Newspapers Books

In one word: FUNNY! I've got all Dave Barry's books and love them all.
They make me laugh out loud. They all get five stars from me.

This is a collecton of his regular columns. They are funny, but not side-splitting. If you want to see what Dave can *really* do, try "Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide you will Ever Need".

Hilarious! Some references are a little dated now, but still tons of laugh-out-loud moments - I loved it! If you're a Dave Barry fan, don't miss this one.

"Question: Dear Mr. Language Person--What is George Bush's native tongue? Answer: He doesn't have one."

From "Ask Mr. Language Person" to the "Exploding Animal Institute" to Dave's classic announcement of his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States--his platform consists of a dramatic reorganization of the bureaucracy so that domestic affairs will all be handled by the Department of Louise, and foreign affairs by the Department of a Couple of Guys Named Victor ("Y'know, Victors, I wouldn't mind hearing that Fidel Castro had had an unfortunate accident...")--this collection of Dave Barry's weekly humor columns from the early 1990s still has the power to induce chortles, guffaws, and even the occasional cackle.

The audiobook version is well-delivered by Johnny Heller. Just don't listen to it in public unless you don't mind people seeing you grinning idiotically or hearing you laughing like a ninny.

"Weasel is a funny word. You can improve the humor value of almost any situation by injecting a weasel into it."

This book by Dave Weasel... er... Barry is an extremely funny read. It's a collection of his newspaper columns that will have you laughing over and over again, and annoying your family members with your constant quotations.

He covers almost every topic here, from exploding animals to traffic cops to reader suggestions to doctors to drug dealers to television. It's all here.

This may not be his best book, but it's really funny and a must-have for any Dave Barry weasel. Er... fan.

I think all of us writing and teaching graduate students should buy this book and keep at your desk for periodic reminders about good writing...I will suggest that my students and colleagues purchase this--it is handy and great--very precise and to the point (as our writing should be!) Kudos!!

This a very friendly, and yet, powerful book that allows the reader to review basics of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and general writing rules.

This is a good book to learn how to successfully write a paper.Good luck!

A good deal of what this book covers should already be known to a professional writer. That said, the book reminds the writer about the special characteristics of medical writing.

I must agree with all the three prior reviews. The author has an easygoing style that I greatly enjoyed learning from. The pages are small in size and the font is rather big; which allows to finish this guidebook in few hours, and repeated.

There are twelve chapters. The firsts provide sensible advices about choosing "better" words, sentences, tables, graphs. I found chapter six about Spelling and Grammar, Punctuation rich with great advices. Other chapters advice about how to choose the right journal. The author was straightforward in the chapters about clinical report, review article, letters to the editor etc and ethics. Really, I was impressed by the eighth chapter " how to get more writing done".

Briefly I learned a lot from this concise guidebook.

Jennifer Rosen is a true expert on wines of all types. She displays many innovative and fun ways to share her knowledge. A great read for wine lovers at all levels.

Rosen's writing is creative and appealing without seeming forced, which is rare. This book will entertain even those who don't feel compelled to read everything ever written about the world of wine. Give this book to someone who's never read a wine book and they'll laugh their way through it before realizing how much they've learned.

Rosen is one of the food and wine writers I turn to when I want a little bit o' fun inserted into my day. She reminds me of what attracted me to the wine business in the first place. I can't read Rosen without smiling.

Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant

I really enjoyed Jennifer's book. She has a great way with the American language. The book holds your attention while teaching aspects of wine that are not normally covered by the "Wine Snobs". I actually preferred her second book, but this was worth my time. I now use both books as hostess gifts when visiting my wine drinking friends.
She's also a Hottie!

Pick this book up if you want to have a laugh about the world's oldest cupa. Jennifer Rosen examines people's relationships with wine and the many facets of wine's own personality. You'll laugh, you'll learn, you'll toast this natural, relaxed approach to such an enamored and intimidating subject. So pour some good bag-in-box cabernet into your favorite Happy Birthday mug, kick back and enjoy.

