Wit's End

Wit's End is delicious. -- Stephen Fry James Geary has produced a rich cornucopia of wit and its origins in the wittiest literary way possible. A delight. -- Julia Hobsbawm Geary presents a history of wit with all the intellectual force and facility that the more learned reader might expect... -- Times Literary Supplement ... there's a fascinating exploration of visual wit in the form of an art-history lecture. With humour and verve and by the variety of his style, Geary shows wit to be multifaceted, subtle, ambiguous and akin to wisdom. -- The Irish Times ... convey[s] the power of wit to refresh the mind... -- The Wall Street Journal Playful, fiercely intelligent, silly, funny and immensely informative - [Wit's End] makes for a breathless read that leaves you feeling enormously enriched. The reinvention from chapter to chapter is a masterstroke and keeps the subject matter joyously buoyant. -- Reece Shearsmith Wit's End juggles scholarship, humorous anecdote and critical insight with a diabolical, almost sinister dexterity. No shrinking violet, Geary fully intends to strut his stuff, to glitter and beguile, and he does so with remarkable ingenuity and chutzpah. -- The Washington Post Geary is a keen storyteller, promiscuous with quotes and figures. One could do worse at a cocktail party than simply opening his book at random and reading aloud. -- The New Yorker ... playful, occasionally chaotic road trip through comedy's links to innovation and creativity. -- Discover