Humor Books

As a novice scribe in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) I ordered many books having to do with calligraphy and illumination. This book, the Illuminated Alphabet, has proven to be very helpful and I am extremely pleased with it. The images are large and easy to see and the examples have given me wonderful ideas for the scrolls I am learning to create. Learning painting techniques and seeing the detail is what I needed and this book has done exactly that. I highly recommend this book for those learning how to be scribes.

This book has helped me to learn and try my hand at several different styles of medieval illumination. I highly recommend this to any potential scribes out there!

It you have any interest in calligraphy, luminations, or just pure beauty, then this is one small volume you will want to add to your collection. Now I must admit that the skill needed to create these wonderful works of art is much greater than I will ever have, but that is okay. I use works such as this purely for inspiration. I figure that it is a nice world just to know "someone" out there is able to creat something like this. It gives me something to shoot for. This work is certainly not for beginners but I don't think a beginner would be hurt one bit for having read and studied it. I shows just what can be done if you have the skill and knowledge. This is always a good thing. I also appreciated the authors notes on the history of this art form. I do know something of history, and this information alone was worth the price of the book. Recommend this one highly.

"This book contains the best things to know to begin doing Illuminated manuscript writing. The authors list great resources, give useful lists, and then help you get started!!
In addition, I like the several styles of complete alphabets, how they are presented and described, and how to do the illumination techniques. It has taken me several years and attempts to find a book this beautifully complete. Other potential authors and publishers could learn from this wonderful book, because finally I feel confident enough to tackle the several projects I've got waiting for me. You don't have to be an artist to begin to do this work when you use this book.
Thank you to the authors and the publishers for their insight. Now I have the knowledge to be more confident in knowing where to start and how to progress with illuminating some of my projects.
Sandra Jones Ireland; Prince Edward Island Canada

A gorgeous book showcasing and demonstrating decorative calligraphy. Step by step instructions for a wide variety of styles and period pieces of illuminated lettering. A great way to add some interest to sketchbook journals. HOWEVER! A patient and attention-to-detail mindset is required for this exacting art form.

This is the ULTIMATE drinking book ever. It's got like every game possible and details of how to play it. A must have for any college kid! I have used the book countless times!! Definitely would recommend it for anyone who enjoys playing drinking games!!

Eric - Arizona State

The Imbible is a must have for any fraternity man across America. It tells you everything you need to know to be the ultimate frat-star. Every possible drinking game you can think of!! If you are in college, BUY THIS BOOK.

I really enjoy this book. It's nice that have all of the good drinking games in one book. I own about 4 drinking game books and other games that say "100 Drinking Games", "Best Drinking Games", etc. I have also read and played about 5 more. Out of all of the them, "The Imbible" has the best games including the classics. Every game in the book will start one of those times that you'll never remember with friends you'll never forget.

Fellow Studs,

No joke this book is actually AMAZING! I had to have a diaper on when I read this book. 1) Because it was so funny I about pissed myself and 2) I got so drunk I about shat myself(gross and yet so awesome)! Truly this is a great book to have on your bookshelf and a amazing reference guide. I cannot stress this enough, just read this book... You will get addicted.

Justin B.
Kansas State University

The Imbible is a riot! I thoroughly enjoy learning while drinking, and Alex's book certainly promotes both. The only downsides to the book are that (1) it has contributed to a sharp decline in my GPA this semester and (2) it could use a more durable cover: having been passed around a fraternity house for several weeks it is beginning to fray at the edges. The reality, however, is that both these downsides are in fact positive... and I'll certainly drink to that.

Some of the most creative rabbit-monsters I have ever seen. Im even thinking about getting a couple tattoos of them.

I LOVE portrayals of monster rabbits because I have one myself--I took him in when I found him hopping down the street one week after Easter--yup, he was one of those poor abandoned Easter rabbits. He repays me by acting the savage beast. It is hilarious to be attacked by such an adorable creature, and his is SO WELL represented in this book!

GET THIS BOOK! This is fun to look at! What an imagination! Fluid and Beautiful designs make these drawings irresistable to stare at for hours. The artist is as imaginative as he is a talented.artist.

What delightful book. Gagne in color is even twice the power of his other popular offerings. I think he has really matured into a fine author and every new book is a joy. All I can say to Twisted Rabbits is bravo. What great designer.

