Mirth of a Nation: The Best Contemporary Humor

Seriously Funny Writing By Today’s Most Celebrated AuthorsAt last, a premier showcase of fifty-four great literary humorists and masters of the journalistic jab, the social spoof, the parodic proof, the satire, the tirade, and the send-up. Here are those “last laughs” and “wit’s end” pieces everyone turns to first but then loses in back issues of favorite magazines and newspapers, including:

Merrill Markoeon Networking with angels
Garry Trudeau on re-retranslating Madonna
David Sedaris on reviewing school Christmas Plays
John Updike on cross-dressing with J. Edgar Hoover
Also included are riotous contributions from Henry Alford, Jon Stewart, and David Ives, as well as millennial maxims by Mark O’Donnell, gardening advice by Mertensia Corydalis, and highlights from Randy Cohen’s savvy “News Quiz.”

Brought to you by The Thurber House