Baby, It's Cold Inside

by S.J. Perelman

A collection of funny, ironic essays from one of the great humorists of the twentieth century.

Genres: Humor, Fiction

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Sidney Joseph Perelman, almost always known as S. J. Perelman, was a Jewish-American humorist, author, and screenwriter. He is best known for his humorous short pieces written over many years for The New Yorker. He also wrote for several other magazines, as well as books, scripts, and screenplays.

Reviews

[Valerie Book Valkyrie]

It would be unfair for me to rate this book. DNF after reading, and not fully understanding, the first three stories; then skipping around the remaining stories to see if there was something I might better relate to. This is a collection of 32 short stories by S.J. Perelman, prolific writer for The New Yorker Magazine, published in 1970. I was 11 years old, not privy to the esoteric current events of the 1960's on which this author bases his well written humor. My Loss🧚‍♀️🙋🏼.

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

late-career collection from 1970. the wordplay and wit are always evident, but too many of the stories lack a truly funny premise. Perelman often starts from a short random except from a magazine or newspaper and weaves a slim tale from there. i like him enough to want to go back and read his earlier stories; perhaps he'd just "lost a bit off the old fastball" at this stage. Highlights include: "Let a Snarl Be Your Umbrella" "Five Little Biceps and How They Flew" "I Hate Spanish Moss" "Turn the Knob, Doc- You're Obsolete" "Heads I Trim, Frails You Lose" and "Plus Ca Change."

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading if you like S. J. Perelman, but most of these were... not side-splitters. Some little chuckles here and there.

[Garry · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of S J Perelman's writing style you may get a lot out of this collection of his writing from the 1960's mostly as originally published as short humor pieces in the New Yorker magazine. I am a fan, but it was still a bit of a challenge to read all 32 of these little humor essays. A case of too much of particular type of humor, that works better as a stand alone amidst a sea of straight fiction and serious nonfiction, instead of a continuous flow of reading.

[David Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, it's not "side-splitting" as described on the cover. But it is always witty -- and a must for all fans of the finely turned sentence. Sid Perelman was a master stylist, as elegant in British-English as he was in his native American-English.

[RetroHound · Rating 2 out of 5]

If by "side-splitting" they mean "faintly amusing" I'd say it's an accurate title. It seems this is some of his later writing, perhaps I should try something earlier.

[Kevin Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe these pieces were written late in Perleman's career and it shows. Light on the wit he showed with the Marx Bros. Amusing at best.

[Ensiform · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 1970 collection of rather surreal essays, for lack of a better word though terribly inexpressive in this case, by the noted humorist. Perelman’s style is rather disorienting: his language is rich and dizzyingly inventive, and he has a way with a phrase (“I squared my tiny little shoulders and…”), but most of these pieces fell a bit flat for me. I don’t know whether the witticisms were too dated or Perelman’s madcap flights of fancy were just too whimsical for me, but I found it all a bit weightless. That’s not to say his work isn’t entertaining; it is, and there are laughs aplenty. But these skit-essays would have lodged more firmly in my mind and attention if they’d been a bit more grounded in reality rather than absurdity.