I don't appreciate much of the old New Yorker humor, but there's a lot of James Thurber I love, and I'll read anything by Bob Benchley that I can find, too. ( )

Robert Benchley is so underrated with the uninformed. This delightful book collects some his wittiest pieces done between the late 1910s and the late 1930s. Printed after his death, put together with the help of his widow, the book is full of intriguing thought from the early 20th Century's best man of wit and wry humor. Benchley takes a jab at everything from banks to heaters, businesses and travel. And of course, he skewers himself almost non-stop! The hardest part about reading this, was getting his voice stuck on the brain, and not enough of the amusing artwork of Gluyas Williams. ( )

Somehow this does seem really dated, humor from the 20s and 30s. The getting things done item is OK, but a current article on the same subject by a modern editorialist would be so much ...well "biting". ( )

again, the champion speaks for himself. from "How To Get Things Done" -- "A great many people have come up to me and asked me how I manage to get so much work done and still keep looking so dissipated. My answer is 'Don't you wish you knew?' and a pretty good answer it is, too, when you consider that nine times out of ten I didn't hear the original question."

This book and "Thurber Carnival" were the two humor books I grew up on from the time I was old enough to read. I think these two books completely shaped my sense of humor, and I couldn't be more grateful if I tried with both hands. ( )