- Paperback: 200 pages
- Publisher: Bison Books (Dec 1 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0803220553
- ISBN-13: 978-0803220553
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
“As if Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett weren’t enough in the way of humor, the state of Nebraska has now given us Kurt Andersen. As his debut in adult public life—unless you happen to count being an editor of the Harvard Lampoon part of adult public life—Mr. Andersen has written The Real Thing. . . . It can be very witty, as well as a number of other things.”—Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times
(Christopher Lehmann-Haupt New York Times )
Product Description
You may already know that Belgium is the most boring country on planet Earth, but do you know why? Or what makes the Mark 44, Model O Lazy Dog Missile Cluster, the sexiest piece of military hardware on wheels? Or how LSD edged out all contenders as the Platonic Ideal of illicit drugs?
From cities to sitcoms, from scotch to soda, from English monarchs to French movies, The Real Thing is a compendium of the quintessential, providing definitive answers to some of the most compelling questions of our time: What confection out-cholesterols the competition? Why is The Country Club the country club? Which Charlie Chan proved the least scrutable?
Author Kurt Andersen’s pithy pronouncements sparkle with wit, sophistication, and a healthy dose of skeptical good humor as he strips world culture of accumulated hype and accepted wisdom, laying bare the sine qua nons and the ne plus ultras in a sassy series of satirical essays that give credit where credit is due while simultaneously foreclosing on the bogus, the ersatz, the would-be, and the has-been. The Real Thing is the real thing. These days, that’s really something.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pungent Good Fun!, Feb 16 2000
By la - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Real Thing (Paperback)
I am absolutely appalled that this book is out of print. All those readers who have yet to experience the keen-wit and affected arrogance of the fabulous Mr. Andersen... really, it's heart-breaking. The Real Thing is extraordinarily amusing. I think it's safe to say that only certain types of people will enjoy this fabulous collection of satirical essays. His chapters on Affectations and Self-help Quizzes were especially hilarious. Many of the pop-culture references were before my time but, I still found the entire book humourous. I envy the elevation in experience of those readers who actually remember the early 80's. I urge everyone to track down a copy of this book. Mr. Andersen is my hero.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oustanding humorous essays, Aug 17 2000
By Andrew Lochart "The Vindicator" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Real Thing (Paperback)
The very best collection of funny essays since the heyday of Mencken and Thurber. Andersen writes with equal authority on bourbon, cola and lazy dog missile clusters. With the success of his new novel, I hope this collection will see its way back into print.
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