{"product_id":"funny-stuff-how-comedy-shaped-american-history-hardback-9781978837966","title":"Funny Stuff; How Comedy Shaped American History (Hardback) 9781978837966","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eFunny Stuff\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eHow Comedy Shaped American History\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eMel Brooks (Foreword by), Laura LaPlaca (Contributions by), Ryan Lintelman (Contributions by), Jon Grinspan (Contributions by), Theodore S. Gonzalves (Contributions by), Ashley Oliva Mayor (Contributions by), John W. Troutman (Contributions by), Anya Montiel (Contributions by), Eric Jentsch (Contributions by), Ashley M. Senske (Contributions by), James I. Deutsch (Contributions by), Kevin Strait (Contributions by)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781978837966\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 12 May 2026\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e358 pages, 296 color images\u003cbr\u003e27.9 x 21.6 x 2.8 cm, 1.647 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A one-of-a-kind trip through the archives of the National Comedy Center and Smithsonian Institution that shines a new light on America's funniest moments.\" - Carol Burnett\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Funny Stuff is filled with everything you have always wanted to know about comedy, the people who make it, and how it has shaped our world. Plus pictures!” - Amy Poehler\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“The National Comedy Center and Smithsonian approach comedy’s history with the same rigor and reverence we bring to it as artists.” - Lily Tomlin\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe National Comedy Center and Smithsonian Institution hold unparalleled collections of artifacts that illustrate the vitality and importance of comedy in American life, from vaudeville, silent films, and TV sitcoms to stand-up, sketch, and cartoons. Now, for the first time, these collections are brought together in vibrant photographs and illuminating essays that tell the story of how comedy shaped American history.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWritten by historians responsible for safeguarding these cultural treasures, the book takes readers behind the scenes to uncover the stories behind American heirlooms like Groucho Marx's tailcoat, George Carlin's joke files, Carol Burnett's \"Went with the Wind\" dress, Johnny Carson's monologues, and the very first \u003ci\u003eSaturday Night Live \u003c\/i\u003escript, alongside materials from cultural touchstones like \u003ci\u003eThe Simpsons, The Muppet Show, In Living Color, All In the Family, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eI Love Lucy.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith a foreword by comedy legend Mel Brooks, this dynamic work offers pop culture aficionados, history lovers, and comedy nerds alike a new perspective on America's past and who we are as a nation through our comedy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eForeword by Mel Brooks xi \t\u003cbr\u003e \tDirector's Note by Journey Gunderson xiii \t\u003cbr\u003e \tDirector's Note by Anthea M. Hartig xv \t\u003cbr\u003e \tIntroduction 1 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tCHAPTER 1 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tCHAPTER 2 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tCHAPTER 3 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tCHAPTER 4 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tConclusion by Laura LaPlaca 333 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tConclusion by Ryan Lintelman 337 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tAcknowledgments 343 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tNotes 345 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tContributors 353 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tIllustration Credits 355 \t\u003cbr\u003e \tIndex 000\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Rutgers University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52640483475736,"sku":"9781978837966","price":25.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/funny-stuff-how-comedy-shaped-american-history-hardback-9781978837966","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}