1,000 Years of Laughter cover art

1,000 Years of Laughter

An Anthology of Classic Comic Prose

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1,000 Years of Laughter

By: Compiled by David Timson
Narrated by: Griff Rhys Jones, Carole Boyd, Jonathan Keeble
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About this listen

Laughter is unique to man. This delightful anthology presents some of the funniest extracts in English literature. It opens with Anglo-Saxon riddles and continues with medieval memories, Tudor comic turns, and Restoration buffoonery.

The rise of the novel in the 18th century brought classic humour from Swift, Sterne, and Smollet, passing the mantle to Charles Dickens in the 19th century. Included here are rarities from the antiquarian's cupboard. Children's literature produced unforgettable images from Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland, while in the first half of the 20th century emerged unforgettable comic writers as diverse as Dorothy Parker and P.G. Wodehouse. Entertaining from start to finish.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2002 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. (P)2002 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.
Comedy & Humour Literary Fiction

Editorial reviews

This collection is amazing. It isn’t always funny because in a thousand years standards of humor have changed drastically and topical puns from even a hundred years ago have aged badly. But when it is funny, it’s fantastic. David Timson’s selections are masterful, including everyone from Dickens to Wodehouse and Parker. The cast brings them fully to life, handling even the pauses and over accenting of syllables it takes to make some puns work, and switching accents from Twain’s frontier English to Wodehouse’s British. With selections from children’s literature (The Wind in the Willows), wonderful nonsense (Alice in Wonderland), and satire, this anthology spans Anglo-American civilization, offering something for everyone.

Critic Reviews

"This collection is amazing....David Timson's selections are masterful, including everyone from Dickens to Wodehouse and Parker. The cast brings them fully to life." (AudioFile)

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