red background just doesn't make it.

With those few negatives out of the way, this book is a delight. It's all here: a biography of Marston, on to the creation of Wonder Woman, all the creative teams of note and their storylines up til this book's publication date (2000), the Cathy Lee Crosby made-for-television movie, the Lynda Carter TV show, Wonder Woman merchandise, her appearance on the cover of Ms. magazine's first issue, etc. This book is a must-have for fans of one of the 20th/21st Century's most fascinating fictional creations.

I love Calvin and Hobbes. Period. The philosophy, the juvenile humor, the deep quiet truths, seeing the world through the eyes of a 6 year old. Any Calvin and Hobbes book gets 5 stars from me.

This book, just like all the other Calvin & Hobbes books, was an enjoyment to read. I recommend it to all ages of readers.

Calvin is the hero of all children with wildly vivid imaginations. He has great fun with his stuffed tiger Hobbes, going on numerous great adventures, including an attempted trip to the Yukon. Calvin is fairly typical in the sense that such children tend to drive their parents and teachers crazy, yet when they learn to temper and channel their imagination, they often end up doing spectacularly creative things as adults.
Since I was one of those imaginative children who spent all of my time either reading or playing pretend scenarios in the kitchen, I can certainly relate to this inventive misfit. He is hilarious.

First, and foremost, it must be known: All Calvin and Hobbes are great. Yukon Ho!, however, is one that tends to rise above the rest. It's true this is one of the earlier books and includes the 9 verse tune The Yukon Song and has all the great cartoons, but why it seems to be more popular, I cannot say. All I know and can guarantee is that it's funny and is everything Calvin and Hobbes. From the beginning of the book where Calvin is convinced that he and Hobbes have traveled into the future (nope not with a cardboard box) it is too easy to appreaciate Calvin's motives. He's not after the secrets of genetic cloning or the what politician is waging wars with other countries. He's looking forward to floating cities and telling people in the present what he saw. And this is the real beauty of Calvin and Hobbes shows through. It's the quest of a six-year-old to have a good time with a furry friend. Rarely in a comic strip has such devotion and integrity of a kid been so accurately portrayed.

You'll chuckle at Calvin's dad 's explanation of the workings of a carburetor and the hilarious camping trip to a desolate rock that Calvin's entire family embarks on. Rosalyn appears again, and yes, again terrorizes Calvin. Calvin digs up dirt on his dad,which compromises his father's high-ranking position of dad. Calvin tries and fails to be the next Houdini and Susie and Calvin are assigned an a project together. All the way to the new and improved transmogrifier, it's pure magic, purely Calvin and Hobbes.

You can always rely on Calvin and Hobbes to deliver the funnies. And if you're a keen reader, Calvin's unique (if rather skewed) perception of the world with keep the kid inside you alive (I don't mean this literally but as a metaphor). Unless you've been horribley deprived you'll pretty much all remember the magic of a snow storm or a sunset while sitting under a tree or an adventure in the woods or playing Monopoly with a tiger.

The title refers to a series of strips in which Calvin and Hobbes plan to escape the Yukon to be free of the repressions of family rules. Needless to say, their journey is cut short when Hobbes eats the only two sandwiches Calvin bothered to pack.

Any Calvin and Hobbes fan will already own this. Everyone else must buy!

This book is so funny!!! I bought it because I wanted something funny to read and try to find out what is in a man's head when he is getting ready for a date, getting engaged, etc. 2 Funny!! I'm sure that all the accounts in the book are right on for most bachelors today! I read this in one evening, then shared it with my Dad, my brother, my friends. I don't really know who has it now, but everybody wants to read it.

I really enjoyed this. It relates back to real-life situations many of us have seen. Lots of good chuckles, and some really good laughs. Highly recommended. Thanks, Larry.

