Offers a broa look at humor with more than 100 entertaining entries.
Preface Encyclopedia of 20th-Century American Humor Bibliography Index
Alleen Pace Nilsen is professor of English at Arizona State University and the editor of the International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS) Newsletter. She is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Scholarship and Service from the ISHS. She is the author of Literature for Todays Young Adults, Presenting M. E. Kerr, and Language Play in addition to many humor related articles. In addition, Dr. Nilsen is a founding member of the ISHS and a former president of the American Humor Studies Association. DON L.F. NILSEN is professor of English at Arizona State University and executive secretary for the International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS). He is the author of many books about humor including Humor in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century British Literature: A Reference Guide mor Scholarship: A Research Bibliography mor in American Literature: A Selected Annotated Bibliography nguage Play: An Introduction to Linguistics d English Adverbials. He has also edited several books on humor including Humor and Translation and a series of six World Humor and Irony Membership Serial Yearbook (WHIMSY) titles. Dr. Nilsen has also been recognized by Contemporary Authors, International Whos Who in Education, and 2,000 Notable American Men.
The Nilsens outdo themselves in compiling this intriguing, amusing,
and relaxed guide to humor from knock-knock jokes, Molly Ivins, and
put-downs to Waiting for Godot,film noir, and postmodernism. Beyond
clarity in formatting and describing topic, limits, and methods,
their book posses the essential attribute of readability.
*Choice*
The extensive bibliography proper is excellent…. it would be
excellent in a senior school library, and in larger public
libraries as an addition to their literary criticism
collections.
*New Zealand Libraries*
The authors have created a reference work that would appeal to
psychologists, educators, sociologists, and other professionals who
study emotional behavior.
*Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin*
A good starting point for understanding the structure, formats, and
varieties of American humor.
*C&RL News*
As benefits an encyclopedia, this book is thorough and informative.
As suits the subject matter, it is also entertaining. It is a
valuable book, not only for humor scholars, but for students of
culture, society, politics, psychology, and literature. The reader,
of whatever background, will nod in agreement with the deft and
knowledgeable observations, laugh at the humorous examples, and
mutter in surprise at the many arcane bits of information. It is a
difficult document to put down, even to write a review.
*International Journal of Humor Research*
An ideal reference acquisition for both academic and public library
collection….truly encyclopedic in its scope, scholarly in its
content, and a delight to simply browse through for the
non-specialist general reader with an interest in the history of
humor, comedians, and popular culture.
*Midwest Book Review*
The Nilsens have produced an interesting, erudite, and thorough
^IEncyclopedia of 20th-Century American Humor^R with entries
ranging from American Indian humor to cartoons, exaggeration,
hoaxes, joke patterns, sitcoms, and wit. It is a truly,
comprehensive and encyclopedic volume with an excellent
bibliography, a work that will become a standard reference not just
in libraries but in the homes of those who love humor.
*Chronicles*
Some books are a lot of fun to review and this is one of them….This
book is recommended for academic and public library reference
collections and should make a nice case for going o the shelf
rather than to the Internet for material on humor. There are plenty
of joke websites on the Internet but nothing that is as extensive
and informative as this encyclopedia.
*Community & Junior College Libraries*
This unique encyclopedia treats the concepts, persons, themes, and
media of 20th-century American humor and humor studies. More than
100 alphabetically arranged entries highlight a broad range of
humor-related topics from wit, understatement, and ambiguity to
late-night talk shows and the Internet. Entries are enhanced with
humorous examples and suggested readings.
*American Libraries*
An accessible writing style and well-chosen examples made
pre-publication reviewers smile and even laugh out loud….The book
is concise enough to be read cover-to-cover or used as a textbook
for humor-related courses in the performance ats or in literary or
cultural studies. [I]ts organization also makes it ideal for
research in specific areas.
*The Midwest Radio Theatre Workshop Journal*
The encyclopedia contains an excellent 20-page bibliography of
works on humor. Incredibly up-to-date, the bibliography includes
books as recent as 1999 and is especially rich in sources from the
1990s as well as those of historical importance. The index is also
praiseworthy and is useful in finding the names of individuals,
movie titles, television shows, and books that are mentioned in the
entries….Libraries that collect materials in popular culture or
American studies will definitely wish to purchase this book.
*ARBA*
Encyclopedias are always useful books for any library. This one is
also amusing. 20th century American humor gives an interesting
insight into the culture of 20th century America. This encyclopedia
is an excellent source of ideas for that occasional speech you may
be asked to give. For occasions like weddings and surprise birthday
parties where you are stuck for ideas, pop open this book and
something will quickly grab your attention and subsequently your
audience. From the first entry, `Academics Study of Humor'. to the
last one, `Wit', this is a good addition to an academic, public or
personal collection. There is a good bibliography and a full index
at the back of the book.
*Education Libraries*
…this book is thorough and informative….It is a valuable book, not
only for humor scholars, but for students of culture, society,
politics, psychology, and literature….the reviewer recommends the
whole book and looks forward to going back to it again and
again.
*HUMOR/ International Journal of Humor Research*
It deserves to do well in US high school and college libraries and
elsewhere. Students reading and researching for their Master of
Arts in Humour at Reading University will find it indispensable.
Besides all of which it is a good browse.
*Reference Reviews*
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
