The first mainstream history of humour. Hilarious and well-researched,
this book from household name William Hartston, a presenter, author and
journalist, makes a perfect gift.
Of all human qualities, humour is perhaps the most puzzling. In this
very first history of humour, author and humourist William Hartston
looks at every aspect of the evolution of humour and our attitudes
towards it with a view to developing a proper Theory Of Everything
Humorous.
From comedy in ancient Greece and jokes in ancient Rome, to laughter in
the Bible and the secret of comic delivery; from how humour changed
following the American civil war, to how Mark Twain changed written
comedy in the English-speaking world, William leaves no stone unturned
in his quest to understand what makes us chuckle. Besides being
academically well-founded, A History of Humour will, unlike almost
everything else written on the subject, be both seriously humorous and
humorously serious.