Humour Essays

To overcome a crisis of melancholy after the death of his father, Montaigne withdrew to his country estates and began to write, and in the highly original essays that resulted he discussed themes such as fathers and children, conscience and cowardice, coaches and cannibals, and, above all, himself.

Brought to you by Penguin. The articles collected in George Orwell's Essays illuminate the life and work of one of the most individual writers of this century - a man who elevated political writing to an art. This outstanding collection brings together Orwell's longer, major essays and a fine...

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), 1st Viscount St Albans, Attorney General and then Lord Chancellor of England, was an immensely learned, clever and ambitious man, with considerable political influence during the later years of Queen Elizabeth I and through almost two decades of the reign of her...

Whether writing about the genesis of his plays, such as Aunt Dan and Lemon; discussing how the privileged world of arts and letters takes for granted the work of the “unobtrusives”, the people who serve our food and deliver our mail; or describing his upbringing in the sheltered world of Manhattan’s cultural elite, Shawn reveals a unique ability to step back from the appearance of things to explore their deeper social meanings.

Do you hate gambling ads, pre-ripped jeans and pedestrians who walk five abreast? Do you also have a problem with plastic-wrapped fruit, climate-change deniers and take-away sandwiches priced at $14.95? And, most of all, do you think the world would be a better place if people got back their sense of humour? Here's proof you are not alone. Heartfelt and hilarious, serious but sly, Best Wishes is the Encyclopedia of 'Can Do Better'. It's a plea for a better world – one wish at a time.

A book to raise the spirits and warm the heart. Includes the famous Kindergarten essay that was read on the floor of the U.S. Senate...

From one of Australia's most wryly funny writers comes an original and utterly hilarious memoir of reaching for the stars while lying in a ditch. Quiet Quitting. The Great Resignation. Sometimes a literary sensibility catches the spirit of the times. In I'd Rather Not, Robert Skinner has it all...

An extraordinary wide-ranging collection of essays with “distinctive wordplay and quirky opinions…Christopher Buckley is good company whether you’re looking for two quick pages and a smile, or want to linger” (The New York Times Book Review). Christopher Buckley, like his terrific volume...

A bitingly funny memoir of growing up in a dysfunctional Jewish family and wrestling with a vengeful God...

“Hopeful, funny, and full of wisdom. A meditation on fatherhood by one of our most perceptive writers.” —Tara Westover, author of Educated “With playfulness and sharp insight, [Zambra] turns everyday moments into something unforgettable, blending wit and heart in every page.” —Los...

A luminous and deeply relatable essay collection about the transformative first decade of motherhood, for readers of Mary Laura Philpott and Maggie Smith. I may not have had a job, but I had never had more work to do. With humor, vulnerability, and lyrical precision, Caroline Langerman...

A candid and irreverent look at the ridiculous ways we all try to make ourselves look better online—from a popular standup and internet comedian whose videos have been viewed over one billion times. “John is one of my top-three all-time favorite comedians, next to me and Foxworthy. Buy this...

Davy Rothbart is looking for love in all the wrong places. Constantly. He falls helplessly in love with pretty much every girl he meets—and rarely is the feeling reciprocated. Time after time, he hops in a car and tears across half of America with his heart on his sleeve. He's continually...

“Koul reads the audiobook edition of her essays, her performance highlighting her sharp-witted humor and emotional vulnerability.” —Book Riot This program is read by the author. The long-awaited follow-up from one of the most original and hilarious voices writing today. Scaachi Koul’s...

Hilarious and bawdy musings on disability, sex, family, and Hollywood, from Emmy-winning writer and creator of the Netflix series Special. This program is read by the author. "[Author Ryan] O'Connell's narration is passionate, whether he’s recounting a heartbreaking story of childhood trauma...

“Lewis blew me away with their debut novel . . . an absolute hoot.” —The New York Times Book Review “A scorchingly brilliant, wildly funny, and deeply moving epic.” —John Green, #1 globally bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars Two unlikely heroes embark on quests to win...

"Dilbert books should be (and often are) read aloud while importantoffice work is being put off, and luckily, the best reader of all, Adamshimself, has put his interpretive skills on tape." --Worth MagazineStep aside, Nostradamus. Here comes the real soothsayer, and he'sturning his eagle eye on...

A cross-cultural tale of two women brought together by the intersections of television and industrial agriculture, fertility and motherhood, life and love—the breakout hit by the celebrated author of A Tale for the Time Being and The Book of Form and Emptiness Ruth Ozeki’s mesmerizing debut...

From the author of the sensational bestseller I Was Told There'd Be Cake comes a new book of personal essays brimming with all the charm and wit that have earned Sloane Crosley widespread acclaim, award nominations, and an ever-growing cadre of loyal fans. In Cake readers were introduced to the...

This program is read by the author. “You’re Doing Great! is your no-nonsense go-to collection of essays to get you through the increasing noise and chatter of self-doubt and confusion in the new millennium. Tom Papa is a funny, empathetic guide and your new best friend." — Patton Oswalt...