Municipal Bondage: One Man's Anxiety-Producing Adventures in the Big City
by Henry Alford

If you've ever persuaded a nude housekeeper to stack wood in your living room or put lipstick on a dog in order to pass your groomer's exam, then you are probably Henry Alford, and already own several copies of your own collection. Hi, Henry!

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again
by David Foster Wallace

We dare you to find a better piece of comic journalism than David Foster Wallace's epic chronology of his week aboard a cruise ship. If you do, please keep it to yourself, because otherwise we'll have to revise this text.

Mental Hygiene
by Ken Smith

Everything you ever wanted to know about those creepy social guidance films you saw in high school, like "Highways of Agony," "Lunchroom Manners," and "The Story of Menstruation." That last one is animated by Disney. We're not fucking kidding.

Coyote v. Acme
by Ian Frazier

One of the essays contained herein is an account by Stalin's personal comedian. Must have been a lot like being Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson. That guy's a gas, and Clinton has slaughtered thousands.

The Fran Lebowitz Reader
by Fran Lebowitz

Because Lebowitz is a self-avowed procrastinator, her essays—which cover everything—are extremely short, and because she is brilliant, they are also extremely funny.

The Thurber Carnival
by James Thurber

James Thurber graced the pages of the New Yorker with his cartoons and comic prose. Now, nothing is left of him. Oh, wait! There's this anthology!

Without Feathers
Also: Getting Even, Side Effects
by Woody Allen

Before the movies, before the scandals, Woody Allen was an absurdist without peer. Who else could get away with a line like, "Should I marry W.? Not if she won’t tell me the other letters in her name."

Love Trouble
by Veronica Geng

In the title essay, the late New Yorker writer finds a Village Voice article that pronounces, "This may be the only time in history in which the words 'Mr. Reagan' and 'read Proust' will appear in the same sentence." She then goes on to write a plausible hard-boiled mystery in which the words "Mr. Reagan" and "read Proust" appear in every sentence. Humor at its high-browiest.

The Book of Horrible Questions
by Smith & Doe

One of the few items endorsed by both Modern Humorist and Howard Stern. Sick, vulgar and surprisingly fun. Would you make sweet love to your parents for ten million dollars? Find out how many people said yes.

Sex for One: The Joy of Selfloving
by Betty Dodson

Our demographic research indicates that some of you may enjoy this book, which explains how anyone can learn to fully enjoy the pleasures of onanism.