Anyone who loves Monty Python, or who is a fan of Anya understands that rabbits are really voracious, man-eating creatures that hunt the night (or Knight) looking for the unsuspecting. And yet we continue to expose out children to them, believing that appearances could never be that deceiving. Finally, Michel Gagne has decides to take the lid of this secret scandal and reveal to the world the real horror that lurks between those sad brown eyes and cutesy tails.

Gagne was an illustrator in the well-known Don Bluth Studios until they closed in 1992. during that period he and another artist, Dave Kupczyk had a one-on-one competition about who could draw the evilest rabbit. While we won't know the real winner until Kupczyk publishes his own book, Gagne's rabbits are a delightfully evil and twisted as they come. The stuff of fluffy nightmares.

This is one of those books that is reserved for gag gifts for rabbit enthusiasts and excesses of cute, but it is fun for anyone that discovers it. Even as we speak, my cats are checking it out and whispering tales about that famous serial killer, Jack the Rabbit. You can't help but like this thin volume. Recommended for the light of heart.

We live in Paris (France) and Jack Prelutsky has spent a few days speaking to the children at my daughter's school. He has made such a positive impression on her that I am going to order his books. He truly knows how to write for children.

The Book was received in excellent condition. The author knows what children love. My gransons enjoyed it soooo much. I am sending another one to another grandson who lives far away. I know he will enjoy it as well. It will be for his 10th birthday.

One of the funniest poems we read was "I'm Stuck Inside a Seashell"! ...And one of the poems is "It's Raining Pigs and Noodles", just like the title (and they don't even just talk about pigs and noodles - they talk about all sorts of other things!)

All the poems are so funny and I was able to read some of them myself! ...And I learned never to take a bath all day and all night (Ha! Ha!)! I can't wait to read his other books!

Mom's note: "This collection of poems was simply adorable. I enjoyed reading them with my child as much as she enjoyed hearing them. ...And the simplicity of the poems allowed her to read some of them to me as well. A highly recommended bit of silliness!"

I just read this to a fourth grade class and they boo'd when I said poems. They wouldn't let me leave once I got started! They chanted for me to read more.

One of the funniest poems we read was "I'm Stuck Inside a Seashell"! ...And one of the poems is "It's Raining Pigs and Noodles", just like the title (and they don't even just talk about pigs and noodles - they talk about all sorts of other things!)

All the poems are so funny and I was able to read some of them myself! ...And I learned never to take a bath all day and all night (Ha! Ha!)! I can't wait to read his other books!

Mom's note: "This collection of poems was simply adorable. I enjoyed reading them with my child as much as she enjoyed hearing them. ...And the simplicity of the poems allowed her to read some of them to me as well. A highly recommended bit of silliness!"

The writing is good, the drawing is good, and the visual humor is excellent, but what really got to me about these strips us how happy everybody was. The characters bubble over with joy and energy. It made me smile. Then, because I was in such a good mood, I enjoyed the strips even more and got into an even better mood; a vicious cycle. Looking past how happy the strip is, the other striking thing is the really outstanding use of visual humor.

I have not read the strip in the newspapers, so I base my opinions just on this collection. The strip is about a generic young couple--Joe and Marcy--and their baby, Sunny. Strips focus on typical parent situations--the baby won't sleep, baby is heavy when carried, parents and grandparents brag about baby. Other things that happen are that Sunny hangs out with other babies in day care, Joe and Marcy buy a house, and Joe yearns for a Range Rover.

It's a reasonable setting for a strip. Could be boring (boy, that happens a lot), wry, angry, appealing, charming---it all depends on the cartoonist. Armstrong is really good so it is not boring at all. As I mentioned above, the tone is joyful, appealing, charming (as opposed to ironic or angry). I really got to like Joe, Marcy, and Sunny. I wanted to read more about their lives.

The drawing is really good. There are lots of details in the backgrounds and lots of detail in the main characters. The drawings are also pleasant to look at. I've seen other strips where the drawing is well-done but the characters are deliberately made ugly so that I don't like looking a the strip; that is not the case here.

Armstrong makes good use of camera angles. A big problem with cartoons is what to do when your strip is basically 3 or 4 panels of the same guy talking. Armstrong shifts the camera angles around a bit so these strips are not visually deadening. Sometimes the characters engage in a little busywork while they talk--picking up a box, shifting the baby from one shoulder to the other, writing on a clipboard.