I find it odd that the bulk of the high praise comes from the Seattle Washington area, but since the author is from the same area perhaps not that odd at all. It's good to support your friends but let us not skew the facts.
I thought what the hey I'll give it a read might get a laugh, it was readable, I snickered a time or two. I find it falls far short of 5 stars. I mean let's be real it's a nice short read with no real revolations. Pretty much part of the ebay 15 minutes of fame ride from the wedding dress auction.
Read it if you want it's mildly entertaining book I'd give it 2 1/2 stars at best, but out of kindness and the fact that Amazon doesn't have a 2 1/2 rating it gets 3.

Very fun book to read. Everyone will be able to relate to the things described, not just for bitter old men. Well written and worth your time and money. Easy and enjoyable to read.

Funny, hilarious, crazy!! Larry Star is great! Lessons we should all use in life! Thanks Larry for a great read and hilarious if not true lessons in dating and relationships!

I ordered this since my sister received it and thought it was a great book. Unfortunately, this copy does not come with the answers. Look for the hard cover version, that has the answers in the back.

CDB! (Stories to Go!)

I was very excited to find this book for my grandbaby. We had great fun with it when her aunts were small. Who would have thought back then that William Stieg invented 'text speak'. I even stumped my youngest daughter with NQ!

This book is as intriguing and entertaining was it was 25+ years ago when I read it to my children. As an educator, I discovered this book to be a source of entertainment and challenge to my children as well as a wonderful tool to help my students as they struggle with reading skills. I recently purchased it again for my grandchildren since my copy was misplaced over the years...and they love it as their mother when she was their age.
Buy it and use...it will help dust off the gray matter and delay alzehemier. :)

smart! adorable! unexpected! (the book, not my kids...)
This book really has us rolling in laughter. My sons (ages 4 and 6) and I have been playing with an electronic toy: push a letter and the thing says the letter's name. We had been using it to make word sounds -- pressing U R A Q T for "you are a cutie" and so forth. When I saw this book I just had to get it. It is amazingly clever -- and to think it was written in 1968. It's fresh, not at all dated. My sons are very good readers for their respective ages, but it is definitely appropriate for them. I had to explain a phrase or two (they didn't know the word "ecstacy" when they saw X-T-C) but otherwise it was totally on their level. I still crack up reading it, and I've read it at least ten times. The watercolor illustrations are perfect. Stieg conveys a lot of emotion and expression with just a few brush strokes. When a boy sees someone with a lollipop and tells him "I N-V U," you can see the envy.
I won't mind if my kids want to read this one again and again. I M N X-T-C 2!

This book helped me learn to read when i was 3 years old. As long as you know the alphabet you can read this book, which makes it perfect for children who are learning to read.

Unless you are a rabid collector, do NOT give your money to these ridiculous people who are selling this book for $170. Yeah, this book is out of print, so what? Everything in this book can be found online for FREE. In fact, you can even watch video demonstrations of the techniques discussed in this book, showing you how to do them better than any text could. And again, it's all free. Don't waste your money.

It is crazy that I would have to pay over $200 to own this book! Is it bound in human skin? Does it have the secret of eternal life and youth?As another reviewer noted,reprinting this book will NOT result in frenzied card throwing mobs overturning cars and looting stores.The first press run seems to have come and gone without causing civil unrest on the part of card throwers-I've never met a card thrower in my life.In fact,I've never met anyone who mentioned WANTING to learn card throwing.The audience to whom this book appeals is tiny and nothing will ever change that.Relax, folks.This will turn out to be "too hard" for 9 out of 10 people who try it-all 50 of them.Now, REPRINT THIS BOOK, Please!

I was "forced" to get this book online without paying for it because no economical alternative exists. I completely disagree with the people on here who don't want this book reprinted because they think that the world would soon become saturated with card-slingers, thus taking away some of the glory of being the only guy in town who can chuck an Ace of Spades through the Washington Post. Please keep in mind that like ALL hobbies that require:
a) reading a book
b) lots of practice and dedication
...means that 99% of the population will buy the book, skim through it and put it on the shelf next to their dusty diet, magic coin trick and gardening books.
Even if his fellow slingers & magicians busted his ballz for releasing trade-secrets, Jay should definitely reprint this book so 1% of people who read the book and follow through with it will keep the art alive.