Waiter, There's a Horse In My Wine is a chuckle-inducing collection of writings by internationally-acclaimed wine writer and educator Jennifer Rosen. Written with especial tongue-in-cheek humor, Waiter, There's a Horse in my Wine shows the reader how to deal with wine snobs, impress friends, and give enemies pause! Cartoonish black-and-white illustrations add a charming touch to this delightful guide; regardless of whether one is a connoisseur of wine or hardly ever drinks it, Waiter, There's a Horse In My Wine is just plain fun to read.

The Chain Gang, written by Richard McCord, was an interesting synopsis featuring the undermining practices of the Gannett Empire. He tells his own story of his dealings with this masterful mega-chain and also his personal crusade against it. Overall the book was an excellent read and a necessary referance for any community journalist.
The information McCord produces with this book is almost overwhelming. He has no problem showcasting everything he discovered about Gannett, no matter how ugly. The shocking quality and amazing clarity of his wods would grab even those who are not at all interested in the details of the newspaper.
Another great aspect of the book is the way it lets the reader flow through it. The words are not unnecessarily difficult and the tone keeps the pages turning. The book leaves room for more thn just journalism issues. I think you can even substitute the newspapers for other kinds of businesses and still get the point across. We always need to fight for the underdogs, if not for them than for our own good.
There was one part of the book that I did not particularly care for. I thought McCord repeated some things too many times. I know he wanted to instill Gannett's crimes into our minds, but I found myself skipping over parts where it seemed like I had already heard about them. Besides this, I think the book was great and I am very glad I was able to purchase it.

As a newsroom employee of a once-proud independent newspaper that was bought by the Gannett chain in 1997, I was told by colleagues who had read "The Chain Gang" that the book was a cautionary tale which would reveal the dark side of the corporation that had become my new employer. Unfortunately, I didn't take those warnings seriously enough, and I took my time about picking up the book. Now that a few years have gone by, and the newsroom staff at the paper I worked for has been decimated by the kind of cutbacks the bean-counters at unscrupulous corporations like Gannett delight in, I wish I'd read "The Chain Gang" much sooner.

If you're in the newspaper business and not working for Gannett yet, the chances grow greater each year that you will be. "The Chain Gang" helps explain why, and it's a sordid story.

By the way, I now refer to the newspaper mentioned at the beginning of this review as the paper I "worked" for, because after I challenged whether the paper and Gannett were living up to a corporate "ethics policy" Gannett professes to have adopted in 1999, I was transferred, against my wishes, to a much smaller newspaper the company owns. I'm continuing to try to fight that action -- not that I hope to have any kind of career with Gannett, of course -- but it would probably help to have someone like Richard McCord on my side, in his feistiest, most energized mode.

Having said that, my only real complaint with "The Chain Gang" is the melancholy, defeatist tone of much of McCord's epilogue, in which, despite the admirable personal triumphs he scored in battling Gannett, he ultimately depicts his efforts as gestures bordering on futility. But I can hardly fault McCord for his candor -- something any Gannett employee is bound to find refreshing.

It's truly appalling that such a shady company is among the corporations to which Americans apparently will be entrusting an increasingly disproportionate responsibility for upholding a freedom as precious as the First Amendment.

Can I give "The Chain Gang" any higher praise than to say that upon reading it I immediately bought a half-dozen copies to distribute to friends in the journalism business? But you needn't be a reporter or editor to appreciate this book. In fact, the focus is less on the journalism side of the newspaper business than it is on the advertising and marketing side. But that's appropriate, since that's clearly where Gannett's focus is too.

You don't have to be in the newspaper business to find this book interesting. Even if all you do is read newspapers, or use them to line the rabbit cage, you will be astonished. This exhaustively researched, extremely well-written account demonstrates in graphic detail the lengths to which a desperate monopolist will go to achieve and preserve its monopoly profits. This is a really important book.

For one who was currently employed by Gannett and had never heard of its ways, this book could be a kick in the face.

I enjoyed "The Chain Gang" because of its raw, solid descriptions of what tactics someone can use to get what they want. It almost reminded me of a spoiled child. Richard McCord, its author, is obviously a very hardworking man who genuinely cares about what he does. Above all, he must have a big heart for people and the journalistic business itself.

