Humor

What is humor? Why do we laugh? And why is the root of a good joke almost always error?

Good jokes, bad jokes, clever jokes, dad jokes—the desire to laugh is universal. But why do we find some gags hilarious, whilst others fall flat? Why does explaining a joke make it less amusing rather than more so? Why is laughter contagious, and why did it evolve in the first place?

Using the oldest jokes and the latest science, in The Comedy of Error, Professor Jonathan Silvertown investigates why we laugh: from laughter’s evolutionary origins, to similarities and differences in humor across cultures, and even why being funny makes us sexier.

As this unique book demonstrates, understanding how humor really works can provide endless entertainment.

Amazing and astounding stories of historical, mythical, and real dogs from around the world

Powerful dogs, mythical dogs, heroic dogs, talented dogs, literary dogs, dogs who have changed the course of history, and dogs who have set the internet ablaze.

Dogs, dogs, dogs, dogs, dogs, dogs, dogs.

From the deeply misunderstood Cerberus, the multi-headed hound of Hades, to Hachikō, Rin Tin Tin, and Duke—the thrice-elected mayor of Cormorant, Minnesota (who is an actual dog).

With words by Jadan Carroll and illustrations by Molly Dyson, (Definitely) The Best Dogs of all Time tells heart-warming, absurd, and informative stories of the most exceptional hounds to have bounded across the earth, their majestic tongues flowing in the breeze, and of the humans who love them.

With a new foreword by Russ Radcliffe

‘Freedom of speech is the freedom to offend and that means the freedom to offend anyone.’ — Bill Leak

A collection of the art and observations of cartoonist, painter, and all-round contrarian — the incomparable Bill Leak.

The public has rarely held politicians and the practice of politics in such contempt. Luckily, Bill Leak was there to guide us through the darkness. With his best editorial cartoons, UnAustralian of the Year provides a satirical history of an extraordinary period in Australian politics, from the enthusiastic popular mandate enjoyed by Kevin Rudd’s Labor after the 2007 federal election to the brutal merry-go-round of party leaders, culminating in the rancour and instability surrounding Julia Gillard’s minority government.

In a series of reflections, Leak also writes with his customary directness and acerbic wit on a range of topics: his accident and recovery from brain damage; the blessings of manic depression for the creative artist; the art of editorial cartooning and his commitment to free expression; and portrait painting and the contemporary art scene.

‘Political cartoons provide a kind of relief that makes the democratic process bearable. But, at their most effective, they are capable of great and penetrating insight. The liberating burst of laughter they provoke strips away the decrepit language of political spin and confronts us with a little moment of truth. As such, they are a kind of ephemeral icon, curling and yellowing on fridges and noticeboards where, I like to think, they give expression to our better impulses, our better selves.’

Based on the bestselling annual Best Australian Political Cartoons series, Dirt Files features over 400 of the finest political cartoons to have appeared in Australia from 2003 to 2012, and provides a vivid collective account of a particularly fractious decade.

Dirt Files doesn’t just focus on the Canberra soap opera. It also interprets the key political moments and themes that have played out over the past ten years — such as war, globalisation, climate change, the rise of China and changes in the economy, the history wars and the apology to Aborigines, and the treatment of asylum-seekers — and provides a reflection on Australian identity.

Containing many cartoons that have never been published in BAPC, and others that are produced in colour here for the first time, Dirt Files is a collection like no other. Brilliantly witty, and always insightful, it is essential reading for every Australian.