This book is amazing, as previously stated, but I am STRONGLY against any reprinting of it. One of the things that makes card throwing so amazing is the fact that so few people know about it / how to do it. Imagine everyone being able to throw cards. Personally, I think this book is perfect in its current rare form, and should NOT be reprinted.

I am a semi-pro card thrower in the national card throwing league (ctl), and I have to say that this book is the bible of card throwing. The techniques I have learned from Jay's book have helped me a lot. I was struggling on the tour last year when I got to talk with the famous Bill 'the Hand' Strongtide who recommended I read this book and it has really helped my form this past year.

In this 2nd volume of The Complete Peanuts, Charles Schulz refines the 1st 8 characters he introduced in the 1st 2 and 1/2 years of Peanuts. Lucy is a little fussier (she'll be known as crabby later on) and Linus, though still a baby, thinks deep thoughts and is known for sucking his thumb. Charlie Brown is establishing himself as the wishy-washy "loser" (he has his 1st Valentine's Day letdown in this volume). Also, the security blanket is introduced but it's Charlie Brown and Schroeder who endorse it at 1st, not Linus. Lucy admits she has a crush on Schroeder (the 1st in a series of unrequited love affairs). Violet and Patty are more or less reduced to 2nd bananas (they'll later be known mainly to repeat all of Lucy's putdowns to Charlie Brown). They plan a party and decide not to invite either Charlie Brown or Lucy, realizing that "inviting some people isn't as much fun as not inviting people." Schroeder is still a big fan of Beethoven and classical music (he's the catcher for Charlie Brown's team) and pretty much replaces Shermy as Charlie Brown's buddy (Shermy is rarely seen in these cartoons, he's given a crewcut). 2 new characters are introduced but only one of them seems to have "staying power"- Pig Pen and Charlotte Braun. Pig Pen is a lovable slob with soot all over his face and clothes. Charlotte Braun is a loud and obnoxious character, who would later be written out. Charlie Brown's team always loses and Snoopy's imagination runs wild (though he still walks on all fours and we can't read his thoughts that often). The term "blockhead" is introduced here. In fact, Schroeder is one of the 1st to call him that (but not to his face!). Lucy's mother disgraces her by writing The Life and Times of a Fussbudget. The term "Great Scott!" is used often by Charlie Brown (it would later be replaced with "Good Grief!"). In 1 cartoon, Violet and Patty announce they will not play Lucy's games, which makes Lucy quite upset. After a tantrum of kicking and screaming, she agrees "All right, then. Let's play your way." In another cartoon, she kicks around Patty's doll, Violet's stamp collection, Linus' cookies, Charlie Brown's picture puzzle and Schroeder's piano. Later, as she's running away from the angry gang, she complains nobody understands her! She won't let Linus play with her toys but she will let him play with a rubber band. She later takes it away, though: "I didn't mean for you to have THAT much fun with it!" Charlie Brown's pitcher mound is introduced. Linus stands up for the 1st time, but quickly loses his balance when Lucy rewards him with a cookie. In a few cartoons, adults appear in the background (particularly in the golfing cartoons). A lot (but not all) of what wound up in More Peanuts and Good Grief, More Peanuts is featured here. There is also an interesting introduction by news commentator Walter Cronkite.

Must have for that peanuts fan in your life. Be aware this is part of a set...

This is the second book in the series and my 12 year old daughter loves both. Once she was reading the first book she wanted the next one too. Seeing how the characters began is fun as well as the old drawings. And seeing them evolve in personality and age is great. Snoopy's antics get more and more animated, Linus is a baby, and there is the introduction of Pig Pen! He actually cleans himself up, but then decides he likes himself the way he was. I got the book for my daughter at Christmas. We've read several pages each night and are now almost done. I guess we'll be getting the next one in the series. If you are a Peanuts fan, these classic comics are definately worth collecting!