This book did more than provide an interesting view to its readers, it provided information for one to learn from. It was full of details, honesty, and insight. McCord shared his every thought with the reader about the whole ordeal, begining with his struggles in New Mexico. He was honest about his feelings about the whole Green Bay Project, the people he came in contact with, the homesickness he felt and even how he felt after a hangover his next to last night in Green Bay. The reader appreciates honesty instead of words that are just expected.

The book, however provided too much detail at times. No being interested in law, there were times I got bored with the different cases and rulings that were thrown out at me throughout the book. Often times, I lost my concentration because of this. It felt, at other times, that he went on and on about some of Gannett's tactics as if this way was his only means to get the message across. Sometimes I think short would have been sweeter.

All in all, the book was very informative and a fairly easy read. I would recommend it to anyone before they began working for a Gannett-owened paper. It just might make them change their mind.

This is an incredible book. First of all, it's a great read. It's written by a journalist and it's compelling--I couldn't put it down. It should be made into a movie. And it's all true.

It recounts how Gannett, the nation's biggest newspaper chain, resorts to illegal, and immoral tactics to force other newspapers out of business. Gannett can be perfectly profitable WITHOUT eliminating the competition, but if it has a monopoly, it can make over 30 percent profits with its newspapers.

This book also tells what Gannett does to the papers it consumes--namely, slashes content, puts articles about dogs on the front pages, increases advertising, raises subscription AND advertiser rates, fires lots of employees, etc.

A child has a talent. Even more lucky for this child, she/he finds an adult who is completely impressed with this talent. So, he/she performs for this adult. The adult claps. The child continues. The adult smiles and shows others. The child continues. "ENOUGH ALREADY!" That's what I want to say when I read this book. The chapters start off so well and the advice seems useful. But her examples go on and on and on to the point of being unncesssary. Chapter 7 could've been excluded altogether. Chapter 8 is a prime example of FAR TOO MANY (yeah, I said it) examples. I was not impressed with this book. Good idea, but too much performing for me.

This book was a disappointment after reading all the glowing reviews.
First, this is an anthology of writing columns by author and the book has a cut-and-paste feel to it.
Second, this book is primarily for journalists.
Although this is a good book it definitely reads like a newspaper column and lacks the feel of a great book despite all the five-star ratings.

"Championship Writing: 50 Ways to Improve Your Writing" is a short course on learning to find and resolve some of the most common obstacles to good writing. While there is overlap between some of the fifty items (such as the coverage of pronoun problems in Chapter 15 as well as Chapter 38) the book is well organized, easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to use.

Of particular value are the numerous examples of each problem and how to resolve specific instances. When applicable she includes very useful tricks of the trade. For example, whether to use "who" or "whom" is easily resolved by a simple substitution trick. One tough problem that many people wrestle with, one easy trick, and the result is a grammatically correct sentence.

The advice is very good, the writing style fun and not at all academic, and the results are tangible. A highly recommended read for anyone struggling with becoming a better writer and especially so for those with limited time.

"Memorable writing is usually simplified language. It emulates speech at its best and is immediate in its clarity and beauty. If it's also `informal', so much the better."

That's just one of the pearls from Paula LaRocque's Championship Writing: 50 Ways to Improve Your Writing, and an indication of what you can expect to learn in her book.

Championship Writing comprises 50 chapters ~ or 50 ways ~ for improving writing. It covers everything from crafting compelling headlines and strong leads to constructing smooth sentences and incorporating quotes. As you can see, it's primarily aimed at journalists and non-fiction writers, but other scribes will gain a lot from this book as well. There are other topics of interest, including chapters on Web copy, general usage, and coaching writers.

LaRocque, a seasoned journalist and editor, is also a well-known and highly-regarded writing coach who has given hundreds of literary lectures, presented a TV special on the craft and also produced a regular column for the now-defunct Quill magazine.

The book is essentially an anthology of LaRocque's column, and she doesn't try to hide it. Each chapter is referred to as a column.

