Humor, Satire, Parody from Louise Aird

This is a stated First Edition, and first printing, of Good Intentions, a 128-poem collection by the American poet Ogden Nash (1902-1971). Blue boards with a black and gold design on the cover and spine. 180 pages of thick paper. This copy has fading to the spine and a little spot on the cover. It has an old book smell--not musty,… Read more about this item

This is a mint-condition copy of The Red and The Black, A Chronicle of the 19th Century, the brilliant novel written in 1830 by the great French author Stendhal (Henri Beyle). It is a social satire, and psychological novel, about the ambitious, social-climbing, manipulative Julian Sorel, who becomes the pawn of the ruthless people around him. This copy was published by… Read more about this item

This is a program from a 1976 production of No Sex Please, We're British at the Strand Theatre, London. This is a famous play that the critics panned, but audiences loved--it ran from 1971 to 1987 - 6,761 performances. This production starred Doris Hare, McDonald Hobley and Arthur Howard. Mint condition.

This is the Folio Society's 1972 edition of The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, the brilliant Daniel Defoe novel first published in 1722. It purports to be a true story, and is based on the famous London criminal Moll King. As is the case with all Folio Society's books, this one is of the best quality, with beautiful… Read more about this item

This is a perfect copy of The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, the classic comedic novel written by the Scottish writer Tobias Smollett (1721-1771). It is about a stableman who travels to the social hot spots of Britain in the service of an unpleasant family. It was published in 1771; it is Smollett's last and funniest novel. This copy was published by… Read more about this item

This is two first American editions from Sir Osbert Sitwell (1892-1969), the British aristocrat who is known for documenting the Edwardian era, and then the War Years. His best-known works include his 4-volume autobiography. This set is volumes #2 and #3 of that autobiography. The Scarlet Tree, published in 1946, describes the Edwardian part of his upbringing, not sparing his eccentric,… Read more about this item

This is a first American edition (1999) of The Sound of Trumpets, the third novel of the Rapstone Chronicles, written by the English writer John Mortimer (1923-2009). Mortimer is best known as the creator of Rumpole; all of his books were best-sellers. This is a wicked satire of modern politics and morality wars. Laying low since he and his beloved… Read more about this item

This is a first edition of The Reivers, a Reminiscence, written by William Faulkner and published in 1962. It was his last novel, and won him his second Pulitzer Prize. It is a comedy and, in 1969, was made into a movie starring Steve McQueen. As you can see, the dust jacket (unclipped) is dappled and has some wear… Read more about this item

Jonathan Swift (1667 – 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, poet, cleric and Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. His most famous works are Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal and A Tale of a Tub. He is still regarded as the foremost prose satirist in the English language and his deadpan style caused the term 'Swiftian' to be embedded in… Read more about this item

This is a stated first edition of A Viking Voyage: In Which an Unlikely Crew of Adventurers Attempts an Epic Journey to the New World It was written by the American journalist Hodding Carter and published in 2000. This book has not been read, or even opened. It is in mint condition. From the publisher:Fascinated since childhood with Leif Eriksson's triumphant sailing… Read more about this item

This is a pristine copy of Rumpole, a collection of 10 stories chosen by their author, the British barrister John Mortimer (1923-2009). Most people are familiar with the hugely popular series Rumpole of the Bailey, which ran on the BBC from 1975 to 1980 and in which Rumpole was so brilliantly portrayed by Leo McKern. Horace Rumpole is the loveable aging… Read more about this item

This is an unread copy of The New Morningside Papers, the second volume of letters, opinion and stories by the famed Canadian journalist and broadcaster Peter Gzowski (1934-2002). Gzowski hosted various shows on CBC Radio for 30 years; his pieces are funny, sad, entertaining and informative. I say that this is a first edition because I don't believe that his books… Read more about this item

This is a vintage copy of Handy Andy: A Tale of Irish Life, written in 1841 by the Irish novelist, composer, painter and songwriter Samuel Lover (1797-1868). It centers around Andy Rooney, a fellow who has the knack of doing everything the wrong way. It is a hilarious farce regarded as a way to "purge melancholy". This is one of the… Read more about this item

This is a first edition of Every Living Thing, by the Scottish veterinarian James Herriot (1916-1995). Herriot famously chronicled his life as a veterinary surgeon in the Yorkshire Dales and his books became the movie and two tv series All Creatures Great and Small. There were eight books in the series; this is the last, published in 1992. It was simultaneously… Read more about this item

Under Milk Wood, A Play for Voices, is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953). It was first commissioned by the BBC, and then adapted for the stage. It has also been filmed twice. In it, a narrator invites the audience to listen to the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of the fictional small Welsh fishing… Read more about this item

This is a first reprint of the Oxford Book of Humorous Prose, a 'Conducted Tour' by the English comedy writer Frank Muir (1920-1998). It is not a true anthology; it is a stroll through various humorists of various nationalities writing in English: the standard (Dickens, Twain), the expected (Dorothy Parker, Benchley, Shaw), the unexpected (Edgar Allen Poe, George Eliot), the well-known… Read more about this item

This is the first reprint of The History Man, published in 1975 and written by the British author Malcolm Bradbury (1932-2000). It is a savagely funny novel about the sexual exploits of a pretentious academic at a fashionable English university. No dust jacket. The paper over the spine has been reglued (see photo). There is a bookplate on the front endpaper, which will… Read more about this item

SPY Magazine May 1993 This copy is very rare: I have not seen this issue for sale anywhere else. Spy was a (very funny) satirical monthly magazine, founded by Kurt Anderson and Graydon Carter. It published from 1986 to 1998. It is in near-perfect condition; the back cover is a little fragile so I have put a piece of removable… Read more about this item

The Onion's Finest News Reporting, Volume I 168 Pages, Soft Cover, Published 2000 The Onion, which is now online only, is just about the funniest magazine around these days. This is a compilation of its work up to 2000, when it was still a printed magazine. It's not that clean-looking, but it's not meant to look good. It hasn't been read. Note: If you are outside… Read more about this item

Saturday Night was an excellent magazine that published from 1887 to 2005. It is now difficult to find a copy of it anywhere. February 1993: - Marriage Advice for Prince Charles & Princess Diana - How the Banks Withdrew from the Reichmanns - The Return of Choir Boy-Financier-Criminal Norman LeBlanc - Bret Hart & His Wrestling Family - John Irving Goes to a Macabre… Read more about this item