The 50 Funniest American Writers

New York Times Bestseller

The creator of The New Yorker’s long running satirical column, and “one of the funniest people in America,” pays tribute to comedic geniuses both past and present, including Mark Twain, George Saunders, Nora Ephron, and more (CBS Sunday Morning).
 
Library of America’s collection of hilarious stories, essays, and articles is an exclusive Who’s Who of the very best American comic writing. Classic pieces of American humor appear here, such as “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry and a selection from Anita Loos’ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
 
Contemporary writing is well represented, with entries from comedic geniuses like David Sedaris, Larry Willmore, Roy Blount Jr., Sloane Crosby, Bernie Mac, Wanda Sykes, and George Saunders plus laugh-out-loud lesser-known pieces from The New Yorker, Esquire, The Atlantic, National Lampoon, and The Onion.

Full List of Contributors
Mark Twain
George Ade
O. Henry
Sinclair Lewis
Anita Loos
Ring Lardner
H. L. Mencken
James Thurber
Dorothy Parker
S. J. Perelman
Langston Hughes
Frank Sullivan
E. B. White
Peter De Vries
Terry Southern
Lenny Bruce
Tom Wolfe
Jean Shepherd
Hunter S. Thompson
Douglas Kenney
Henry Beard
Bruce Jay Friedman
Philip Roth
Nora Ephron
Michael O’Donoghue
George W. S. Trow
Fran Lebowitz
Charles Portis
Donald Barthelme
Veronica Geng
John Hughes
Mark O’Donnell
Garrison Keillor
Bruce McCall
Molly Ivins
Calvin Trillin
Dave Barry
The Onion writers
Susan Orlean
Roy Blount Jr
George Carlin
Ian Frazier
David Rakoff
Bernie Mac
David Sedaris
Wanda Sykes
Jack Handey
David Owen
George Saunders
Jenny Allen
Sloane Crosley
Larry Wilmore