Performing Arts

Superstar comedian and Hollywood box-office star Kevin Hart turns his immense talent to the written word by writing some words. Some of those words include: the, a, for, above, and even even. Put them together and you have the funniest, most heartfelt, and most inspirational memoir on survival, success, and the importance of believing in yourself since Old Yeller.

A cutting satire of race relations in the age of Trump and Black Lives Matter from the hugely popular comedian—one of ""The Original Kings of Comedy""—and author of the New York Times bestseller Black Man, White House. ""White people are always giving out ‘helpful’ advice, such as...

Richard Pryor journeys from his childhood in a family that worked in whore-houses and bars, through to his years in Hollywood - the money, the women, the drugs - and the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

The greats of comedy, when they were young and struggling, performing their great early routines.

The film, television, and comedy legend tells the hilarious and moving story of how tough love, and a sense of humor made him the man he is today By the tender age of five, Bernie Mac had found his calling: making others laugh. He has since become the star and cocreator of Fox’s hit sitcom The...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today From the creator of Elle’s “Eric Reads the News,” a heartfelt and hilarious memoir-in-essays about growing up seeing the world differently, finding unexpected hope, and experiencing every awkward...

Comedian Trevor Noah offers listeners a glimpse into his childhood during apartheid in South Africa in this award-winning memoir.

Scottie Price just started a new job and it's a real sausage fest. She's the only woman on a team filled with Brads and Chads. Expecting a bachelor pad atmosphere, she is quickly corrected when she finds out everyone is happily married.

Steve Martin's riveting, mega-bestselling, beloved, and highly acclaimed memoir of a life, a vocation, and an era—named one of the ten best nonfiction titles of the year by Time and Entertainment Weekly. In the mid-seventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the...

Party of One is more than just another reflective rambling from another comedian. It's a brutal, coming-of-rage memoir that takes you through Landau's youth around the Motor City. His difficult family dynamic; his struggles with addiction; his desire to be accepted, forgiven, and not forgotten.

“The finest, most moving and powerful memoir I have ever read.”—MAYIM BIALIK Rising young comedian Moshe Kasher is lucky to be alive. He started using drugs when he was just 12. At that point, he had already been in psychoanlysis for 8 years. By the time he was 15, he had been in and out...

This program includes a prologue and epilogue read by the author. From New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff comes the definitive audiobook biography of Robin Williams - a compelling portrait of one of America’s most beloved and misunderstood entertainers. From his rapid-fire stand-up...

“Short’s endearing memoir is, of course, funny, but it’s also a rare thing: the tale of a genuine human being who’s thrived on planet Hollywood.” — Washington Post In this engagingly witty, wise, and heartfelt memoir, Martin Short tells the tale of how a showbiz-obsessed kid from...

In this side-splitting memoir, the former Saturday Night Live star recounts the hilarious adventures and unexpected joy of dating and becoming a mother when she least expected it-at the age of forty-four. Anyone who saw an episode of Saturday Night Live between 1999 and 2006 knows Rachel Dratch...

James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales raucously and revealingly take the SNL story up to the present, adding a constellation of iconic new stars, surprises, and controversies....

The first book in twenty-five years from “one of our great comic minds” (The Washington Post) features Seinfeld’s best work across five decades in comedy. Since his first performance at the legendary New York nightclub “Catch a Rising Star” as a twenty-one-year-old college student in...

From the bestselling author of Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy, the definitive biography of John Candy—a heartwarming portrait of one of comedy's most beloved and enduring stars.

If it can happen in show business, it’s happened to Jon Cryer. Now he’s opening up for the first time and sharing his behind-the-scenes stories in a warmly endearing, sharply observed, and frankly funny look at life in Hollywood. In 1986, Jon Cryer won over America as Molly Ringwald’s...

In this “essential” (Entertainment Weekly), “hilarious” (AV Club) memoir, the star of Mr. Show, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul opens up about the highs and lows of showbiz, his cult status as a comedy writer, and what it’s like to reinvent himself as an action film ass-kicker at...

The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual is a comprehensive guide to the UCB style of long form comedy improvisation....

The exercises in this book will get you off the couch and onto the stage, helping you develop the skills necessary to envision, and achieve, a successful career in comedy....

One hundred and twenty-nine years ago, a new hot springs was discovered in Luview, Maine. When two lonely hearts went for a swim in the waters, they fell instantly in love.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. From writer/director Cazzie David comes a series of acerbic, darkly funny essays about anxiety, social media, misanthropy, and growing up in a wildly eccentric family. For Cazzie David, the world is one big trap door leading to death and despair and social phobia...

“A close look at how show business power corrupts . . . The dishiest read of the year.” – Janet Maslin, “Ten Favorite Books of the Year,” New York Times “Here’s Johnny!” Probably everyone in America knows the phrase, whether they watched every episode of The Tonight Show or none...

The woman behind the icon known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the undisputed Queen of Halloween, reveals her full story filled with intimate bombshells—told by the bombshell herself. On Good Friday in 1953, at only 18 months old, 25 miles from the nearest hospital in Manhattan, Kansas...

