Only When I Laugh

The three confidence tricksters - two blokes and a bird - had a style that earned them millions. Silas was the leader, slick and self-assured - but dissatisfied. Bob was the junior partner, longing for the open road where pickings were rich and the living was easy. And Liz, Silas' mistress, was... in between. Theirs was a built-in love triangle with its own rewards... and its own dangers. In New York these con-artists do a 'business deal' worth millions. But back in London Silas' plan to bilk an emergent African nation misfires. Then Bob takes over the running of the operation - and Liz. A Beirut bank is their target and each member of the trio gets what he or she deserves - each with a twist of lemon. This new reissue includes a foreword from the cover designer, Oscar-winning filmmaker Arnold Schwartzman, and a brand new introduction by Len Deighton, which offers a fascinating insight into the writing of the story.

An omnibus edition of Oh Dear, Doctor!, Look Out Doctor! and Surely Not, Doctor!, this volume follows the further exploits of Dr Bob Clifford in his country practice on the Somerset coast. Small though the town of Tadchester may be, nobody could accuse it of being sleepy. Not when stream of patients flocking to the surgery include Mrs. Short with her secret addiction, the absent-minded, incontinent vicar of St Peter's, the little greengrocer for whom an operation could restore marital duties with his huge bowler- hatted wife . . . not forgetting the entire rugby team from Drake's College who develop a mysterious and embarrassing ailment after an away match at a London night club . . . And even off-duty, life of Dr Bob is far from dull. Especially when it involves ailments at a writers' summer school, a camping holiday in France with his elderly, eccentric father-in-law and, ironically, a spell in hospital . . .

Known for his intelligent and often surreal humour, Paul Merton’s weekly appearances on BBC1’s Have I Got News For You – as well as Radio 4’s Just A Minute and his travel documentaries – have seen him become an artfully rebellious fixture in our lives for over 25 years. He also has a real story to tell. In ONLY WHEN I LAUGH, his rich and beautifully-observed autobiography, Paul takes us on an evocative journey from his working-class Fulham childhood to the present day. Whether writing about school days, his run-ins with the nuns and other pupils; his disastrous first confession; his meatpacking job; taking acid; leaving home to live in bedsit; his early brushes with the opposite sex – and not forgetting his repeated attempts to break into the world of comedy – Paul’s writing is always funny, poignant and revealing. And when his star finally ascends in the atmospherically drawn 1980s alternative cabaret scene there is a sense of excitement, energy, camaraderie, momentum and dramatic impending success... ...And then CRASH! In an unflinching and brilliantly written section that defines the book, we experience the disorienting and terrifying sustained manic episode that he suffered which landed him in a psychiatric hospital. These, and other tougher moments, are written about candidly and with sensitivity and honesty. Yet throughout ONLY WHEN I LAUGH, Paul Merton succeeds in telling his life story entertainingly, with warmth, humour and a big bucket load of wit. Ultimately uplifting, it is the story of a fascinating life, brilliantly told – and one of the best memoirs of the year.

Known for his intelligent and often surreal humour, Paul Merton's weekly appearances on BBC1's Have I Got News For You - as well as Radio 4's Just A Minute and his travel documentaries - have seen him become an artfully rebellious fixture in our lives for over 25 years. He also has a real story to tell. In ONLY WHEN I LAUGH, his rich and beautifully-observed autobiography, Paul takes us on an evocative journey from his working-class Fulham childhood to the present day. Whether writing about school days, his run-ins with the nuns and other pupils; his disastrous first confession; his meatpacking job; taking acid; leaving home to live in bedsit; his early brushes with the opposite sex - and not forgetting his repeated attempts to break into the world of comedy - Paul's writing is always funny, poignant and revealing. And when his star finally ascends in the atmospherically drawn 1980s alternative cabaret scene there is a sense of excitement, energy, camaraderie, momentum and dramatic impending success... ...And then CRASH! In an unflinching and brilliantly written section that defines the book, we experience the disorienting and terrifying sustained manic episode that he suffered which landed him in a psychiatric hospital. These, and other tougher moments, are written about candidly and with sensitivity and honesty. Yet throughout ONLY WHEN I LAUGH, Paul Merton succeeds in telling his life story entertainingly, with warmth, humour and a big bucket load of wit. Ultimately uplifting, it is the story of a fascinating life, brilliantly told - and one of the best memoirs of the year.

"After a short stay in rehab, her best friend age-defying Toby, her daughter Polly, and Jimmy Perry, a gay actor try to help her adjust to sobriety with a jolly birthday party. Enter Lou Tanner, a former lover, who ends up giving her a black eye. The party is a wash out, the "gingerbread lady" falls off the wagon and hits the ropes once again. Later rewritten by Neil Simon as the film Only When I Laugh starring Marsha Mason." -- Publisher's description.

If people can "power lunch, " how about making room in the work day for a "power nap"? If we interrupt church to give mothers flowers, shouldn't we allow time in the service on Father's Day to give men something along the lines of garden tools? In the tradition of folk humorists such as Garrison Keillor, Elouise Bell tackles timely questions in a way that both honors and critiques her own culture. Delighting readers of network magazine and the Salt Lake Tribune for years, Bell has compiled for the benefit of readers everywhere her twenty-five most memorable essays, including "Zzzzzuchini, " "Christmyths, " "What Makes Botticelli Blush?" and her most popular essay, "The Meeting, " in which gender roles are reversed in an LDS worship service. As charming and light-hearted as these are, there is a caveat: anyone who cannot visualize bishops in high heels or a Mormon Democratic caucus needs to seek razor-sharp social commentary elsewhere.

An entertaining tour of the science of humor and laughter Humor, like pornography, is famously difficult to define. We know it when we see it, but is there any way to figure out what we really find funny? In this fascinating investigation into the science of humor and laughter, neuroscientist Scott Weems uncovers what's happening in our heads when we giggle, guffaw, or double over with laughter. Beginning with the premise that humor arises from inner conflict in the brain, Weems explores such issues as why surprise is so important for humor, why computers are terrible at recognizing what's funny, and why cringe-worthy stereotypes make us laugh the hardest. From the role of insult jokes to the benefit of laughing for our immune system responses, Ha! reveals why humor is so idiosyncratic, and why how-to books alone will never help us become funnier people. Packed with the latest research, amusing anecdotes (and even a few jokes), Ha! is a delightful tour of why humor is so important to our daily lives.