ISAAC ASIMOV'S TREASURY OF HUMOR

If you have never written a review for Amazon, here is what happens after you write your review and select the 'Publish Review' button: it takes you to a 'Thank You for Your Review!' page, which invites you to write more reviews. The page displays 8 products - which you have either purchased or told them you own.In time, after you have submitted many reviews, you will begin to realize that the 8 products suggested for review are not chosen at random. There are products that I have bought that have never appeared in this list, but there are others which show up time and again: one such is: 'Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor.'Asimov is one of my favorite authors. He is well known for his great science fiction tales in his Foundation series and for his three laws of robotics in his robot novels. He also has written numerous science essays - collected into books - which are both entertaining and crystal clear. Therefore, I had high expectations . . . .My copy arrived. I didn't have to read too many pages before I realized that I was going to be disappointed. I found most jokes unfunny; the main problems being: they are stale, make reference to people who most now living would not recognize, and depends on knowledge of ethnic stereotypes. My first impression: this book was only a 2!Perhaps my first impression was wrong. During my second reading, I couldn't help but notice that in several of his commentaries, even Asimov expressed a few doubts about this book. After having slogged through it this second time, I tried to convince myself to raise my rating up to a 3 . . . .Alas - sorry Isaac - my rating is still a 2.

This review is for Isaac Asimov's Treasury of HumorThink of this as Isaac Asimov's humorous way of thinking circa 1960-1970. If you're an Asimov fan, this will appeal to you in revealing his thinking process in the area of humor. If you're old enough, or educated enough (or both!) then more of the jokes will be understandable and funny to you.It is not a joke book. Very few of these jokes would go over today.I had the distinct honor of attending dinner with Dr. Asimov in the late 70's, and heard some of his tales then - topical, like in the book, and tailored for the audience (MIT students). I think of this book in that vein.

Fantastic book. As a compilation of jokes, it's not necessarily the funniest (although all these sorts of things tend to be hit-and-miss) but that may also be because I tend to read a lot of humour and have seen some of these before. On the other hand, the strengths of this book are not necessarily in the humour alone, but in a couple of unique aspects you won't find elsewhere. Namely, the jokes are all clean - the level of profanity is extremely minimal, which is a rare thing indeed. Despite this the humour level is maintained. The other unique aspect is that Asimov provides an analysis of jokes and joke-telling that is again rare to find in any other publication. Both of these take the book from being merely funny to being an invaluable resource for the humour connoisseur.

If you love Isaac Asimov and science fiction, the sense of humor in this book is for you.As an avid reader, I also struggle with social interactions. Asimov to the rescue - besides being fun to read, these jokes have also really helped me relax around others. It's surprising how helpful it is to have a few jokes on hand.This is a classic, and a great read. You should get it.Hope you found this helpful,Todd

I hope Isaac is "up there" and enjoying how much I enjoy his work! I read this 20 or more years ago and I think I enjoyed and appreciated it even more this time. I like his writing style and though not a jokester, enjoy all his tips and delivery suggestions.

I enjoyed the story enough to pay $3 for the next installment. Beware the bait and switch, subsequent installments are not free...nor should they be). The imagined science, however, is seriously flawed. It overlooks the fact that most living things, humans in particular, are overwhelmingly composed of war we.the author demonstrates a good imagination. I'm sure he could fix this without significantly changing the story. But as is, 2 stars because this fact negates credibility of the fundamental scifi aspect of the story. 3 or 4 stars otherwise. Similar to a good tale predicated on hearing sound in a vacuum....

I related to this book. I perceive humor as a strange and fabulous thing and would never want to be without it. Asimov breaks it down and helps the reader appreciate its individual parts. By the end of the book, you feel the whole is greater than the sum. What a wonderful mind I.A. had.

A vintage copy, slightly yellowed, and a folded corner upon arrival.But the content's well-missed.

I can recommend Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humour for one outstanding reason - its longevity.When I was much younger I borrowed a copy of the book and was greatly amused. Some of the jokes had me in stitches. And this was over 30 years ago.And since then I've picked up various joke books and found many of them puerile. Jokes generally go stale quickly. Asimov's lot don't.I decided to get another copy and Amazon was the obvious place: time warp, for this book was published in 1971. So it arrived last month and I've been greatly amused all over again. 640 jokes and many of them cracking good ones. My favourite of all time, The Pope And The Janitor, is in this volume and unless you get hold of the book (beg, borrow, steal or buy) you'll miss out.

Arrived quickly, in good condition, with just a tiny amount of corner 'turn up', which is to be expected with even a lightly used paperback. The book's title is actually 'Treasury of Humor', but after all it is American! Isaac Asimov is never less than brilliant and here he is in 'Jokester' mode. What's not to like? If you just want to enjoy the jokes or, figure out how to tell them, this may be a good place to start.

Surprisingly rich in stories. A new aspect of Azimov

Good

Very witty and thought provoking