The Pick of Punch

by Miles Kington (editor)

A collection of humorous articles and cartoons from the Bitish humor magazine, "Punch."

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember seeing Punch magazine when I was a child and being frightened of it. Their mascot, Punch, had a leering quality to him that always caused me some amount of disquiet so I never ventured between its covers. The cliche, "Never judge a book by it's cover," may be appropriate here! Nonetheless, when I saw this Folio edition I decided to finally give the magazine an opportunity to prove itself. This is a collection of articles, cartoons and poems that had been featured in the publication over the years and provides a good sampling of what Punch was all about. There is no central theme to the book, just waggish good fun.

To be fair, most of the writings are in the amusing, rather than the outrageously funny, category of humor. (Well, with the exception of the Terry Jones and Michael Palin account of their Monty Python tour of Canada which had me laughing out loud) While there are a few cultural references that may escape some readers not familiar with events and personages of the time the piece was written, most stand the test of time and illustrate that humor does not need to be caustic to entertain. Additionally, there were a few pieces that did not resonate, but due to their brevity, did not adversely effect the enjoyment of the book.

As a look back to a different time and as a testament to its over 160 years of publication, this volume is a treat for readers who may wish to see what the fuss was all about and to enjoy some light hearted banter that is pleasant and relaxing.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Punch and enjoyed reading these specially selected short stories.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing... and sad...Punch was better than this selection.