Armstrong uses visual humor. There is one strip where Joe is carrying the baby through the mall and the baby gets drawn bigger and bigger in each strip, until Joe is practically crushed under the weight of the baby, a nonverbal joke that the baby seemed heavier the longer that Joe has to carry her. In another strip, the parents are in a bed looking completely frazzled and wornout and the bed is covered with 6 baby Sunnies in all sorts of sprawled out positions, a joke that babies are such restless sleppers that they seem to take up the whole bed when they sleep in it.

Sometimes word panels have pictures in then instead of words. When people are bragging about their kids then the panels tend to have a picture of the kid's head instead of words. One funny comic strip just has two grandmothers talking about their grandkids, and Sunny's granmother's word panel sort of pushes out the other woman's word panel so, victory!, Sunny's grandmother wins the impicit bragging contest.

People's thoughts are sometimes drawn as if they were real. When Joe complains that he feels old, for one panel he gets drawn as an old man. When the harried parents feel that Sunny is the real boss of the household, a panel is drawn in which the parents are kids and Sunny is a domineering adult.

This sort of visual humor is used sparingly, not something that happens in every strip, but it is great to see it. You could overdo that sort of thing so it is probably good that it only happens occasionally.

There is a low level of exageration that happens all the time. When the parents are frazzled they look REALLY frazzled, Sunny's hair is impossibly bushy, reactions of alarm or happiness are out of proportion. It helps here that Armstrong can draw so well. In Armstrong's drawings I can tell the difference between exagerated reactions and subdued reactions.

Man, reading this collection really brought home to me how bad contemporary cartoonists are these days. They are all talk. They don't use the visual part of the cartoon at all. The few that are well-drawn are just realistic and don't really play around with the drawings. That's fine, and I respect that those well-written and realistically drawn strips (there are only a few of them anyway) don't want to break the reader's belief by engaging in fantasy. Also, I have read that cartoonists can't have interesting pictures any more because the newspapers have shrunk down the size of comics so much that they can't fit anything in but word balloons and heads. Fine again. Nonetheless, it sure was nice to read sucn an enjoyable cartoon collection as this one.

Judging from the number of daily strips compared to the number of Sunday strips, I think this collection is edited and is not a complete set of strips over some fixed period. That might be why they seem perticularly good--the less successful strips have been weeded out.I wish there was another collection that I could buy.

Robb Armstrong manages the difficult feat of creating characters who are funny, real, and deep. And for what it's worth, I am a white male in my mid thirties. His characters speak to everybody, because of the deep truths they portray. In fact, I wish they were real, and lived next door to me. Failing that, I look forward to reading his strips for years to come. I'd put them up there with Doonesbury and a few others as classics of the genre.

I have been a fan of Jump Start since it was introduced to my local newspaper. It is a breath of fresh air seeing African Americans depicted in such a positive and realistic light. I can't wait until Mr. Armstong compiles another book with the addition of Jojo Cobb! An excellent read. perfect for the Coffee Table.

I say hats off to Robb Armstrong for creating and hitting it big with his very popular comic strip all about a whimsical African-American family! It all begun with the high-school courtship between Joe and Marcy. Then they got married, launched their very busy careers as a policeman and a nurse, and along came their two very precocious kids, Sunny and Jojo (what curious names!) Then the whole family goes tumbling into the wildest adventures with a bragging Pop and a doting Mom, household chores, police car chases, shootin' up with the bad guys, the hectic emergency room, the crazy day-care scene where small kids all act like grown-ups, and of course, Sunny's very bushy, untamed hair! And it's all told in a true-to-life vein shot through with intoxicating flights of fantasy and very saucy, well-crafted satire, especially where Joe turns into a very muscular superhero every time his ego gets stroked and the whole family being chased around the house by rabid IRS agents! Rather like "Rose Is Rose", only with a very endearing cast of black folks!

Robb Armstrong is a genius. No two ways about it.

"Jump Start" is a delightful strip and I'm lucky my local paper carries it. Considering the paucity of good strips featuring black families, this one has set new standards in many ways.

Joe and Marcy, the Jump Start couple are professionals. He is a police officer and she a nurse. They have intelligent conversations and are delightful and believable.

