Top 10 Funniest Books According to the British

[pip]

Found this interesting enough list on Abe books and as with any such list its great fun to poke holes in it . Personally don't see how Good Omens isn't there but hey -

Top 10 Funniest Books According to AbeBooks.co.uk Customers
1. Right Ho, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse (1933)

2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961)

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979)
4. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome (1889)

5. Wilt by Tom Sharpe (1976)

6. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (1980)

7. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

8. The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse (1938)

9. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (1996)

10. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall by Spike Milligan (1971)

 

[michelanCello]

WHY ISN'T THERE AT LEAST ONE TP BOOK???

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

Because aside from Hitchhiker's none of them are SF&F related (I don't know #6 at all so maybe there's 2 ) and most of them have been on TV or had movies made of them...?

Some of them are also 'classic' books that have been around a long time so people get very fond of them. Fantasy/sci-fi's an acquired taste after all and Terry's books are wonderful, but not everyone's got the mind to pick up on all the facets in his writing - some people can only handle what they know and don't have the imagination to see the fullness and intelligence in the satire.

It's too much like hard work for some people to fully appreciate Terry's world or his humour

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Also ABE books have such a broad spectrum of readers that not all collect or read SF or Fantasy humorous or otherwise, by the same token there are no Holt or Rankin either it seems to be all UK authors, although a couple are unknown to me and I can't be bothered to find out about them.

 

[The Mad Collector]

Also ABE books have such a broad spectrum of readers that not all collect or read SF or Fantasy humorous or otherwise, by the same token there are no Holt or Rankin either it seems to be all UK authors, although a couple are unknown to me and I can't be bothered to find out about them.

Well Heller and Toole are both Americans, I've read 8 of these. I'm missing A Confederacy of Dunces and Bridget Jones and whilst they are funny having 2 Wodehouse novels and Three Men in a Boat suggest a bias towards older English males taking part on the vote.

 

[BatrickPatrick]

I like the later Milligan books better...Love H2G2...

I found Bridget Jones pretty boring.

Haven't read any of the others >.>

 

[Dotsie]

It looks like my a-level English teacher wrote the list & threw in "something for the ladies". I wouldn't mind knowing who they polled.

 

[pip]

seemingly it was there customers polled but i knew nothing til i saw the results.

 

[Dotsie]

Likewise - I'm a customer, & they never asked me!

 

[pip]

Feeling put out like me then.
Although they did say it was a british poll so i don't fit that mould.

 

[raisindot]

Because aside from Hitchhiker's none of them are SF&F related (I don't know #6 at all so maybe there's 2 )

"Confederacy of Dunces" is definitely NOT a SF book. It's an amazing comic novel about a totally gluttonous and slothful intellectual wannabe in New Orleans and his interactions with a set of southern lowlifes. The author, John Kennedy O'Toole, committed suicide before it was published. I thoroughly recommend it.

J-I-B

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

Thanks Jeff

I looked it up on wiki yesterday and was thinking about getting it out of the library

 

[raisindot]

Found this interesting enough list on Abe books and as with any such list its great fun to poke holes in it . Personally don't see how Good Omens isn't there but hey -

Top 10 Funniest Books According to AbeBooks.co.uk Customers
1. Right Ho, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse (1933)

2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961)

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979)
4. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome (1889)

5. Wilt by Tom Sharpe (1976)

6. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (1980)

7. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

8. The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse (1938)

9. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (1996)

10. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall by Spike Milligan (1971)

I've read all of these except for 9, 10 and 4. Not sure they are all THE funniest books, but most of them deserve to be on the some kind of best humor books. The one I quibble most with is "Lucky Jim." Frankly, I've ever quite discovered why this is considered to be such a comic classic. To me it isn't funny at all. Just more dreary academic 'humor.'

J-I-B

 

[pip]

Found this interesting enough list on Abe books and as with any such list its great fun to poke holes in it . Personally don't see how Good Omens isn't there but hey -

Top 10 Funniest Books According to AbeBooks.co.uk Customers
1. Right Ho, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse (1933)

2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961)

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979)
4. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome (1889)

5. Wilt by Tom Sharpe (1976)

6. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (1980)

7. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

8. The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse (1938)

9. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (1996)

10. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall by Spike Milligan (1971)

I've read all of these except for 9, 10 and 4. Not sure they are all THE funniest books, but most of them deserve to be on the some kind of best humor books. The one I quibble most with is "Lucky Jim." Frankly, I've ever quite discovered why this is considered to be such a comic classic. To me it isn't funny at all. Just more dreary academic 'humor.'

J-I-B

Of the ones you haven't read I'd thoroughly recommend Three men in a boat.

 

[poohcarrot]

The author, John Kennedy O'Toole, committed suicide before it was published. I thoroughly recommend it.

J-I-B

What? Suicide?

 

[Bouncy Castle]

I thought that too..................... but was too polite to post it!

 

[poohcarrot]

I thought that too..................... but was too polite to post it!

Yes honey, but you only know 2 people!

Too polite my bottom!

 

[pip]

I did shed a tear Pooh

 

[Bouncy Castle]

Out of that list in the OP, I've only read HHGTGGalaxy and Wilt.

 

[Dotsie]

The one I quibble most with is "Lucky Jim." Frankly, I've ever quite discovered why this is considered to be such a comic classic. To me it isn't funny at all. Just more dreary academic 'humor.'

J-I-B

By coincidence, I'm reading this now for reading group. It is funny! Maybe it's funnier to me because I work in a university (academics can be funny too, you know )