Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2410324 in Books
• Published on: 1983-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 146 pages

Language Notes
Text: English, Greek (translation)

Customer Reviews

Europe's First Joke Book
No one knows who wrote the Philogelos but it dates from some time around the 10th century. Baldwin takes liberties in purging obscure references to things no longer part of daily life, but he footnotes these changes extensively. After Baldwin's tinkering the text is amazingly modern: the same formula as Pollack and moron jokes, only from medieval times, and making fun of "eggheads," doctors, and people from the city of Kyme. Baldwin notes that many of these zingers date from still early compliations of Greek and Roman jokes. This is a book for the library of humor aficionados and joke scholars--but it's a hoot for anyone to read.