Unplugged Isaac's at the typewriter again, this time playing for laughs, guffaws, cackles, squeals, wheezes, whatever he can get. His treasury includes over 600 funny (and most are funny) stories, jokes, limericks, puns — all grouped into eleven general interest categories, like 'Jewish,' 'Marriage,' 'Bawdy,' and 'Put-down'; in addition there's a subject index which ranges from 'Absent-mindedness' to 'Zoo,' with 'Men's rooms' somewhere in between. But what mainly distinguishes this from standard laugh-and-giggle fare are Asimov's helpful adjurations on the nature of humor (e.g., "the one necessary ingredient in every successful joke is a sudden alteration in point of view") and his tips to beginners, which include "don't bowdlerize unless you must," and to punsters, "cultivate a thick skin and a philosophic attitude." Isactly.
Pub Date: Sept. 9, 1971
ISBN: 0395572266
Page Count: -
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1971
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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