“Humour of the philosophical pedigree can ‘bring us up short’, break us out of our commonplace acceptance, our slumber dogmatic, and require us to reassess what we thought we knew, or ask questions about that which had previously lain fallow in our thinking. Humour may awaken the ‘sleeping metaphors’ that all of us live by….” “The philosopher Sydney Smith (1771 – 1845) identified the salutary effect of humour on the human character … he comments, ‘A man might sit down systematically, and succ...

The ultimate compendium of crisp one-liners, knockout jokes, droll asides and universal truths collected over the years by the creators of QI.'You know 'that look' women get when they want sex? Me neither.' Steve Martin; 'You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from nesting in your hair.' Chinese proverb; 'The Beatles are dying in the wrong order.' Victor Lewis-Smith; 'Cauliflowe...

A collection of sixty classic and contemporary essays, stories, lists, poems, quotations, and cartoons that celebrates the joys of reading, the feeling of spending hours browsing through a bookstore, and the people for whom buying books is a necessity.Booklovers will find themselves in good company within the pages of A Passion for Books, beginning with science-fiction great Ray Bradbury's foreword and throughout contributions like-- Umberto Eco's How ...

This entertaining guide reveals the unusual origins of typical contemporary terms, from A-OK to Top Dog and beyond.So many of the phrases we use day-to-day seem perfectly clear to us despite having no idea where they came from. But in Common Phrases, Max Cryer gives us a deeper understanding of contemporary English by tracing their journeys from new concept to common coinage.The former host of Today, Jane Pauley, claims to have coined the ...

A witty and addictively readable day-by-day literary companion.At once a love letter to literature and a charming guide to the books most worth reading, A Reader's Book of Days features bite-size accounts of events in the lives of great authors for every day of the year. Here is Marcel Proust starting In Search of Lost Time and Virginia Woolf scribbling in the margin of her own writing, "Is it nonsense, or is it brilliance?" Fictional events that take place within...

“It is Johnson’s gift that he can make his subjects human and fallible enough that we would…recognize them instantly, while also illuminating what made them heroes.” —Washington Post Book World on Heroes“Johnson is a clear, intelligent, forceful writer, and nothing if not thorough.” —Wall Street JournalPaul Johnson, the acclaimed author of Creators, Heroes, and the New York Times bestseller Intellectuals, returns with a captivating collection of biographical portraits of th...

“A thoroughly engaging compendium of literary arcadia.” —Nicholas Basbanes, author of A Gentle MadnessWhen did cigarettes start making an appearance in English literature? Which author’s heart was purportedly eaten by a cat? One of our best-known and best-loved literary critics turns his attention to the more bizarre areas of literature in this miscellany of fact and trivia. Which author had the heaviest brain? What was the original title of 1984?...

The 700-year history of the novel in English defies straightforward telling. Geographically and culturally boundless, with contributions from Great Britain, Ireland, America, Canada, Australia, India, the Caribbean, and Southern Africa; influenced by great novelists working in other languages; and encompassing a range of genres, the story of the novel in English unfolds like a richly varied landscape that invites exploration rather than a linear journey. In The Novel: A Biography,...

'He's 100% political herpes. Back in six months whatever you do'Camilla Long on Nigel Farage'It's not enough to succeed. Friends must fail'Gore VidalNothing cuts deeper, or provides greater pleasure, than the perfect put-down.When it's directed at someone else.Matthew Parris's sublime collection of the rudest, funniest shin-kicks and barbs in human history, spa...

'Emer O'Sullivan has made an indispensable contribution to Wildean literature … Compelling, informative and fascinating' - Stephen FryThe Fall of the House of Wilde identifies Oscar Wilde as a member of one of the most dazzling Anglo-Irish families of Victorian times and shows us how he was utterly his parents' child.________________Oscar Wilde's father – scientist, surgeon, archaeologist, writer – was one of the most eminen...

All the signs show that the worthy art of letter writing is in decline. One third of 16-year-olds have never written a letter, and in the next ten years it is predicted that first-class mail will drop by 37%. Emails and texts have overtaken the humble pen and paper as the most popular method of communication. In Kind Regards, Liz Williams explores the popular history of letter writing and how it has shaped the world today - from the early Greek philosophers, to the great letter wr...

Writer, broadcaster, and wit Gyles Brandreth has completely revised Ned Sherrin's classic collection of wisecracks, one-liners, and anecdotes. With over 1,000 new quotations from all media, it's easy to find hilarious quotes on subjects ranging from Argument to Diets, from Computers to The Weather. Add sparkle to your speeches and presentations, or just enjoy a good laugh in company with Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Joan Rivers, Kathy Lette, Frankie Boyle, and friends. 'Now we have the World W...