IN IM S LIKE THESE e book form t e T E , wh n anything in that m e e e e e e e b the ot ly r s mbl s humor is s lling lik hotcak s ( y way, do you know an ybo dy Who ever actually bought a hotcake ? and — When a dozen top line radio comics are beating out their brains in e o f n ew e th e e e W th e e s arch gags to mak custom rs giv ith chuckl s, the man Wh o is fortunate enough to have a go o d memory for e W hlS e e e e jok s and itticisms is worth w ight in gold, and v n pap r. ( V) INTRODUCTION ’ I ve had a weakness for funny stories ever since I was a kid in h ze S o f m m d f t e P a . I e ulit r chool Journalis , so this is y lucky y ll into the editorship o f the Columbia Jester in my sophomore year “ because the previous pilot had been kicked out for editorial in ” He ze ze e e e e . I discr tions ( won a Pulit r Pri som y ars lat r . ) ran h e e A f e afoul o f t e authoriti s in my V ry first issue . ullpag fronds e e e E e e o pi c show d an nglish lord at a ringsid tabl f a night club . “ ” — A couple on the flo or was doing the shimmy a sexy dance z he me he m e cra e o f t mo nt. T caption had so body asking the lord “ h e f the e b I e w o . A s e e the hat thought xhi ition ll can y , r pli d “ ’ ’ I 0 es e e th e e e N M . P ur lord, is that p marri s gal r sid nt icholas ray Butler took time out from busy life to explain to m e ( 1 ) that E e e e e 2 if nglish lords rar ly spok with cockn y acc nts, and ( ) that succeeding issues o f Jester e o n tain ed an y more questionable sto ’ I d be m ar e e f e m e e e e e . ri s, out on y v n ast r than y pr d c ssor T e be e e e e I f e th e his was a pr tty so ring xp ri nc , and dri t d into — more serious side o f the publishing business fo r many years un 1 2 be e e e the ee fo r e til 94 , to pr cis , wh n obvious n d mat rial to make people laugh induced me to make a collection that ulti e e THE e B K OF WAR HUM R mately app ar d as Pock t OO O . That was f e THE P e B K OF C R OONS AND sro p ME ollow d by ock t OO A T , TRY , AU H K W G e and now L G ING STOC . As olcott ibbs onc wrote about “ H L e W e e all en d G o d arry uc , h r it will , knows v The majority o f the stories in this book are neither as old as o h e we J o e Miller nor as n ew as p enicillin . A lot f t m re in general circulation before most o f the people who will read them berg e e — e e e me w a e w r born but good jok s, lik good win s , llo with g , “ e f e T e e and as so many wits hav truth ully insist d, h r is no such ’ e e f e n e e If ou e e w. e . thing as a r ally old jok y n v r h ard it b or , it s “ Most so - called n ew stories are simply dressed up versions o f W Abe e e e chestnuts anyhow. hat Lincoln us d to t ll Thadd us Stevens now passes as conversation between Harry Truman and i e et— e e e are e for em J mmy Byrn s . J prop ll d plan s substitut d tand e t for V l e e G - for bicycl s, psychoanalys s i lag m dicos, strings bus ( vi) INTRODUCTION le — e e f T e T A t s and pr sto, a tal rom rav ling hrough rkansas ’ e the 1 8 0 s e e n ew e b ee (publish d in 5 ) b com s a gag, claim d y thr f ou are e comedians and four Broadway columnists . I y hon st with e f e ee w f yours l , you will admit that you too hav b n kno n to all ’ prey to that silly habit o f claiming other people s jokes as your e e o the 8 : 8 e ou . own . Jon s t lls y u a story on that mak s y laugh Fifteen When yo u arrive at the o ffice you retell it to Johnson . minutes later you overhear Johnson telling it to a friend over the ’ W fin o s 3 o ffice telephone . ith what e rage y u da h into Johnson “ ’ an d snarl Hey! What 8 the idea of telling my story without ’ me e ? It the m us— a e t if giving cr dit s ham univ rsal rait, slightly en IS e e more pronounced 1n women than m . This not an ntir ly u e e e m e npr judic d sti at . Many o f the newer anecdotes in this book were sent to me by e e e first m ee T e W total strang rs, and app ar d in y w kly rad inds m tur Lit er t r e e colu n in the Sa day Review of a u e. Th s contributors comm ented in a superior sort of way about the antiquity o f sto e e e e e the ee ef e e e b ri s som body ls had submitt d w k b or , and nd d y fe e f e n e retailing a w choic samples o th ir o W . This nchanting and l - I e e e e abor saving custom hav ncourag d as vigorously as possibl . I e e e m f e the hav tri d to scatt r y own avorit s throughout book, rather than follow the tim e- honored custom of putting all the e h h good appl s at t e top o f t e barrel . I have tried also to avoid i ff e e th e e e e e . T e e g ving o ns to most s nsitiv r ad r his coll ction, lik e lts f o f I S e Ne all oth rs, has ull quota rish, cotch, J wish, gro, and C e e e o n e of em I u ockn y yarns, but v ry th , think, plays p humor ous qualities of the races involved without holding them up to e e e e e ridicul or d rision . Tacit urn farm rs and th ir b autiful daugh e e e e e of the h e e e e the e of t rs, sal sm n, p opl t atr , in briat s, and all r st the e e e e e e e e the e Th e in vitabl and xagg rat d charact rs p opl volum ‘ e e e e e the b e of the a av rag , v ryday citiz n is ackbon n tion, but slim — pickings for a joke book . He is supposed to buy it not star in it ! F e for e e e inally, this is a coll ction r asonably adult and int llig nt readers . I believe it normal and healthy to laugh at certain uni ( vii) INTRODUCTION — — versal aspects o f the S E X problem without leers or obscene The t of th e m o f e h e . P e A w isp rings vast populari y hu or t r rno, m e E W e W D w r. R H. A S ll n ith, hitn y arro , J , arl ilson, ichard ‘ T the e T e Sm 13 e e e t er aylor, and lat horn ith vid nc tha a goodly p e e o f e e e e r c ntag Am rican p ople agr e with this th o y . he e e o f for e f m eme w r ad r today, instanc , inds scant a us nt the o f B N e A e W O e e e e in writings ill y , rt mus ard, and th r c l brat d r h - of e e e . B the e e t e o f e wits y st y ar y sam tok n, school wis crack, n -fire e ee r the i sult, and rapid r part , so popula today on radio and e e e e e me é due e I e e e th e ls wh r , will b co pass in cours .