Comedy Philosophy

From bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis comes a treasure trove of answers to questions about our world. Was there an Atlantis? What's the smallest country in the world? What's the difference between a jungle and a rain forest? Kenneth C. Davis, author of Don't Know Much About History, Don't...

Well, this was different. Janice seemed to think that I was her blind date. She had my dating profile from a matchmaking service I didn’t even know I was part of. I had never heard about this and she was sure I was the guy she was destined to meet. I did know the person who arranged this, and I trusted them completely, but this was a surprise. But not to Janice. Yeah... the girl and I had a mutual acquaintance. We met each other at his office. He told us to use his private study upstairs to get to know each other and that he’d talk to us in an hour to see how things were going. Things ...

In this essay, Norm Macdonald’s philosophy of life, death, and comedy is sketched out thematically from his original material, as well as from extant interviews with him and profiles of him over the years. Among his fellow comedians, Norm Macdonald was widely hailed as one of the funniest men alive, a DGAF Mark Twain whose unique combination of cadence, persona, material, and delivery left a cultural impact that greatly outsized the limited commercial success he experienced. To his fans, Norm’s everyman persona engendered a sense of relatability and connection. But there were aspects of...

What happens when we can’t joke about some of the most important stuff in life? In a 2019 study, 40% of people reported censoring themselves out of fear that voicing their views would alienate them from the people they care about most. Those people should probably not read this book in public...

Ted Lasso and Philosophy explores the hidden depths beneath the vibrant veneer of AppleTV's breakout, award-winning sitcom. Blending philosophical sophistication with winsome appreciation of this feel-good comedy, the collection features original essays canvassing the breadth of the series and carefully considering the ideas it presents.

Two copy-clerks. One park bench. An unlimited inheritance. A catastrophic idea. When Bouvard and Pécuchet meet on a Paris bench in 1838 and discover they have each written their name in the band of their hat, they form a friendship that will last a lifetime — and consume it entirely. Inheriting a fortune, they retire to the Norman countryside with a bold ambition: to master every field of human knowledge. They begin with agriculture. It fails. Then chemistry. Then medicine, archaeology, history, philosophy, and religion. Each new subject is approached with identical enthusiasm; each ends...

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2026 'The funniest and smartest novel I've read in a while' ZADIE SMITH 'Black Bag made me laugh aloud dozens and dozens of times . . . I loved its inventive originality and its ambition: it is very powerfully worth your time' KATHERINE RUNDELL 'Ya gotta read...

Experience Dante's Masterpiece Like Never Before – The Complete Divine Comedy in Accessible Modern English Discover why Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy has captivated readers for over 700 years. This fully illustrated edition brings Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise to vivid life with 120+ breathtaking engravings by Gustave Doré, making this medieval masterpiece accessible and engaging for modern readers. WHAT MAKES THIS EDITION SPECIAL: ✓ Easy-to-Read Modern English Translation – No archaic language or confusing syntax. Enjoy Dante's epic journey in clear, flowing prose that ...

This annotated edition includes: • New English translation from the 1925 French original • Bottom-of-page explanatory footnotes in print • Reader’s guide to Dante and René Guénon • Glossary of Traditionalist and Dantean terms • Chapter summaries for first-time readers René Guénon’s The Esoterism of Dante is one of the most concentrated and unusual interpretations of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. In this short but demanding work, Guénon argues that Dante’s poem should not be read only as a literary masterpiece, a theological vision, or a political allegory. Beneath ...

A hilarious and incisive exploration of the joys of reading from a teacher, bibliophile, and Thurber Prize Semifinalist We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a...

Written in the early 16th century, The Prince remains one of the most influential and controversial works on leadership and political strategy ever created. In this groundbreaking classic, Niccolò Machiavelli strips away idealism and sentimentality to examine power as it truly operates in the real world.

Everyone’s favorite houseguest who never left, Leon Black (played by award-winning comedian JB Smoove on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm) drops his wisdom and good-bad advice for the masses. Learn the secrets Larry David has gleaned from the Falstaff of television. Live your best Leon. Bring the...

What if the world’s not ending, it’s just having an allergic reaction to itself? Step into the wings of the Apollo Theatre with Reggie Porter, the most dangerous man in British comedy (according to Zara, his manager, and possibly MI5). With a biro, a Greggs leaflet, and six pages of forbidden insight, Reggie isn’t just doing a set, he’s detonating sacred cows one punchline at a time. From gay frogs to £6 cheddar, from God to oat milk, The Gig is not a short story, not a manifesto, and definitely not safe for anyone still clinging to certainty. It’s a stand-up sermon. A comic ...

With three straight #1 bestsellers and more than 4 million copies of his books in print, the most powerful traditional force in the American media now takes off his gloves in the ongoing struggle for America’s heart and soul. Bill O’Reilly is the very embodiment of the idea of a Culture...

From the beloved creator of the wildly popular Sam O’Nella Academy YouTube channel, an irreverent and timely science fiction collection that offers a wry look at the not-so-distant future Sam A. Miller, the creator behind Sam O'Nella Academy, has spent ten years teaching his 4.8 million...

* From the writer and executive producer of the award-winning Netflix series The Good Place that made moral philosophy fun: a foolproof guide to making the correct moral decision in every situation you ever encounter, anywhere on earth, forever * How can we live a more ethical life? This...

What's so special about Ted? Nobody knows...and certainly not Ted! This certainly isn't what Ted pictured as far as alien abductions! Well, he's not really in a position to complain, because his new home is a space ship crewed by over six thousand gorgeous females with bodies drawn from his own memories and desires... Ted isn't going anywhere anytime soon. With his trusted allies, the gorgeous blonde Gwen and the Earth-obsessed hottie, Hayden, Ted tries to unravel the breeding program he's been embroiled in, fight the mysterious and totally desirable Council, and maybe even find a decent ...

A selection of the world’s most incredible things according to award-winning writer, comedian, artist and podcaster Rob Auton I Strongly Believe In Incredible Things is a book of poetic prose, musings, short stories and biro drawings detailing a selection of the Earth’s incredible things by...

A powerful, award-winning novel that follows the lives of two women as democracy starts to crumble in Hong Kong. One summer morning, college roommates, Ah Lei and Panda, wake up with very different reactions to the night before. They have been chased and tear-gassed in the streets of their city...

When the Gods Came to Play What if God didn't want your worship? What if your prayers went straight to a celestial voicemail box that’s already full? For Beatrice, a woman meticulously dusting her antiques and her anxieties away, life is about preparing for the hereafter. She is devout, dutiful, and quietly waiting for a reward she believes is coming after she dies. But the gods have other plans. One sunny afternoon, her solemn routine is shattered by a storm of giggling butterflies, sent by a mischievous pantheon of deities named Joy, Passion, and Empathy. These are the Elohim, and ...