Humorists: From Hogarth to Noel Coward

by Paul Johnson

Overview

“It is Johnson’s gift that he can make his subjects human and fallible enough that we would…recognize them instantly, while also illuminating what made them heroes.” —Washington Post Book World on Heroes

“Johnson is a clear, intelligent, forceful writer, and nothing if not thorough.” —Wall Street Journal

Paul Johnson, the acclaimed author of Creators, Heroes, and the New York Times bestseller Intellectuals, returns with a captivating collection of biographical portraits of the Western world’s greatest wits and humorists. With chapters dedicated to history’s sharpest tongues and most piercing pens, including Benjamin Franklin, Toulouse-Lautrec, G.K. Chesterton, Damon Runyan, W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, and many more, Johnson’s Humorists is an exciting compendium of our most enduring comical and satirical innovators. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062024862
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/30/2010
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	859,506
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Paul Johnson is a historian whose work ranges over the millennia and the whole gamut of human activities. He regularly writes book reviews for several UK magazines and newspapers, such as the Literary Review and The Spectator, and he lectures around the world. He lives in London, England.

Editorial Reviews

…warmly appealing if slightly dotty…This book's long view, and its deep eccentricities, are what give it a burnished glow. You'll want to consume it with good Scotch and (what the hell) maybe even a pipe…
—The New York Times

Dwight Garner

British historian Johnson (Churchill) misses the mark with this odd collection of biographical snapshots of "humorists"--the term is debatable--throughout Western history. Noting that laughter was first recorded in words in chapter 18 of the book of Genesis, Johnson divides humorists into two categories: those who create chaos for laughs and those who analyze the inherent oddness of individual personalities to find comedy. But instead of using this basic rubric--and all points of intersection--to explore the evolution of humor from the 18th century to our current one, Johnson's portraits of these so-called humorous men (Nancy Mitford is the only woman, and she shares a chapter with Noël Coward) lose any sense of a central thesis. Particularly in the cases of painters Hogarth, Thomas Rowlandson, and Toulouse-Lautrec, Johnson's intense focus on minute details of works not reproduced in the text make his analysis difficult to grasp for readers unfamiliar with the artists' work. Chapters devoted to Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, and James Thurber are among the best, and in them Johnson is able to stifle his urge to overanalyze the biographical elements and let the subjects--and their amazing comedic work--speak for themselves. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Warmly appealing . . . . This book’s long view, and its deep eccentricities, are what give it a burnished glow . . . . It’s a pleasure to sit around the gently crackling fire that is Mr. Johnson’s mind.” — New York Times

“Johnson assembles a truly enlightening and readable history of humor.” — Washington Post

“A rich set of essays . . . . Johnson casts a wide net and he hauls in good material . . . . Fine anecdotes, examples, and insights . . . . Handsomely written.” — The Economist

“Johnson masterfully weaves a narrative line among the figures, many of whom don’t spring to mind as comic, with a deep appreciation for their wit in writing, filmmaking, painting, and living.” — Booklist (starred review)

From the Publisher

Johnson assembles a truly enlightening and readable history of humor.

Washington Post

Johnson masterfully weaves a narrative line among the figures, many of whom don’t spring to mind as comic, with a deep appreciation for their wit in writing, filmmaking, painting, and living.

Booklist (starred review)

A rich set of essays . . . . Johnson casts a wide net and he hauls in good material . . . . Fine anecdotes, examples, and insights . . . . Handsomely written.

The Economist

Warmly appealing . . . . This book’s long view, and its deep eccentricities, are what give it a burnished glow . . . . It’s a pleasure to sit around the gently crackling fire that is Mr. Johnson’s mind.

New York Times

Johnson assembles a truly enlightening and readable history of humor.

Washington Post

"Johnson masterfully weaves a narrative line among the figures, many of whom don’t spring to mind as comic, with a deep appreciation for their wit in writing, filmmaking, painting, and living."

Booklist

Warmly appealing . . . . This book’s long view, and its deep eccentricities, are what give it a burnished glow . . . . It’s a pleasure to sit around the gently crackling fire that is Mr. Johnson’s mind.

New York Times

A rich set of essays . . . . Johnson casts a wide net and he hauls in good material . . . . Fine anecdotes, examples, and insights . . . . Handsomely written.

The Economist

Johnson assembles a truly enlightening and readable history of humor.

Washington Post

Johnson masterfully weaves a narrative line among the figures, many of whom don’t spring to mind as comic, with a deep appreciation for their wit in writing, filmmaking, painting, and living.

Booklist (starred review)