I've always loved Peanuts. As a kid, I especially enjoyed the TV shows, but of course everyone loves Snoopy, and the other characters, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, and Pigpen, are all very fun. As a result, when my wife got this for me for my birthday, I was fascinated to see how far what we know as Peanuts had evolved from what it started out as. Charlie Brown still has that shirt with the stupid stripe on it, Lucy has her hair with the two little bobs at the sides below her ears, and Pigpen (who makes his debut here) is followed by a cloud of dust (most of the time). But Snoopy is very very different from what we're used to, spending all of his time on all fours except when he's begging, and being much more dog-like than he was in later strips. He's even drawn differently, with a sharper nose and a more dog-like body. There's another girl (named Violet) who I don't remember from the more recent cartoons, and Patty (no Peppermint) is a pretty straightforward girl, not the tomboy who called Charlie Brown "Chuck" all the time. Linus can't even talk yet! This was one of the biggest surprises: to me, the Peanuts kids were always frozen in time, but apparently Schulz aged them in the first years.

I enjoyed this collection immensely, and I'm now determined to buy more of this collection.

This excellent series by Fantagraphics continues in volume two of the Complete Peanuts. This volume features an introduction by Walter Cronkite. This book features the introduction of Pig Pen. For an oddity, we also meet the long forgotten Charlotte Braun, who is a girl that looks just like Charlie Brown. My personal favorite character, Linus, begins to develop his personality. Volume two is another 5 star edition.

I loved deep thoughts ever since I saw them on Saturday Night Live. This book is worth every penny!

Don't let the small size of this book let you think it a light weight in the world of books on deep thoughts.What I'm really trying to say is that when something is really thought out ,it doesn' take a volumous manuscript to get the message across. Take Moses,for example,he could have filled 50 volumes explaining God's instructions.He took two stones,and in 10 Commandments,got the message across clear and simple.
When Handley set out to explain deep thinking,he managed to do it in so few pages ,he didn't even have to number them.Not only that,most of the page is a simple picture.
Most of the reviewers talk about how funny this book is.What he really makes us laugh so hard ; is how complicated we make the thoughts on living for ourselves.The great Philosophers have tried over the ages to give us great thoughts to live by.You know what? It ain't that difficult.
For instant,much has been written on the meaning of life.Handey tells us to think deep.
"Life is a constant battle between the heart and the brain.
But guess who wins. The skeleton."
Or how about this;
"You might think that the favorite plant of the porcupine is
the cactus,but it's thinking like that that almost ruined
this country."
Then his thoughts on afterlife;
"In my next life,I hope I come back as a parrot,because I
already know quite a few words."
And finally a deep thought in case we are invaded by Aliens;
"Warning to all outer-spage guys: You can capture me and put me
in your "space zoo" if you like,but I will sit way in the
back of my cage,where it's hard to see me.And when I do come
out,I won't be wearing any pants."
Now,how about that; Deep thoughts or what? Yeah,and it'll
make you laugh,too.

If you have any sort of a sense of humor whatsoever, you must get this book. Jack Handey is one of the most hilarious people alive! You may already be familiar with Handey's work, his work was featured on Saturday Night Live some years back. These are great to memorize and randomly quote throughout the day. I love this book, I've read it a bunch of times, and it's always funny.

A great break from school-related/work-related readings. Jack Handey is a genius and he will take you away from your problems--whatever they may be. I always read this book when I am upset about anything...I post the quotes around my house too. Funnier than comics.

If I were a rich gal, I would buy everyone in the world a copy of this book, because inside are some of the funniest thoughts ever produced! Each page holds a different "deep thought"; some immediately bring out the laughter, while others take a sec or two to sink in. Then you grin and want to immediately share it with someone. I think this would make a wonderful coffee table book. Put it out there at your next get-together and watch people chuckle, roar, giggle, snort, whoop, guffaw, howl, snicker, crack up, or whatever they do when they've just read something hilarious.

