"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.
What makes a genius funny--and what price did they pay for their wit?
- A History of Humor: Johnson's brilliant introduction analyzes why we laugh, from the first "dirty joke" in the Bible to the complex theories of the modern age.
- Famous Comedians: Explore the lives and work of icons like Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, and the duo of Laurel and Hardy.
- Satire and Wit: Discover the piercing pens of literary and artistic giants, from the painter Hogarth and the brilliant G.K. Chesterton to the master of social satire, Noël Coward.
- Literary Biography: From the celebrated historian behind Intellectuals and Heroes, a deeply researched and endlessly entertaining look at the people who shaped our sense of humor.