Books by Jim Holt
language
English
review 1: The subject matter interested me immediately, but this surpassed my expectations. The book is structured exactly as the title suggests: the first half is a history of jokes, and the second half is a philosophy of jokes (primarily suggesting theories of what defines a joke and why...
language
English
review 1: The book that dares ask the question: Why is there something, rather than nothing, and proceeds to answer in as many ways possible - none of them conclusive. I must admit I saw it coming, and I must also admit there was quite a bit of this book I couldn't follow. About once a ...
language
English
review 1: If you want to read the earliest known jokes, or learn about the ironically-named Legman (scholar of the bawdy joke), or how a single joke (about a newly married couple who can't afford food) can trace an evolution back over 15 centuries, you'll enjoy this book. And if you have ...