And that's probably my only real criticism of this book. It reads like a regular column rather than as a well-constructed book ~ there is no natural transition from one chapter to the next.

Championship Writing offers plenty of information and instruction on the art of writing well. Each chapter addresses a specific topic, discussing challenges, revealing solutions and illustrating with practical examples of useage. This is a worthwhile reference for new writers and those wishing to excel at their craft.

-- Michael Meanwell, author of the critically-acclaimed 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'. For more book reviews and prescriptive articles for writers, visit www.enterprisingwriter.com

Paula LaRocque does something that so many authors fail to do when writing their guidebooks on the craft -- give clear, concise and useful information that applies to the beginner and professional alike. My shelves are stocked with texts that would, undoubtedly, help me improve my writing skills if I were willing to devote countless hours to deciphering their suggestions. But for one with limited time to write, much less read about writing, "Championship Writing" provides tools and tips that I can cover in 10 minutes or less. Pick up a copy to keep beside your computer for those moments when writer's block has you staring off into space. Once I've finished one of LaRocque's chapters I'm ready to dive back into my own prose.

This is the third in the Morgue Mama series. May there be many more. As I said about the second one, it manages to combine good old-fashioned first person narration with brilliantly original wit and insights.
It centers around two murders, half a century apart, a cocoa can that may have belonged to Jack Kerouac, an archeological dig at a landfill, and 68 year Maddy Sprowls' work as a librarian at the local newspaper in a rustbelt Ohio town. There's a lot of information about a lot of things. I have to confess that I have lived for years just ten miles from the Haverstraw Brick Museum and never been there, I had no idea there was such a lot to brick collecting until I read this and then visited some of the brick aficionado WEB sites.
One unresolved mystery was about the cover photograph. I'm sure it is an iconic image I should be familiar with but I wasn't. My paperback contains no cover design credits or information.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first Morgue Mama book. Perhaps some of the newness of the character wore off. For some reason, too, I grew irritated at the author's repetition at one of Morgue Mama's traits. It seems like she does an awful lot of "pawing the air" in front of her.
One of its strongest elements is its insights into the behind the scenes workings at a newspaper, especially in this day and age. The author is dead on with his descriptions.
All in all, a light and entertaining enough read.

C.R. Corwin's DIG: A MORGUE MAMA MYSTERY returns another 'Morgue Mama' story to print, this telling of the newspaper archivist's discovery that her old college friend is murdered at an abandoned landfill where a dig is in progress. Suddenly the 68-year-old librarian is involved in yet another murder investigation - which turns out to be two murders and involves a trip down memory lane to resolve.

Sometimes these rainy day mystery novels are so contrived, I can't handle them. But this one works, despite the fact that it follows genre formulas: an eccentric protagonist, a slew of silly suspects, a convoluted murder plot full of red herrings, a surprise ending. There is enough wit, suspense, and novelty in "Dig" to keep you turning the pages. I'm looking forward to more.

Maddy Sprowls gets to The Hannawa Herald-Union on the stroke of nine. She makes her first mug of Darjeeling tea and settles down at her desk to read the obituaries. The obits are the best part of her day, she admits. But not today. First she reads that her old college friend Gordon Sweet is dead. Then she learns he was murdered--at the abandoned landfill where the eccentric archaeology professor was conducting his latest dig.

And just like that, the cranky 68 year old newspaper librarian finds herself investigating another murder. No, two murders! Dordon's death just might be linked to the grisly bludgeoning of state wrestling champ Davif Delarosa fifty years earlier.

And so begins a harrowing and hilarious trek back to Maddy's old beatnik days, when she was a member of the Meriwether Square Baked Bean Existentialist Society. Legendary beat writer Jack Kerouac still casts a long shadow over the group. And there's a coffee house full of quirky suspects to consider: Poet Chick Glass, saxophonist Shaka Bop, free thinkinng Effie Fredmansky, snooty Gwen Moffitt Stumpfm and toxic waste dumper Kenneth Kingzette, just to name a few.

