English Humour for Beginners

<p><b>'To write a book is hard; to write a funny book is harder; to write a funny book both wise and funny is the prerogative of Mr. Mikes'</b> <i>The Times</i><br><i>_________________________</i><br><br><b>If you want to succeed here you must be able to handle the English sense of humour.<br><br></b>So proclaims George Mikes' timeless exploration of this curious phenomenon. Whether it's understatement, self-deprecation or plain cruelty, the three elements he identifies as essential to our sense of humour, being witty here is a way of life.<br><br>Perfectly placed as an adopted Englishman himself, Mikes delivers his shrewd advice - helpfully divided into 'Theory' and 'Practice' - with a comic precision that does his chosen country proud. Drawing on a trove of examples from our rich comic canon, from Orwell ("Every joke is a tiny revolution") to Oscar Wilde, this is the essential handbook for natives and foreigners alike.<br><br><i>Mrs Kennedy: "I don't think, Mr Churchill, that I have told you anything about my grandchildren."</i><br><i>Winston Churchill: "For which, madam, I am infinitely grateful."</i></p> <p><b>'To write a book is hard; to write a funny book is harder; to write a funny book both wise and funny is the prerogative of Mr. Mikes'</b> <i>The Times</i><br><i>_________________________</i><br><br><b>If you want to succeed here you must be able to handle the English sense of humour.<br><br></b>So proclaims George Mikes' timeless exploration of this curious phenomenon. Whether it's understatement, self-deprecation or plain cruelty, the three elements he identifies as essential to our sense of humour, being witty here is a way of life.<br><br>Perfectly placed as an adopted Englishman himself, Mikes delivers his shrewd advice - helpfully divided into 'Theory' and 'Practice' - with a comic precision that does his chosen country proud. Drawing on a trove of examples from our rich comic canon, from Orwell ("Every joke is a tiny revolution") to Oscar Wilde, this is the essential handbook for natives and foreigners alike.<br><br><i>Mrs Kennedy: "I don't think, Mr Churchill, that I have told you anything about my grandchildren."</i><br><i>Winston Churchill: "For which, madam, I am infinitely grateful."</i></p>