If there is one thing that first-time visitors to England find mystifying, it is the sense of humor. English humor encompasses a number of different styles. It can be surreal or satirical, dark or sophisticated, bawdy or genteel. And nobody does irony or sarcasm like the English. The various idiosyncrasies of the English character—the social awkwardness, the constant need to apologize, the weather obsession, the stiff upper lip, and the love of queuing, to name but a few—are celebrated in this collection of stories, anecdotes, quips, and quotes featuring English people from all walks of life, from Quentin Crisp to Frank Skinner and Stephen Hawking to Thora Hird.
“If there is another war, the Italians will be on Germany’s side,” said Joachim von Ribbentrop. Winston Churchill replied, “That seems only fair; we had them last time.”
Some really wicked humor; mostly lame. A pleasant collection by the compiler of several similar tomes.
“Bagpipes sound exactly the same when you have finished learning them as when you start.” Sir Thomas Beecham
“After divorcing his first wife, Mark Thatcher has married again. And who’s the lucky lady? Well, his first wife, obviously.” Clive Anderson