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September 2006

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All books are paperback unless stated otherwise.

THE AGE AND STAGE OF GEORGE L. FOX 1825-1877. Laurence Senelick
The author's biography of the Panto clown Laff Fox, renowned in his time as America’s funniest performer, brings this most popular and most tragic legend to life. In his new essay to this expanded edition, the author draws upon recent discoveries and insights to further animate Fox’s remarkable career.

ALPHABET OF PANTOMIME or THERE BE NOTHING LIKE A DAME. Chris Harris
Welcome to this alphabet of pantomime, a cornucopia of comic calamities, cultural curiosities and complete codswallop!

BRITISH COMEDY GREATS — Introduced by Miles Kington
A fascinating roll-call of some of the iconic acts, shows and writers that make up the illustrious history of comedy on stage, screen and radio in the British Isles. A series of leading writers take a lively, personal and often provocative look at Britain’s greatest comedic achievements and at some of the unforgettable people who helped to create them for us. ISBN 1 84403 055 5

CIRCUS BODIES. Cultural identity in aerial performance. Peta Tait.
Circus Bodies: Cultural identity in aerial performance is an extraordinary survey of 140 years of trapeze acts. In this pioneering study, Peta Tait investigates socially changing ideas of muscular action in relation to our understanding of gender and body shape. ISBN 0-415-32938-8

CLASSIC RADIO COMEDY — Pocket Essential Radio. Mat Coward
The Goon Show, Hancock’s Half Hour, and Round the Horne — their catchphrases still punctuate our conversations and their outlandish characters have proved unforgettable through several generations. Book of scripts, and recordings of the shows, continue to sell in extraordinary numbers. Between them, these three very different programmes from the 1950s and 60s encapsulate the glory days of radio comedy. This book explores the origins of the "Big Three" — and just as importantly, the enormous influence they’ve had on radio and TV ever since. ISBN 1 904048 04 8

CLOWN ACT OMNIBUS — Everything You Need to Know About Clowning Plus Over 200 Clown Stunts. Wes McVicar
Everything you need to know to stage successful clown performances from the basics of being a clown to clown equipment, walk-ons and walk-arounds, clown acts with special equipment, and over 200 skit ideas.

CLOWN SCENES. Tristian Rémy. Translated from the French and with a Foreword by Bernard Sahlins. HB
Clown scenes rescues a theatrical treasure and recaptures the classic clown routines that flourished in the intimacy of the one-ring circus. The author, the eminent French circus historian, has pursued the little band of surviving clowns worked in the old tradition, carefully recording their scenes. ISBN 1 56663 144 0

CLOWN SKITS FOR EVERYONE — 32 Skits for One or Two Clowns. Prop Instructions. Performing Tips. Happy Jack Feder. Illustrations by Lafe Locke
Happy Jack Feder, a clown, a mime, and a puppeteer — gives advice and ideas.

COMEDIES OF ERROR. Larry Hillhouse
Ten monlogues of teenage experience.

COMEDY — Andrew Stott
What is comedy? Andrew Scott traces changing definitions of the term from Aristotle to Chris Morris’s Brass Eye via Oscar Wilde and Some Like it Hot. Providing readers with the ideal critical introduction to the irrepressible genre of comedy. ISBN 0 415 29933 0

COMEDY. Edited by Wylie Sypher

COMEDY FAQS AND ANSWERS How the Stand-up Biz Really Works. Dave
Schwensen
Here is the ultimate guide to surviving and thriving in the world of stand-up comedy.

COMIC INSIGHTS — THE ART OF STAND UP COMEDY. By Franklyn Ajaye.
This book contains fascinating, candid, insightful interviews with today’s top comedians, who discuss at length why and how they do what they do. ISBN 1 879505 54 1.

THE COMPLETE BEYOND THE FRINGE — Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, Dudley Moore. With and Introduction by Michael Frayn
The original script of the show itself, out of print for many years, contains some of the funniest writing ever. From Alan Bennett’s cleric to Peter Cook’s miner, from Dudley Moore’s parody of Britten to Jonathan Miller’s Saga of the blue trousers, it sparkles with classic gems of wit and nonsense. ISBN 0 413 77368 X

THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE WORLD — Desmond Oliver Dingle. Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Brent. Exclusive Foreword by Simon Schama. ISBN 1 85459 662 4

THE COMPLETE RIPPING YARNS. Michael Palin and Terry Jones
Here now are the complete texts of all nine of the classic yarns which set British television back 60 years, illustrated with copious stirring photographs from the BBC films themselves.

