Funny You Should Say That: Amusing Remarks from Cicero to the Simpsons - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0141006455 ISBN 13: 9780141006451

Publisher: Penguin, 2005

Synopsis

'A fool and his words are soon parted' wrote William Shenstone in 1764; one might add that 'A wit and his words are rarely collected'. Here is the antidote: a dazzling survey of the funniest remarks, quips and observations from Ancient Rome, the Bible and Chaucer right up to The Simpsons and Little Britain. Over 5,000 of the very funniest remarks to have appeared on paper since, well, paper was invented.
The quotations are arranged thematically and cover all aspects of life: from the world we inhabit to the things we eat, smoke and drink; from the way we move around to what and how we learn - oh, and the pointlessness of football. Within each theme, the quotations are chronologically placed so that the reader gets a real sense of the development of thought about each subject - as well as seeing how jokes evolve over the years and, in some cases, who 'borrowed' from whom.
There is a short biography of all of the authors in the book, a brief contextual note for each quotation and an index of keywords to help you find you chosen witticism quickly. But do not be over-hasty when you use this book: it is a browser's delight, and should be enjoyed at leisure.

About this title

About the Author:

Andrew Martin, a former Spectator Young Writer of the Year, grew up in Yorkshire. He has written for the Evening Standard, the Sunday Times, the Independent on Sunday and the Daily Telegraph, among others. His weekly column appears in the New Statesman. His much-praised first novel, Bilton, described by Jon Ronson as 'extremely funny, genuinely moving and even a little scary', was followed by The Bobby Dazzlers, which Tim Lott hailed as 'truly unusual - a comic novel that actually makes you laugh'. He has just completed his next novel The Blackpool Flyer which is to be published in 2004.

From the Inside Flap:

“A fool and his words are soon parted,” wrote William Shenstone in 1764; one might add that “A wit and his words are rarely collected.” Here is the antidote: a dazzling survey of the funniest remarks, quips and observations from Ancient Rome, the Bible and Chaucer right up to The Simpsons and The Office. More than 5,000 of the very funniest remarks to have appeared on paper since, well, paper was invented.The lines we all wish we could have said are arranged thematically and cover all aspects of life: from the world we inhabit to the things we eat, smoke and drink; from the way we move around to what and how we learn—oh, and the pointlessness of football. Within each theme, the quotations are placed chronologically providing a real sense of the development of thoughts about each subject—as well as seeing how jokes evolve over the years and, in some cases, who “borrowed” from whom.There is a short biography of each author, a brief contextual note for each quotation and an index of keywords to help you find your chosen witticism quickly. But do not be over-hasty when you use this book; it is a browser’s delight, and should be enjoyed at leisure.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0141006455
• ISBN 13: 9780141006451
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 528
• Editor: Martin Andrew