There's a reason why reporters called Maddy "Morgue Mama" behind her back. And why cops and criminals alike get the jitters when she pulls up in her old Dodge Shadow. She is tough, tenacious, and as readers of C.R. Corwin's Morgue Mama: The Cross Kisses Back discovered, tricky as the dickens.

An excellent collection of cartoons. I've always liked B.C., but I haven't seen
most of the cartoons in this book.
The book breaks the cartoons down by the decade in which they were drawn.
It also gives short bios on his friends that he based his cartoon characters on.
This is a book worth owning. It also has thick glossy pages.

There's no shortage of books compiling comic strips to buy and/or read. When I was much younger, I devoured Doonsebury books whenever I had the chance, amazed to discover what usually required waiting every day to read could be found in large volumes. I have recently read, however, one very special book regarding a very special cartoonist and his cartoon: GrowinGold with B.C. A 50 Year Celebration of Johnny Hart. I highly recommend it.

(One item to note: most of the time people refer to the title as "Growing Old With B.C." The cover spells it "GrowinGold," which, from what I've seen from Checker Publishing, is the correct title.)

Unlike some Herculean efforts to put together gargantuan books containing every cartoon in a strip's history, this book is very direct and personal. The author himself compiled it, shortly before he passed away. It contains selections of his favorite strips from each decade the strip has been in existence, right up to the present. Think of it as a combination Best Of and Director's Cut.

The first section of the book features comments from the friends upon whom the characters were based. What's amazing to me is, not only does it appear Johnny Hart kept in touch with most or all these friends from the 1950s, they wrote jokes and gags for the series throughout its entire history. Clearly Hart was a man with a rich sense of humor who surrounded himself with similarly blessed people.

Part of the magic of B.C. was it was funny to look at, not just to read. Even my five-year-old son has enjoyed this book, especially the cover, which depicts B.C. as he was drawn from the beginning of the strip to now, ranging from short and stout to tall and less stout. He takes great pleasure in describing how "the man is growing" from picture to picture.

GrowinGold with B.C. would make an excellent gift for yourself or anyone you know. It's very reasonably priced and bring pleasure to friends and family this Christmas season.

The delivery took quite a few weeks to arrive; plus, the condition it was in was very disappointing. The entire book itself was mutilated into a thick wave-like sahpe, and there is a deep one inch thick rip in the last thirty three pages. I will never order from this seller again. I suggest you all refrain from doing so as well.

I love cartoons. Johnny Hart is amoung the best of the modern cartoonist and B.C. is one of the best strips. The history and comments accompanying the cartoons are just a bonus.

Bought this for my father for Christmas as he has always enjoyed B.C. and often saves his favorite strips. Great read for anyone who loves the comic strip. Only issue I have with the book is that the writer seems to skirt around Johnny Hart's religious centered comics in leu of a more p.c. collection of pieces. Hart wasn't ashamed of his beliefs... why should a tribute to him ignore his statements of faith? Perhaps I missed the relevant comics as I only skimmed through the book. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

This wonderful book will be appreciated by anyone who has enjoyed the photography that has been such an important element of the news.This book covers each year between 1942 and 1999,so while it is good for the period covered;it's starting to get a little long in the tooth--6 years to be exact.
When one thinks of the humongous number of photographs taken on such an endless number of subjects,it is a major job to decide what is the best.One thing certain is, with so much to choose from,the winner should be a photograph that,no matter who looks at it,one should feel that it is undisputably great. Maybe it should also be such a photograph that is unrepeatable.
I have to admit, that is how I felt when I finished the book.
Since a main criteria seems to be that it is a newsworthy or timely photo; It would seem to me taat the photograph must catch such a moment.Many of the winners do just that.The Iwo Jima Flag on page 21,The Babe Bows Out on page 29,Oswald Shot,Live to the World on page 61,Saigon Execution on page 79,and others are great photographs of momentous importance;that had to be captured at the time. Many of the photographs in the second part of the book are not as momentous.A picture to win a Pulitzer should be immediately recognized by all, and one should have instant recall of it. As the years went on ,it seems the judges have altered their criteria and have chosen photographs that one doesn't recall at the time;and more importantly are not one-of a-kind momentous photographs.In other words they have chosen human interest,third world poverty and such things that can be found all over the world,and it matters little whether the photograph was taken at one time or another ,or in one place or another. This has increased in later years and the winners for the 90's are anything but exceptional. In 1979, the award went to photographs of a storm in Boston.There was nothing so unusual about such a storm or the photographs.There must have been thousands of similar ones taken.Then, when one looks at what won in 1986,scenes that exist by the thousands in any city;the award overlooks one of the greatest photographs,even though so disasterous,in the century. The January 1986 ,explosion of the space shuttle Challenger,73 seconds after takeoff,killing all astronauts on board.The pictures chosen for 1987 and 1986 pale by comparison.
However,the book does an excellent job of covering the Pulitzer awards for photographs;and in ith end whether I concur with their choices is a mute point.

