Funny: The Book

Funny: The Book is an entertaining look at the art of comedy, from its historical roots to the latest scientific findings, with diversions into the worlds of movies (Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers), television (The Office), prose (Woody Allen, Robert Benchley), theater (The Front Page), jokes and stand-up comedy (Richard Pryor, Steve Martin), as well as personal reminiscences from the author's experiences on such TV programs as Mork and Mindy.

With allusions to the not-always-funny Carl Jung, George Orwell, and Arthur Koestler, Funny: The Book explores the evolution, theories, principles, and practice of comedy, as well as the psychological, philosophical, and even theological underpinnings of humor, coming to the conclusion that (Spoiler Alert!) Comedy is God.

"Like many of the comics he so clearly loves, David Misch's book is smart, silly, and unafraid to take chances; in particular, the chance that discussing and dissecting comedy might take the fun out of it - a risk he overcomes with the greatest of ease, by making the discussion itself so consistently funny and entertaining." - Jeff Reno; Producer, "The West Wing", "Moonlighting"