As two founders of the National Lampoon, Henry Beard and Christopher Cerf are responsible for some of the sharpest satirical humor of the past forty years.  Their latest opus is a tongue-through-the-cheek encyclopedia of modern neuroses -- a work that will both confirm all your fears, then dispel them with fits of laughter.

At age 75, with new comedic material still flowing freely, Calvin Trillin shows no signs of halting his droll observations on modern life. But he and his fans can certainly be afforded a look backwards at his past four decades of brilliant humor writing, sampled in this hefty new volume. Poems, essays, and song lyrics vie to generate laughs aplenty, each barbed with a small quill of hard-earned wisdom.

Stand-up comedian Demetri Martin, known for his contributions to The Daily Show, translates his on-air riffs to cartoon-supplemented essays traversing such fertile humorous ground as transient exotic lifestyles and eternal philosophical conundrums.

In this irreverently respectful celebration of the wisdom of antiquity, British stand-up comedian (and Cambridge Classics scholar) Natalie Haynes demonstrates how the teachings of Greece and Rome can help us better understand the modern age—and how prevalent their influence remains, in pop culture as well as more studied settings. Great fun.

Turning his hand to one of the oldest forms of allegory, the beast fable, ultramodern humorist David Sedaris produces the anticipated blend of eternal humor and fashionable wryness as his animal cast reflects human foibles and virtues.

Former TLS editor John Gross offers a rich compendium of an underrated genre. From Beowulf to Harry Potter, no literary monument is left unscathed. A fun, surprisingly illuminating take on literary history.

Based on the popular, eponymous blog, this small and hilariously charming book collects the demanding assignments -- and unequivocal critiques -- toddler Rosie Zeman has directed at her artist father. Marvelous. Read more...