This book captured all those essential moments in time, & the title said it all, really. It started from year 1942 & ended in 1999. Just like the movie, Pleasantville, it started with B&W pictures but as the technology gets better & more viable, colour pictures took over but still, never underestimated the raw drama & power of B&W pictures, though. The editing of this splendid coffee table book is quite clever by segregating it into various eras describing the technology & techniques available during that time (involving taking, printing, transmitting the pictures) & then, drawing a parellel with what's going on in this world right there, right then. I didn't appreciate the intensity of the pictures when I was younger but as I'm older now & sitting through reading thru this book, it brought back many memories, some good, some bad. And this book is also clever enough to provide time graph with more pertinent pictures to run us through the time passed. It's quite emotionally draining & disturbing at times to read that some photographers risked it all including their lives just to share the moments with the rest of the world, & how much the pictures affected some photographers here that they took away their own lives. All & all, this is a book that celebrates humanity, abhors at evil that humans would do to one another, reminds us all of the vulnerability against Mother Nature, the appreciation of simple things in life, & so forth. A very engaging book & worth reading. Highly recommended.

The Pulitzer Prize is one of the most well known, respected, and coveted awards. It is no doubt that the photos chosen to receive the Pulitzer recognize human nature at its most extreme- compassion and brutality. This book is a collection of the most famed and heartwrenching photographs over a spanning several decades. Included in the collection are pictures from the Vietnam War, Oklahoma City bombing, famine, rites of passage, parents standing next to the ocean which swept their son to sea, election of U.S. President Clinton, and other events of various magnitude. The pictures (both black/white and color) are printed on large heavy paper, which allows the true nature of the picture to project their true nature.

One of the best aspects of this book is the short narratives that accompany each picture. The narratives answer many questions about the picture, such as what the photographer was thinking, his intention with the photo, how he came across the situation, his feelings, and so forth. I found the narratives to be one of the most gratifying aspects of this book.

This is a wonderful collection of photographs that will make you think about life at its extremes, and therefore appreciate everyday life.

Considering the last edition of Moments: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs came out nearly 20 years ago, it's great that somebody saw fit to update this book to include the stupendous photos that have won the Pulitzer in the last 20 years, like Kevin Carter's photo of the starving Sudanese girl and Charles Porter's photograph from Oklahoma City. And the narratives about each photo, coupled with the technical details in the back, make this book still a cut above a mere exhibition of the winners.

But apparently they must have had some trouble tracking down copies of the older Pulitzer winners for this edition, because the reproduction on some of them is, well, kind of crappy. For a few of them, it looks like they literally took flatbed scans from the pages of the old book and used them in this one; in some of them, like the 1955 winner, you can actually see the pixel lines!

It's still a fantastic book on the whole...I guess I'm just a little disappointed that a book cataloging some of the most important news photographs of the 20th century has such mediocre reproduction in places.

Hal's done a great job of behind-the-scenes reporting for this book. The photos are good, too. But if you want a look at a museum-quality catalogue of these photos, try going to Newseum.org and looking at the online store for their book, The Pulitzer Prize photos...

The humor has stood the test of time. A great companion to the National Yearbook.

Of course, the Dacron Republican-Democrat is an all-time classic of parody, and on that basis alone, this is well worth a purchase.