Patti Lawson examines her own life with honesty and gives the readers an insightful view of her metamorphosis from stress and unhappiness to the joy of living through the loving and caring for her beloved dog, Sadie. In so many ways I identified with the emptiness an accomplished life cannot fill and the error in thinking that food can. Patti found the answers to regaining her health and inner peace and shares with us a sustainable path to a healthier life, physically and emotionally. She gives us a positive uncomplicated approach to caring for ourselves in good times and bad, simple, tasteful and healthy options to our toxic eating patterns and a warm and humerous story of how a small dog caused so much disorder she adapted to survive and found herself thriving. Any dog lover will appreciate her story and commitment but the life lessons and suggestions are for us all and I highly reccommend it. This is also a book I'm giving as gifts to those "hard to buy for" and no one has been disappointed.

This is one of the best books I've read recently. It has you rolling in the floor laughing and might even bring a tear as you connect with the writer and Sadie. I challenge any dog lover or someone who has tried to lose weight not to love this book. It is wonderful!

This a very cute book regarding a professional woman who after two bad relationships decides to get a dog. She adopts a dog from a shelter and it really changes her life for the better. The author tells how the dog helped her lose weight, by changing her eating habits and making her exercise more. The dog not only helps her lose weight, but also lose weight in a fun manner. The author has a very humorous style of writing. I found this book very enjoyable to read and I highly recommend it. Besides for a humorous read, this book also has some good diet and exercise tips.

If you liked John Grogan's "Marley and Me" about a man, his family and their 'bad' but lovable dog, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this book. However, like Grogan's chronicle, this is NOT about how to raise a dog. For that sort of book, you'd do much better to check out something along the line of Cesar Milan's book, and/or watch him as "The Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic channel. (This is especially true if you are looking at rescue dogs or at acquiring a male dog from a dominant breed--Rottweiler, Doberman, German Shepherd, etc.)

That said, Patti Lawson makes some excellent points about dogs, how they view life and what they can teach us. She catalogs her own story of how her relationship with a pup took her on a journey from self-involvement to being present in the world, with a new appreciation for everything from smells to simply being in the present moment. Her description of standing at a buffet of Indian food and smelling it appreciatively is one that I will remember for a long time.

I enjoyed her story and the summary boxes within it about the lessons she learned.

I loved this book! I really enjoyed reading it and I got some great dieting ideas (and life perspectives). For example, I am now implementing her idea of having a salad box. Actually, I have two of them that are about the size of shoeboxes that I bought for $1 each at the 99cent store.

Now, as soon as I buy my salad veggies, I clean them, chop or remove whatever leaves I need to, and put them in the salad boxes with a paper towel on top...and turn the box upside down (to let the extra moisture go into the paper towel).

Since I eat salads (with sprouts) every day, this has really helped me save time. Also, I find that I am throwing out less wilted lettuce and spinach or other salad veggies. So I am not wasting food and I am saving money.

This sweet book also shows how important animals can be in our lives...and that instead of complaining about having to clean up after them or take care of them...to realize...amoung other things...that you are burning more calories taking care of your pets...ha!

Thanks Patti for your inspiring book.

I often play with Nigerian scammers though not to the extent that the author does. Some of his responses to the scammers email are really funny. A lot like the annals of "The Porcine Princess".

There are some hilarious pages in this book, some that had me crying and unable to speak. If the author had a little more variety it would have been a great book, but it did seem to repeat its formula in the responses to the email scams after a while.

A laugh-riot from start to finish--the funniest book I've read in years.

This was one of the funniest books I have enjoyed in a long, long time. The content is fun and light and makes for an easy read. There were times I had tears in my eyes and pain in my stomach from laughing so hard. It's an excellent book for when you need a break from this mad, mad, world.

It's one of those purchases you won't regret.

Highly recommended!

The Publishers Weekly review above is on the money, in that this book is gleefully offensive.

I'm fine with that.

If you're fine with that as well, this book will make you snort with laughter at inappropriate times. Do not read while sitting in bed next to your sleeping spouse. She will eventually punch you in the chest for waking her up.

It'll be worth the bruise.

