I had seen Milton Berle on TV and he seemed funny them, so I bought this book and was ever so disappointed. Over 600 pages and under 100 laughs, and that includes groaners. H. Allen Smith jokebooks, if you can still find them, are better written and so much funnier. The editor of this book also bears some responsibility for this book as it is obivous he cut nothing. The book carries far too many vaudeville and burlesque bits that might have been funny before the depression. Sadder still are the inclusion of racist and ethnic stereotype jokes with a poor rationale of why these jokes are OK to tell. Again, the editor of the book deserves some blame here. For the price of this book, one could purchase any single George Carlin, Richard Pryor, etc. CD and it would provide more laughs and be a better value.

This has to be the most impressive joke book ever asssembled. I've seen others that have lots of very funny stuff. Others that are better organized. And others that better reflect a comedian or editor's particular humor page per page. This one is truly a joke file. It's a big, thick, fat book with highly readable type -- and jokes that "rock." These jokes range from old-style vaudeville, burlesque jokes to jokes more "modern," from puns to insults, to long anecdotes. I'm an entertainer and when I do a show and am looking for a joke I look to this; sometimes I use one of them to fill a gap but often it gives me an idea upon which I can expand. If you like to laugh or need laughs for your speaking programs, shows, etc. you MUST have this on your library shelf. I often enter jokes that I like in my database but there are just so many I have cirlced here that I love that I go to the original. Also, it is big and fat and hilarious but the subjects may not include every single subject you want. Some other "big" joke books have more subjects, but this covers most of the basics and the selection is so wonderful that it's worth it. Actually, if you get this you should have the second volume he did, too -- which I also have and enjoy. Joke per joke I think this is the best, most diverse joke book ever published. Well worth the price in the enjoyment you'll get and the laughs you'll generate!

This book is filled with many ideally sized jokes arranged by numerous topic. Although I do not appreciate off-color jokes, most of those are avoidable by avoiding the off-color topics.

I have used many of these jokes in writing and speaking and highly recommend this as perhaps the funniest large-volume jokebook.

This book contains every joke you have ever heard, although the setting may be presented differently. The index is not too helpful because the joke you heard may have been about two guys in Arizona, but Berle tells it about two women in India. Some of the jokes assume a Jewish or a New York background, and are a little hard to use in other settings. Still, it is a rich resource for toastmasters, etc. I suggest you just read the whole book and mark jokes you like. Make notes inside the cover to find them again.

the book is so good.i think the book is one of the funnest joke books i ever read.you should defenitly by the book.

Milton Berle is at his best in this book. He has so many topics to choose from to have a few laughs about. One-liners to 3-5 paragraph jokes are included. I suggest you put this one on your list.