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71st out of 194 books
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172 voters
How to Attract the Wombat
Will Cuppy is one of the greatest humorists this country has produced and is still (despite eleven printings of his imperishable "The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody") too little known. Here is one of his three classic "How-To's," considering notable birds and animals whose habits (and often existences) seem to have disturbed Cuppy ("Birds Who Can't Even Fly," "O...more
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
May 1st 2002
by David R. Godine Publisher
(first published 1935)
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Still the funniest book I've ever read.
This was Cuppy's third animal book. It is mostly about mammals, including problem mammals, but also gets into amphibians, birds, insects, swans, Greek poets, and practically everything else. It is rich in empirical science, such as, "A decapitated salamander cannot make quick decisions," and philosophical insights, such as, "Intelligence is the capacity to know what we are doing and instinct is just instinct. The results are about the same." And even aesthetics, "The wart hog is often called the...more
Short, little essays anthropomorphizing various animals with a deadpan humor that sneaks up behind you. It's like music to my eyes to read an author who can actually write. Cuppy's command of the English language is a treat and will leave you wondering why you're laughing so hard. I'd classify his style as early deadpan British humor if he wasn't a New Yorker. A great "bathroom book" or travel companion - anytime you could use a quick laugh.
Delightful (and scrupulously researched) essays about wildlife, written by a hermit who lived in New York City. Most were originally published in The Saturday Evening Post and The New Yorker.
"Baby Pelicans are simply awful. The female Pelican feeds them on predigested fish served in her pouch. When they become too greedy and noisy and generally unbearable, she closes her bill and hits them on the head with it, so that baby Pelicans are always staggering about in a dazed condition, squalling for...more
"Baby Pelicans are simply awful. The female Pelican feeds them on predigested fish served in her pouch. When they become too greedy and noisy and generally unbearable, she closes her bill and hits them on the head with it, so that baby Pelicans are always staggering about in a dazed condition, squalling for...more
Wombat wombat wombat wombat wombat.
1930s-style giggly humor.
May 29, 2013
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William Jacob "Will" Cuppy was an American humorist and literary critic, known for his satirical books about nature and historical figures.
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“Intelligence is the capacity to know what we are doing and instinct is just instinct. The results are about the same.”
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4 people liked it
“Infant wart hogs resemble both sides of the family.”
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2 people liked it
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