Lamb Chops...What do lamb chops have to do with this story, well everything! Lamb Chops is the vaudeville routine that brought fame to this comedic duo in the late 1920's. I have the link to a You Tube movie short that was filmed in 1929 for this popular routine here. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzFcsdgkg54 ) In this clip and others that I've seen with Burns and Allen, I think Gracie is the reason that they had so much success. She was so natural in her role as the "ditzy dame". She was good if not one of the best funnymen to a straightman role. This book takes the reader back to the waning days of vaudeville and the beginnings of film, radio and television as the new media for bringing entertainment to its audiances. George Burns takes us back down memory lane with a personnal love story that lasted nearly 40 years. His memories include many places and friends that I as a reader enjoyed visiting. I don't read love stories usually, but this love story is one that I enjoyed and won't soon forget.

In our disposable transient society of today, it is a refreshing change to see a love and a marriage that lasted so long. As time goes on, it is becoming an even rarer event.

In this book, Mr. Burns fondly remembers his wife, Gracie Allen. The stories that he tells about her, how they met, and how they managed to stay together so long were interesting to read and entertaining.

I would recommend this book to all ages. It is easy reading and also tells somewhat of the history of vaudeville, radio, television, and movies.

If you love old Hollywood, read this book. If you loved George & Gracie, read this book. If you want to read a true life love story, READ THIS BOOK. I just love the inside scoop on the old Hollywood that George dishes out. I never knew Cary Grant sold neck ties before becoming a screen idol. Harpo Marx (the quiet one) wanted one child in every window to wave goodbye or hello when he pulled up in the drive. George wasn't all that impressed with Marilyn Monroe.

This book is an easy read and so hard to put down.

Growing up, I really only knew Goerge Burns for the occasional television special he would host. Other than that, and his "Oh, God" movie (which came out when I was very young), I was relatively unfamiliar with him.

In the mid 80's, when I was about 10 years old, I found that a local radio station would run old time radio comedies from 8-10pm, and as such, I used to fall asleep nightly listening to the like of Jack Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly, and, of course Burns and Allen.

I finally just purchased this book from and Amazon bookseller about two months ago, and honestly, it's as good a $2.95 as I've spent in a while.

As other reviewers have said, many times bigraqphies can be a bit on the dull side, but George really did well with this. It is an easy read... a page turner. It's very interesting to get more insight on what a great performer she was, and how natural it came to her. One always got the feeling that even though she was delivering her "dizzy" Gracie charater, that underneath that was a very smart, clever person. This book certianly backs that up, and it backs it up with all the warmth and affection George Burns had for his wife.

I thoroughly enjoyed this not only for the story of Gracie, but also as a way to look inside the life of an entertainer at that time. I neverquite understood before what it was to work the vaudeville circuit, but there is a ton of insight in this book.

This is a must read for even the most casual fan of old time radio and the celebrities of that era.

I glanced at the reviews here to see if my opinion of this book was just a fluke, but they pretty much bear me out. I didn't expect this book to be nearly as good as it is. On second thought, though, it's not that surprising. This pair was magic and it was seen in everything they touched, the prime and lasting example being the without parallel Burns and Allen Show.

Burns and Allen successfully weathered many storms, making the transition from Vaudeville and stand-up comedy to radio and later to television. The earliest TV shows are the only ones available on DVD, but in later seasons they really hit their stride. In this hilarious and ground- breaking show, George would turn on the TV in the den to see what Gracie was doing, and regularly chat with viewers about events in progress. Gracie would walk in the wrong side of the set and regale viewers (or listeners) with non-stop comedic patter, malapropisms and surrealistic humour (ala Ernie Kovaks) with George as the straightman and pinnacle of style puffing his ever-present cigar.

Even as an octagenarian he could still act (Oh God, You Devil) but as a nonogenarian (92) he could still write. This marvelous memoir is not only the most delightful reading I've had in a long time, but makes me all the more want the Burns and Allen show on DVD. This book was a bestseller in hardback, but is now unaccountably out of print. Yet many readers would love this book, and would enjoy making the acquaintance of the remarkable Gracie Allen.