The Mammoth Book of Zingers, Quips, and One-Liners: Over 10,000 Gems of Wit and Wisdom, One-Liners and Wisecracks

by Geoff Tibballs

The Mammoth Book of Zingers, Quips, and One-Liners contains the ultimate, most comprehensive compendium of humor ever compiled. From shaggy-dog stories to jokes for roasts and toasts, virtually every form of verbal humor on a whole raft of topics is represented in this not totally politically correct—but always diverting—collection of ticklers and howlers for any occasion. Humorous quotations, epigrams and epitaphs, limericks, and puns also appear among the volume's thousands of entries categorized by topic. This format makes the book an easily accessible as well as invaluable companion to speechmakers for events great and small—meeting the needs of both the maiden aunt looking for a wholesome joke to relate at a golden wedding anniversary and the best man who needs a blue one for the bachelor party. Providing more than 10,000 choices, this mammoth book even offers would-be wolves on the prowl pick-up lines—at the same time that it offers some snappy comebacks and a few ribald ripostes for the reluctant or disinterested prey.

Genres: Humor, Reference

512 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2004

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zingers, Quips, and One-Liners has--according to my edition--over 8,000 gems of wit wisdom. It comes complete with quotes from everyone from Oscar Wilde to Lenny Bruce from Mae West to Margaret Cho and Roseanne Barr. The key word from the title, I believe, is zingers. If you're not expecting the outrageous and pointed comment, then this collection is not for you. There is a quote that says, "A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone." (Jo Godwin) I would say that this is true of this book of quotes as well.

For the most part, I enjoyed this collection. Overall, very amusing--one quibble: there is a fair smattering of more modern celebrities. In general, I have no problem with this (despite my love for more vintage things-books, movies, TV shows, etc), but I do have a problem with quotations being ascribed to more recent celebrities when I know full well that the comments were around well before the advent of Madonna or Jerry Seinfeld. It would be nice if the editor Geoff Tibballs had credited the earliest reference rather than his favorite actor/comedian/what-have-you.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Hal Huntley · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always with a list of many one-liners, some are good and some are better. I enjoyed reading them and have quoted some on my Facebook page to see if there would be any comments. If you like this type of book, this one is pretty good.