I like the fact that race is simply a part of the story and not the focus of the story. One of my all time favorite strips in creation was a Jump Start strip. Joe and Marcy's friends, Clarence Sr. and his wife complain about how people "act stupid around them" because they are an interracial couple. Joe tells them, "friend, they aren't ACTING." Translation: If folks can't accept interracial families, then the stupidity is NOT an act. I LOVE THAT STRIP!

The Jump Start kids, Sunny and baby Jojo are adorable. I love the way Sunny remains bilingual -- fluent in English and baby talk. Baby Jojo acts like a crib sized executive with his day care pal Benny his faithful partner/employee/man Friday. It is so hilarious to see the way the kids interact!

I love all the strips when Sunny runs from the comb. One can almost feel her pain during these feared comb out sessions. Is there a child in the world who likes to have their hair done? I sometimes doubt that. I love the one where Sunny thinks dreadlocks will save her from the comb. I also like the fact that Sunny and Jojo have playmates of all races because that is how the world really is -- made up of all races.

Robb Armstrong is a genius!

I think children of all ages will love it!!

Kids are so cute and this book lets you know it. It's the cuttest book I've read in a long time. I'll be waiting for the next one to come out.

This is a truly funny book that never gets old and tired. nicely compiled and truley a great gift for anyone age 0-1,000. I couldn,t stop laughing. This book shows that Kids Are Really Punny

All profits from the sale of this book go to the ForAllKids Foundation dedicated to children's charities. If that isn't reason enough to purchase this wonderful book, just know that you and your children will have countless laughs because of it.

I have three girls myself, and they absolutely love this book. The whole family enjoys the countless hours of entertainment that it provides.

Over the years, Rosie O'Donnell has received an amazing amount of jokes that children all over the world sent to "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." In this hysterically cute book, O'Donnell compiles a bunch of her favorites that she guarantees to bring smiles and laughter to your day. Each page of this book is loaded with humorous jokes that children took the time to send in. The jokes are often complimented with funny drawings, that give the book a much needed personal touch.

This book is a real winner, and a must for any family with children. It will not dissappoint.

I have this book in my classroom and every student has read every joke. Your kids will love it! Tara Winslow

Hmmm... this is one of the most coolest oracle books on the market. Several of the responses were neat and I suspect the equivalent to counting cards in poker games is behind it. Nevertheless, this Victorian-style fortune telling device is lots of fun!

I got the a copy of The Ladie's Oracle in college - almost 16 years ago. My girlfriends and I swear by it - the Oracle has great knowledge, but we have found, she can be pretty rude too if destiny is not with you. In the end, she is always right,especially on matters of love. Trust in her, and don't use her on off days, and remember, you can always ask her again tomorrow and your fate may change.

Don't hesitate to buy this - I've been looking for copies in print every year since the mid 90's, and this is the first I've seen. You will love her, and keep this book with you forever!

What a brilliant book, being interested in fortune telling, tarot etc,I was fortunate enough to come across this book "THE LADIES ORACLE". A group of friends and I sat all night asking the book questions, the hours of fun just rolled by. i would recommend this book to all the ladies out there, but "BEWARE", THIS BOOK IS ADDICTIVE.... happy reading.

being very curious about fortune telling, tarot etc, my friends and i came upon this book and "WOW", what a great night we all had asking the book questions,the hours went so quickly,a great book, be warned you.ll be addicted too.

This is a very misterious book, it will give you honest answers to your questions, you will be surprise how a book that was probably writing about 460 years ago and reprint in our time, can still can be use as a fortune telling tool in the year 2002. I love it, and it took me 26 years to find one so buy one if you can, be one of the lucky ones to own it and leave it as a family treasure to the young ladies in your family, they will be facinated by this book.

I enjoyed the artwork in this book. And the creativite that went into the letters.

My daughter and I love reading about fairies and this book was delightful. It is creative and beautiful to look at.

I loved this book! It's a must-have companion to the rest of the Lady Cottington books, and I looked thru it twice before I realized that her mother is sending her more than one message in the book, one is on a tiny leaf, delivered by the fairies. From about the middle until the end, when the writing becomes much bolder and clearer, her mother is telling her that she is still here, and to believe. Because the fairies have been dipping their toes into the ink, and attempting to convey the message, it's hard to see for what it is. This is a sweet, engaging book, and I just loved it. I think it is my favorite Cottington tome.

