Washoe County Library System

"From a beloved comedy critic, a wisecracking, heartfelt, and overdue chronicle of comedy's boom-and its magic"-- "Comedy is king. From multimillion-dollar TV specials to sold-out stand-up shows and TikTok stardom, comedy has never been more popular, democratized, or influential. Comedians have become organizing forces across culture―as trusted as politicians and as fawned-over as celebrities―yet comedy as an art form has gone under-considered...

Surveys the history and components of music, concentrating on Western musical traditions.

Delves into the history of the encyclopedia from Ancient Greece to today and examines what has been lost in the digital age of infinite information. "From the “deliriously clever” (Boston Globe) Simon Garfield, New York Times bestselling author of Just My Type, comes the wild and fascinating story of the encyclopedia, from Ancient Greece to the present day. "A brilliant book about knowledge itself.” —Deirdre Mask, author of The Address Book...

The 700-year history of the novel in English defies straightforward telling. Geographically and culturally diverse, with contributions from Great Britain, Ireland, America, Canada, Australia, India, the Caribbean, and Southern Africa, influenced by great novelists working in other languages, and encompassing a range of genres, the story of the novel in English unfolds like a richly varied landscape that invites exploration rather than a linear journey....

From the brilliantly witty and exuberant New York Times bestselling author Ken Jennings, a history of humorfrom fart jokes on clay Sumerian tablets all the way up to the latest Twitter gags and Facebook memesthat tells the story of how comedy came to rule the modern world. For millennia of human history, the future belonged to the strong. To the parent who could kill the most animals with sticks and to the child who could survive the winter or the...

Selects ten songs recorded between 1956 and 2008 that embody rock and roll as a thing in itself--in the story each song tells, inhabits, and creates in its legacy.

Often credited with creating a popular movie audience for Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh has wanted for many years to bring to the screen the complete, full-length version of Hamlet. His desire becomes a reality when this epic drama, featuring an all-star cast and produced and directed by Branagh, comes to theaters this fall. This tie-in book includes Branagh's Introduction and screenplay, a production diary, color stills, and more.