But something that hasn't been mentioned yet -- this edition has been "restored" by the folks at Rugged Land, and it's obvious that they did not have access to the original 1978 printing plates. Nearly all of the text has been re-typeset, and it's not fully 100% accurate; I found at least one place where text "went to Courier" in the typesetting process -- something that didn't happen back then. And I found a couple of typos that might not have been in the original -- I don't have my newsprint copy anymore, so it's tough to tell.

Also, most of the simpler ads have been re-typeset, but the more complex ones have apparently been scanned from an original copy of the Republican-Democrat, giving them a noisy, low-res quality that stands out painfully on these high-gloss pages. The Swillmart circular, in particular, is of particularly low reproduction quality, but still mostly readable.

Don't let these goofs stop you from buying, but be aware that you're not getting the original product.

Unlike some of the other Rugged Land re-issues, this one is in softcover, which is somewhat regrettable. Still, it's a vast improvement over the original, which was on newsprint (my old copy is quite aged). It is politically incorrect (very incorrect, in fact) but wickedly funny. It pokes fun at small-town politics, along with NL favorites like Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, JFK and Jackie. A sequel to the High School Yearbook parody, all of the graduating class show up in various ways and in their 1978 professions -- Larry Kroger as a guidance counsellor, Herb Weisenheimer as a car salesman, Amana Peppridge as a porn star, etc. While some of the jokes are childish, much of the humor is laugh-out-loud funny. Overall, the humor is a bit meaner than the yearbook parody but much of it is spot-on -- particularly some of the jokes about the newspaper and local business being far too cozy. I particularly liked the City section's profile of the "Powder Room Prowler."

Why do the publishers of these National Lampoon reissues even bother if they are not going to do it right? One of the great things about the original National Lampoon is that they knew how to do a PARODY....That means that the object that is the PARODY should appear as if it were the object being parodied! A High School Yearbook Parody should look like a High School Yearbook, and a Parody of a Sunday Newspaper should look like a real Sunday Newspaper, not a book...that is the point...Maybe I'm too hung up on the design, but that's a major aspect of the title and the project...Also, as mentioned in other reviews, this edition has been re-typset with mistakes inherent! If you can find an original edition, trust me, you're better off in the long run paying the extra bucks...for the overall package it's much more worth it than this ugly travesty! 2 stars though, for the content!

This is my favorite kind of humor. It looks like a local newspaper, divided into the usual sections. It reads like a local newspaper. But it's insanity sliced and diced in every possible way. The more you read, the more you'll find. Here's an advertisement from a local barber shop; look closely and you'll notice the special service is free ear and nose trim for senior citizens. There's an article advising how to use your golf gear to repel burglars, and which iron to select. There are comics and classified ads and movie listings and contests. If you keep reading, you'll find how the stories connect to each other to build to a higher level of absurdity. It's funny at a glance and funnier in depth.

This was originally published in newsprint in 1978, back when National Lampoon was at the height of its power. I've got the original, which has become brittle with age. Should have used acid-free paper! Anyway, this reprint is a large bound volume. It's not as realistic as the original, but it's probably more durable, and it's complete. Grab it!

This book is a great entertaining, yet somehow informative glimpse of the past. It's perfect for leaving on your table top and glancing when you have some free time. Highly recommended.

If the title for my review offends you then don't read this book. If not then the humor found in this book will entertain you for hours. I suggest purchasing the paperback for bathroom reading and the hardcover for your classier guests.

The more you know and pay attention to the news the funnier this book will be to you. It not only skewers the news makers and their pomposity, but more importantly it shoots barbs at the news reporters who deserve it equally as much.

I like to read a couple of the articles at a time so that I can savor them.

Highly recommended.

While the actual text might be full of humor the book is set up as old style newsprint which makes it not a lot of fun to read. I had bought 'Our Dumb World' and loved it, but I'm not so in love with how this book was put together.

God bless the Onion! Nothing and no one is sacred or left unscathed. I have given this to firends who are communists, democrats, republicans, evangelicals, etc. Anyone with a sense of humor and some knowledge of history will love this!