Wit's End What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It [Hardcover]

Geary is a keen storyteller, promiscuous with quotes and figures. One could do worse at a cocktail party than simply opening his book at random and reading aloud.Crucially, instead of analyzing wit to death, Mr. Geary chooses to embody it... [He] writes not just playfully but with panache... Geary's chief success is in conveying the power of wit to refresh the mind.I have been readingComedy is famously impossible to describe without destroying it, so James Gearyin this entertaining and informative and funny bookmakes a very smart and effective move: he embodies the many different forms that wit takes, from poems to jokes to jive to rap. In a time of constant, unintentional humor, here is a purposeful and valuable reminder that sometimes it's on purpose and sometimes it's very nearly life-saving.Whoever was the foremost authority on this topic is now second-most.If you've ever spent hours overanalyzing your favorite stand-up special or sitcom episode, this is the kind of insightful, carefully reasoned deep dive you'll love.Readers roaring with laughter at outrageous puns one moment find themselves carefully assessing psychological studies the next... An exhilarating romp, entertaining and enlightening. A witty book about wit that steers an elegant path between waggishness and wisdom. Stephen Fry