First off, I'm very biasedly a huge fan of Brian Froud and ADORE the Lady Cottington books. This book is so far my absolute favorite. I love how it's set up, the different letters are so greatly written. My favorite letters/notes are those from J.M. Barrie and Wendy Darling. I think that reading the other Cottington books s pretty much a must before starting this one, but it's really quite lovely. This album tells a story without using a regular narrative. Imaginative, beautiful, everything I expect from Froud and the Cottington albums.

This book is so nice I bought one for my mom for her birthday! Of course it was part of a huge stack we took to have Brian Froud sign - which makes it even more sweet! Very funny reading and the drawings are just fabulous!

I bought this book for my mom for Christmas this year. She's 40 and obsessed with watching Court TV so I thought it would appeal to her. She read it by the end of the next day, and said it was very enjoyable, humorous, and a breeze to read. Don't be put off by the risqué cover.

This book is not only informational, but insightful, hilarious, and perfect for those interested in law or lawyers. Even for those not interested in law, this can be a good book to go along with your morning coffee or commute. Before I read this book, I had been debating whether I wanted to go into nursing or law but now it is definitely clear. I will be applying to MATC in the fall to take courses to become a legal secretary. Thanks Vince!

Although I had to take the cover off to read the book on the train, it was a quick, fun read and a great way to start and end the 3 days it took me to read it. I found myself laughing several times at what the author had to say about the double standards of our society and that a lawyer was able to pick
on his own profession and point out what's wrong with this world while making you laugh. I thought this was the "South Park" of law books. No one is spared.

This book is more than funny. It is a wakeup call to lawyers, cops, tax evaders, Catholic priests and hypocrites. It will make you think twice the next time you try to get out of jury duty or find yourself slipping a dollar bill down an exotic dancer's g-string. The chapters "Sex with a Client" and "Lap Dancers Don't Take Checks" are absolute hoots. The seven page story of Ernest Miranda is a fascinating read. We've all heard the "Miranda Warning" hundreds of times, but you won't believe what happened to this guy. All in all, Lap Dancers... will entertain and educate, and possibly change your point of view. Highly recommended!

I loved the Random Legal Thoughts and Famous Bankrupts. For 17 bucks I learned how avoid jury duty and save thousand in lost wages. Plus I can get enough credit cards to live like a rock star, for the next seven years. Finally someone who gets it and explains the double standards that exist in our society. Vince exposes the hypocrisy of the American legal system and many other groups in a funny and educational way. Required reading for anyone frustrated with lawyers and stupid people, especially lawyers.

This is a wonderful book--one of Thurber's best. It contains one of his cartoons on every page, along with a parable about the foolishness of man, despair, and hope. My children love it, too.

I have wanted to get this book for many years now. I read it while going to college. It is a story that has been in my memory for a very long time. It was a shock for me to see (after I read it) that it is much longer than I remember it to be, even though it is short as books go. It is a sad story. Let's hope that things don't work out the way that Mr. Thurber tells us they will. But maybe that's the whole idea: for us to read THE LAST FLOWER, then make sure that its ending doesn't happen. So, everyone, buy the book, and you can help out.

This book had the most impact on my 1940s and '50s childhood. I grew up with it, looked at it time after time, pondered it, felt it. Who said "A picture speaks a thousand words"? James Thurber had a wonderful silent way of reaching the heart. I recommend this book to all parents with children, and to all grown-ups. Of everything I have ever read or seen, this is my #1 book of all time! Please have it out on your table always!

This treasure of humanity was practically a Bible and also a constant "coffee table" book in our household when I was growing up in the late 50's and 60's. This is one of those rarest of books that will simultaneously break your heart and make your spirit soar. It only offers (see Thurber's dedication to his daughter) "a wistful hope" - but it will inspire you to nurture every ounce of genuine hopefulness you can muster.

This book had the most impact on my 1940s and '50s childhood. I grew up with it, looked at it time after time, pondered it, felt it. Who said "A picture speaks a thousand words"? James Thurber had a wonderful silent way of reaching the heart. I recommend this book to all parents with children, and to all grown-ups. Of everything I have ever read or seen, this is my #1 book of all time! Please have it out on your table always!