Ever wondered who makes a very funny person laugh? Wonder no more. Brought together in this Library of America collection are America’s fifty funniest writers—according to acclaimed writer and comedian Andy Borowitz. Reaching back to Mark Twain and forward to contemporary masters such as David Sedaris, Nora Ephron, Roy Blount Jr., Ian Frazier, Bernie Mac, Wanda Sykes, and George Saunders, *The 50 Funniest American Writers* *is an exclusive Who’s Who of the very best American comic writing. Here are Thurber and Perelman, Lenny Bruce and Bruce Jay Friedman, Garrison Keillor, Dave Barry, and Veronica Geng, plus hilarious lesser-known pieces from* The New Yorker *,* Esquire *,* The Atlantic *,* National Lampoon *, and* The Onion *. Who does “one of the funniest people in America” (* CBS Sunday Morning* ) read when he needs a laugh? Contents: A presidential candidate by Mark Twain The lecture tickets that were bought but never used by George Ade The ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry From Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis From Gentlemen prefer blondes by Anita Loos On conversation by Ring Lardner Imperial purple by H.L. Mencken More alarms at night by James Thurber The waltz by Dorothy Parker Farewell, my lovely appetizer by S.J. Perelman Simple prays a prayer by Langston Hughes The night the old nostalgia burned down by Frank Sullivan Across the street and into the grill by E.B. White The house of mirth by Peter De Vries From The magic Christian by Terry Southern From How to talk dirty and influence people by Lenny Bruce The secret vice by Tom Wolfe The counterfeit secret circle member gets the message, or The asp strikes again by Jean Shepherd The Kentucky Derby is decadent and depraved by Hunter S. Thompson A look at organized crime by Woody Allen The tax man by Bruce Jay Friedman Letters to Einstein by Philip Roth A few words about breasts by Nora Ephron Our white heritage by Henry Beard, Michael O’Donoghue, George W.S. Trow Better read than dead : a revised opinion by Fran Lebowitz Your action line by Charles Portis In the morning post by Donald Barthleme Curb Carter policy discord effort threat by Veronica Geng Vacation ’58 by John Hughes The laws of cartoon motion by Mark O’Donnell The Tip-Top Club by Garrision Keillor Rolled in rare Bohemian onyx, then vulcanized by hand by Bruce McCall Tough as bob war and other stuff by Molly Ivins Corrections by Calvin Trillin Tips for women : how to have a relationships with a guy by Dave Barry Clinton deploys vowels to Bosnia by The Onion Shiftless little loafers by Susan Orlean Gothic baseball by Roy Blount Jr. If I were in charge of the networks by George Carlin Laws concerning food and drink ; Household principles ; Lamentations of the father by Ian Frazier The writer’s life by David Rakoff From I ain’t scared of you by Bernie Mac Buddy, can you spare a tie? by David Sedaris It’s so hard by Wanda Sykes What I’d say to the Martians by Jack Handey Your three wishes : F.A.Q. by David Owen Ask the optimist! by George Saunders Awake by Jenny Allen The pony problem by Sloane Crosley If not an apology, at least a my bad by Larry Wilmore