CREATIVE CLOWNING. Bruce Fife, Tony Blanco, Steve Kissell, Bruce Johnson, Ralph Dewey, Hal Diamond, Jack Wiley, Gene Lee
"This book contains a wealth of information useful for anyone thinking about becoming a full or part-time clown". Career Opportunities
"An excellent book ... If you’re not funnier after reading this book, you’re hopeless." The Book Reader

DAD’S ARMY — The Complete Scripts.
For the First time in One Volume The Complete Scripts of All Nine Series. ISBN 0 75286 024 0

THE DEATH OF COMEDY — Erich Segal
In a Grand Tour of Comic Theatre over centuries, Erich Segal traces the evolution of the classical form from its early origins in a misogynistic quip by the sixth-century B.C. Susarion, through to countless weddings and happy endings, to the exasperated monosyllables of Samuel Beckett. With fitting wit, profound erudition lightly worn, and instructive examples from the mildly amusing to the uproarious, his book fully illustrates comedy’s glorious life cycle from its first breath to its death in the Theatre of the Absurd. ISBN 0 674 01247 X

DINNERLADIES — First Helpings. Victoria Wood
In first helpings, Victoria Wood serves up the complete scripts of the first series of Dinnerladies, her hilarious sitcom about five woman who work in a factory canteen outside Manchester.

DUD AND PETE, THE DAGENHAM DIALOGUES. The Classic Series of Debates on the Burning Topics of Life. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore
Not Only But Also, the classic television series written and performed by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, is remembered as one of the peaks of post-war comedy, above all because of its wide-ranging dialogues between Dud and Pete, two archetypal men of Beacontree Avenue. Their gritty discussions brought enlightenment to viewers all over the world.
ISBN 0 413 77347 7

DUOS AND TRIOS — Ten two and three-character comedy skits. Daron Scott McFarland

ENGLISH COMEDY. Edited by Michael Cordner, Peter Holland and John Kerrigan .HB
Aristophanes to Walt Disney. Questions on comedy are answered and the traditions of comic writing in England are discussed. A vital contribution to the understanding of the heritage of comic writing.

ENGLISH STAGE COMEDY 1490-1990 — Five Centuries of a Genre. Alexander Leggatt.
A unique and beautifully written study of the comedy of the English stage from the Tudor period to the late twentieth century. Organized thematically, it shows how this remarkably enduring genre has dealt with the tensions of social life, using its conventions as tools for social enquiry.

ERIC SYKES’ COMEDY HEROES
Eric Sykes — a remarkable comic himself — has assembled his very own Comedy Hall of Fame, paying tribute to those who have inspired him, entertained him, and most of all, made him laugh … Includes sections on Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Laurel and Hardy, Spike Milligan, Jacques Tati, Victoria Wood and many more … Illustrated.
ISBN 0 7535 0966 0

EVERY MAGIC SECRET IN THE WORLD REVEALED. Marc Lemezma
All of the thousands of magic tricks ever performed are based on one or a combination of only nine basic effects. Marc Lemezma reveals these tricks of the trade with the use of easy-to-understand text and clear step-by-step photographs. ISBN 1-84330-957-2 HB

GETTING THE JOKE.The Inner Workings of Stand-Up Comedy. Oliver Double with a foreword by Mark Lamarr.
With commentary from many leading stand-up comedians, including Jo Brand, Alexei Sayle, Ross Noble, Mark Lamarr and Rhona Cameron, as well as numerous examples from acts on both sides of the Atlantic, Double provides an authoritative and engaging guide to getting the joke. He also reveals whether America can really claim to have given birth to one of the most exciting and daring forms of comedy… ISBN 0-413-77476-7

FRANKIE HOWERD — Stand-Up Comic. Graham McCann
Through close examination of his public career, and original research into the secrets and insecurities of Howerd’s precarious private life, Graham McCann celebrates the real Frankie Howerd; a brilliantly original, highly skilful and wonderfully funny stand-up comedian whose talent and impact were profound as those of Bob Hope, Jack Benny or any of the other internationally recognised greats. ISBN 1 84115 310 9 (HB)

FUNNY BUSINESS — An Introduction to Comedy with Royalty-Free Plays and Sketches. Marsh Cassady
Twenty-one one-act plays and sketches demonstrating comedy techniques. This unique overview of high and low comedy defines all comedy genres: absurdism, tragicomedy, farce and melodrama. All characterizations are appropriate for student actors in their teens or twenties.

