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by Melville De Lancey Landon (Author)
A treasury of nineteenth-century wit that surprises and stings in equal measure. Wit that still surprises today. This humour and satire anthology assembles the comic ingredients named in the original title - puns and conundrums, charades and riddles, dialect sketches, jokes, parlour magic and reflective wit and humour essays - into a lively, readable sequence. Part classic joke collection and part philosophical miscellany, it captures Victorian-era wit and the restless American literary humour that helped define the age. The pieces range from quick wordplay and sly puns to longer satirical sketches; moments of ridicule sit beside touches of true pathos, so the laughter often carries a moral nibble. Casual browsers will enjoy immediate gags; readers who appreciate the craft of comedy can trace how form and social comment work together in 19th century humour. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike. As a historical humour collection it offers a window into popular taste and the comic economy of an era that included Mark Twain contemporaries, and it places Eli Perkins humour in its wider cultural setting. Curators and librarians assembling shelves of American comic writing will find this volume a valuable reference point, setting the tone for debates about taste, satire and the social role of laughter. Restored with attention to clarity and readability, this edition suits humour for adults and the collector after authentic period voice. Ideal both for quick dipping and for deeper reading, it offers pleasures to those who want immediate gags and to those studying the craft of comic composition. It makes a tasteful gift for humour lovers and a smart addition to any shelf of American comic writing or Victorian-era wit.
