Most of the Most of S.J. Perelman (Modern Library Humor and Wit)

This book includes many of the greatest hits from 1930 to 1958--available only in this edition--by the devastatingly witty Perelman, the leading figure of The New Yorker magazine's golden age of humor and one of the most popular American humorists ever. In these hilarious pieces, the charmingly cranky Perelman turns his scathing attention to books, movies, New York socialites, the newspaper business, country life, travel, Hollywood, the publishing industry, and, last but not least, himself. His self-portrait: "Under a forehead roughly comparable to . . . Piltdown Man are visible a pair of tiny pig eyes, lit up alternately by greed and concupiscence. . . . Before they made S. J. Perelman, they broke the mold." Sophisticated and supremely mischievous, Perelman is an acrobat of language who turns a phrase and then, before the reader has time to finish admiring his agility, turns it again.

S. J. Perelman (1904-1979) was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was one of the most prominent humorists of his generation, writing countless pieces for The New Yorker, plays for the stage, and screenplays for the Marx Brothers. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Around the World in 80 Days, and he received a special National Book Award for his unique contribution to American letters.