Romans! Madrigals! The Dark Ages! Revolutions! Trumpets! The Oranges of The First World War! All of this (except trumpets) and more, is covered in this definitive, easy-clean history of all world history so far, written by the 21st Century's leading historian, philosopher and thinkerer Philomena...

All five series of the award-winning sketch show - plus standalone comedy Daydream Believers 'Fresh and full of invention' The Telegraph Welcome to the inside-out world of Mitchell and Webb, a strange and surreal place populated by misfits, eccentrics, talking animals and a few stray Radio 4...

Jim Gaffigan is in top form for his seventh comedy special. The four-time Grammy nominated comedian doesn’t understand why we aren’t more honest about the reasons we don’t want to attend events, while at the same time embraces lying to kids....

Want to learn how to make people laugh out loud? How to Make People Laugh is a book that targets regular comedians, such as you and me. It does not try to transform you into a professional comedian. Instead, it puts comedy in the spotlight of everyday life....

The instant New York Times bestseller from author, comedian and actor Patton Oswalt, a “heartfelt and hilarious” (USA TODAY) memoir about coming of age as a performer during the late 1990s while obsessively watching classic films at a legendary theater in Los Angeles. “[Oswalt has] a set...

A must-listen, live-recorded audiobook for newcomers and die-hard Sedaris fans alike, packed with the acclaimed humorist’s signature wit and social commentary. Bestselling essayist David Sedaris likes to test out his new material on nationwide reading tours to get the rhythm and phrasing...

One hundred and twenty-nine years ago, a new hot springs was discovered in Luview, Maine. When two lonely hearts went for a swim in the waters, they fell instantly in love. Awwwww, right? But this isn’t a story about magic. It’s a story about business. The business of love. Because local logger Abram Luview, who found his bride that day, didn’t just see stars in his beloved’s eyes. He saw dollar signs, too. Over the years, Abram helped to turn Luview, Maine into Love You, Maine: where every day is Valentine’s Day.

Two series of the hilarious award-winning BBC Radio 4 comedy show It’s the show that needs no introduction! Probably because one wouldn’t really help… A show with guaranteed quality, desk-based entertainment for all the family, hosted by the inimitable Jack Dee. A delight for new listeners...

Party of One is more than just another reflective rambling from another comedian. It's a brutal, coming-of-rage memoir that takes you through Landau's youth around the Motor City. His difficult family dynamic; his struggles with addiction; his desire to be accepted, forgiven, and not forgotten.

Godfrey’s comedy special offers a masterclass in observation. Expect brilliant storytelling, razor-sharp wit, and a fearless embrace of universal experiences… And of course, hilarious impersonations.

A stellar line-up and non-stop laughs from the award-winning BBC Radio 4 comedy show It’s the show that needs no introduction! Probably because one wouldn’t really help… Listen now to the 2025 series of Radio 4's multi award-winning ‘antidote to panel games’, hosted by reluctant...

The First Mann on Mars is a riotous, irreverent romp across the solar system, blending absurd comedy, interplanetary intrigue, and just the right amount of science fiction chaos, perfect for fans of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and anyone who’s ever wondered if Earth’s fate could hinge on a slightly incompetent human, a snarky AI, and a rogue sausage. Derek Mann is, by most reasonable definitions, completely unqualified for space exploration. Yet somehow he has become the First Mann on Mars. With him are Barry, the highly sarcastic and occasionally metallic companion, and Doreen, a ...

You learn a lot about people when they’re hungry. Especially the ones who think you don’t count. Welcome to Lark & Ladle, where the checks are real, the lies are casual, and the side eyes could cut glass. Behind every “just one quick question” is a power play. Behind every “we’re in a hurry” is a person who expects the world to bend. And behind every smile a waitress wears is a private ledger of what people do when they think the apron makes you invisible. In Checks, Lies & Side Eyes, a sharp, funny, and quietly fearless waitress takes you table by table through ten darkly ...

I get snowed in with my brother’s best friend, a hockey star I’m supposed to fix, not fall for. After a viral on-ice fight, Andy Coleman needs damage control. Fast. He’s the Milwaukee Blizzard’s hot-headed star, all scoring goals and shutting people out. So the team sends me. His publicist. His captain’s little sister. The last woman he wants telling him how to live his life. Then an injury sidelines him. Suddenly I’m managing more than his image. Between rehab sessions and charity skates, I see the man behind the headlines, the one who laughs with kids, rescues me in a blizzard...

You've spent years (or maybe even decades) being just unable to look at your own naked body without disgust, self-criticism, or overwhelming discomfort. You change clothes in bathroom stalls. You shower with your eyes closed. You apologize to partners for your physical existence. You've tried body positivity affirmations, and they feel fake. You've tried ignoring the shame, and it only gets louder. What if the problem isn't your body? What if it's the shame you learned to attach to it...and what if that shame can be unlearned? Kristin Williams carried paralyzing body shame for thirty years....

The Principles of Comedy Improv is an authoritative handbook for beginners and experts alike. More than just entertainment, improv’s tenets enable you to change every moment of your life. Your guide is Tom Blank, who crystallizes two decades of experience to convey improv in unparalleled scope, depth, and fun.