Knock, Knock cover art

Knock, Knock

In Pursuit of a Grand Unified Theory of Humour

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

Knock, Knock

By: William Hartston
Narrated by: William Hartston
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £13.01

Buy Now for £13.01

The first mainstream history of humor. Hilarious and well-researched, this book from household name William Hartston, a presenter, author, and journalist, makes a perfect gift.

Of all human qualities, humor is perhaps the most puzzling. In this very first history of humor, author and humorist William Hartston looks at every aspect of the evolution of humor and our attitudes toward it with a view to developing a proper theory of everything humorous.

From comedy in ancient Greece and jokes in ancient Rome, to laughter in the Bible and the secret of comic delivery; from how humor changed following the American civil war, to how Mark Twain changed written comedy in the English-speaking world, William leaves no stone unturned in his quest to understand what makes us chuckle. Besides being academically well-founded, this book will, unlike almost everything else written on the subject, be both seriously humorous and humorously serious.

©2023 William Hartston (P)2023 Watkins Publishing
Comedy Funny Witty
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet