The sanity inspector

by Alan Coren

Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso

Genres: Humor

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Martin Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slowly, in a process that will probably take two to three decades, I am shedding my books, once I've read them for what I believe will be the last time. I purchased this book forty years ago (!), and some of Coren's pieces are as funny and witty now as they were when I was a knowing tween who thought himself cleverer and wittier than he actually was. Some of it is, as you would expect, dated—sometimes embarrassingly so. But political correctness and radical chic are as necessary to skewer now as they were then, and Coren's bemused ridicule is often bang on the money. Whether you find the work laugh-out-loud or merely wryly amusing, Coren's sentences are always elegant and well-turned. I can see his influence on my own feeble attempts at humorous prose. Now that it is time to put away childish things, I part with the book with gratitude.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second time around (even third, for some chapters), it is just as funny as before. Coren died not long ago, and was justly praised for his long association with Punch (also RIP), when it was still a great dentist's office distractor. Some details (prices, salaries, typewriters) are long gone, but just minor time-blips that remind of the days when the articles were written (1960s, mostly).
Most (all?) of the 30-odd pieces are from his Punch days - each about 5 pages long, which makes for easy dipping. If you like puns, wicked satire (you don't have to be Brit to get it, but occasionally it helps), self-deprecating humor, zeugmas, and sundry other word-playing mental gymnastics, this is well worth hunting for.

[Philip Whiteland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I love just about everything that Alan Coren has ever written, I would have to admit that some of the stories here, and in Golfing for Cats, have not stood the test of time as well as others. That's largely because they are very rooted in the political struggles of the 1970s, which mean a lot to people of my age but would leave anyone younger more than a bit perplexed. Nevertheless, this is always a great compilation to revisit and I'm glad I did.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

At some point in my childhood, this was my favorite book. But as I was at an age when it had to be explained to me what the words 'sanity' and 'sanitary' meant, and why an inspector might be needed of either, I'm not sure how sturdy my judgement was.

But anyway, I thought it was smashing.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some articles are excellent and some not so good. Glad I read it, and may well dip into it again in future.

[BLRBrazil · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the funniest books I have ever read, starting with his explanation of how the book got its title.