War. Chairs. Neat people. Wastebaskets. Over more than six decades of intrepid reporting and elegant essays, Andy Rooney has proven a shrewd cultural analyst—unafraid to question the sometimes ridiculous, often surprising facts of our lives. Rooney’s great gift is telling it straight without a hint of sugar coating, but with more than a grain of truth and humor. His take on America? “It’s just amazing how long this country has been going to hell without ever having got there.” On food? “There’s more dependable mediocrity than there used to be.” Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit brings together the best of more than a half-century of work (including long-out-of-print pieces from Rooney’s early years) in an unforgettable celebration of one of America’s funniest men. From his beginnings as a correspondent for The Stars and Stripes during the Second World War to his arrival at CBS as a writer for Arthur Godfrey to his more than thirty-year stint on 60 Minutes’ “A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney” (where he continues to win the hearts of millions), Andy Rooney has made a career out of his unquenchable curiosity. Like Mark Twain, Finley Peter Dunne (Mister Dooley), and Will Rogers, Andy Rooney is a classic chronicler of America, a writer for the ages. A note to reviewers: This copy is not final and changes will be made before the book is printed. If any material from the book is to be quoted in a review, please check it against the final bound book available in October 2009.