Moncrieff, A. R. Hope. Romance and Legend of Chivalry (1913 ( Read more... )

Jenkins, Elijah, esq. (John Mottley). Joe Miller’s Jests or, the Wits Vade-Mecum. Being A Collection of the most Brilliant Jests ; the Politest Repartees ; the most Elegant Bons Mots, and the most pleasant short Stories in the English Language (1739 ( Read more... )

Horatio Alger introduces in Struggling Upward (1890) a minor character named Fanny Pratt. If Fanny Pratt had appeared in a Thomas Pynchon novel, it would have been amusing, perhaps, but when Alger does it it’s hilarious, because Alger has no idea what he’s saying. In any event, it’s hilarious to me ( Read more... )

OK, I had my April fun, and you caught me fair and square. Although the sad truth is I would probably read any one of those books. I have no shame ( Read more... )

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I just now came across this article praising Finland's "liberal" criminal justice system (as a model for Canada's, etc ( Read more... )

Q: Why doesn't Daredevil own the first appearance of Howard the Duck?

( The hilarious answer )

Books...

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Borges, in “On the Cult of Books,” quotes Augustine as the first to record someone reading silently: “When Ambrose [Bishop of Milan] read, his eyes moved over the pages, and his soul penetrated the meaning, without his uttering a word or moving his tongue” (Confessions VI ( Read more... )