Recent Books
Book Reviews
2006 Books
Reviews of books about comedy, including biographies of comedians old and new, and (occasionally) books by comedians. To have a book considered for review, send a copy to Chortle, 78b South Ealing Road, London, W5 4QB.
Mon 27 November 2006
Book review: I Think The Nurses Are Stealing My Clothes
The Very Best Of Linda Smith
27/11/2006 … ‘I can’t remember the point when I realised Linda was unusually talented.
Thu 16 November 2006
Book review: The Best Stand-up And Comedy Routines
by Mike O'Brien, Bruce Dessau
16/11/2006 … The title The Best Stand-up And Comedy Routines really ought to come with an asterix and the footnote: ‘…provided it was released on Laughing Stock.
Mon 13 November 2006
Book review: Box 18 - The Unpublished Spike Milligan
Edited by Norma Farnes
13/11/2006 … On the inside flap of Box 18 is the usual publishers’ biographical blurb: ‘Spike Mulligan was born in 1918 to a British military family… He wrote and performed in the Goon Show.
Mon 06 November 2006
Book review: The Naked Jape
by Jimmy Carr and Lucy Greeves
06/11/2006 … A lot of very serious people have written a lot of very serious things about the humble joke.
Mon 30 October 2006
Book review: The Rough Guide To British Cult Comedy
by Julian Hall
30/10/2006 … The best way to describe The Rough Guide to Cult British Comedy is that it’s kind of like Chortle - but in book form.
Sun 22 October 2006
Book review: Ricky Gervais, The Story So Far
by Michael Heatley
22/10/2006 … For all his vocal dislike of the cult of celebrity, Ricky Gervais has never been shy about giving interviews.
Fri 13 October 2006
Book review: The Sound Of Laugher
by Peter Kay
13/10/2006 … Kay’s already made his name – and considerable fortune – from the very ordinariness of his life, so it comes as no surprise that his autobiography offers more of the same.
Sat 23 September 2006
No 1 with a bullet
Book review: As Used On The Famous Nelson Mandela, by Mark Thomas
23/09/2006 … You don’t have to look far to see the fruits of the arms industry.
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