GOODBYE AGAIN— The Definitive Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Edited by William Cook
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore are still commonly regarded as the greatest comic double act that Great Britain has ever produced. This collection of their works is a comprehensive compilation of the finest sketches that Cook and Moore ever wrote together. ISBN 1 8441 3400 8 (HB)

GRACE, BEAUTY AND BANJOS — Peculiar Lives and Strange Times of Music Hall and Variety Artistes. Michael Kilgarriffe

HIDING THE ELEPHANT — How Magicians Invented the Impossible. Jim Steinmeyer
Hiding the Elephant tells the story of the golden age of magic and of the world’s most legendary magicians — the eccentrics personalities who first patented a ghost , communed with spirits, and competed fiendishly among themselves in the race to make things materialise, levitate and disappear. It is the story of dazzling invention and sometimes spectacular mischief. ISBN 0-09-947664-9

HOW TO BE FUNNY — Discovering the Comic You. Steve Allen with Jane Wollman. Foreword by Bill Maher
For anyone who wants to be a more amusing conversationalist, a more effective public speaker, or just more fun to be around, this book is as foolproof as a Steve Allen punch line.

HOW TO BECOME A VENTRILOQUIST. Edgar Bergen
After an informative and inspiring introduction, the author discusses "near" ventriloquism, the technique performers use to create the illusion of life in a moving, speaking puppet. Successive chapters focus on uses of the doll-dummy, hand puppets, shadowgraphs, and cardboard dummies. Bergen also offers valuable tips on staging, execution of "distant" ventriloquism, and much more. Forty-eight illustrations enhance this practical compilation of helpful hints and expert advice from one of the great masters of the art. ISBN 0 486 41086 2

I, AN ACTOR — NICHOLAS CRAIG — with Christopher Douglas and Nigel Planer.
At last the memoirs of Nicholas Craig — possibly the most controversial thespian of his generation — re-released for a grateful audience, fully updated with a wealth of new and devastatingly honest material. Startling truthful, unflinchingly illustrated, I. An Actor is a piton up the slope of creativity for theatre fans and aspiring actors alike, revealing everything that most theatrical autobiographies cravenly avoid. " Ha bloody ha" The Stage " Had me laughing out loud and becoming an embarrassment on public transport" Simon Brett ISBN 0 413 76550 4

IMPROV COMEDY. Andy Goldberg. Foreword by John Ritter
A course in the practice of this popular theatre genre. Also useful for writers or anyone who wishes to study the basics of controlled spontaneity as a path to believable humour.

IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE — The Complete Vade Mecum for the Old Time Music Hall Chairman. Michael Kilgarriff
The author has many years of experience in the world of Old Time Music Hall and this book is a distillation of his notes and records. It provides a guide for both amateur and professional companies with little or no experience of the genre to the production of Music Hall including song titles and over 600 patter entries, all of which have been tried out in performance.

MAGIC AND ILLUSION. Michael Symes
This book surveys the history of magic from about 1800 and looks at some of the lively characters who have contributed to its development — performers who would often demonstrate not only miraculous feats of conjuring but also considerable powers of showmanship. ISBN 0 7478 0604 7

MAGIC ON THE EARLY ENGLISH STAGE. Philip Butterworth
Magic on the Early English Stage investigates the performance of magical tricks, illusions, effects and their staged appearance in the medieval and early English theatre. Performers who created such magic were not known as conjurors but as jugglers. Records concerning jugglers on the medieval stage have been hitherto misunderstood or misapplied. Information that has remained dormant since original publication is discussed in relation to jugglers such as Thomas Brandon the Kings Juggler, and William Vincent, alias "Hocus Pocus". HB ISBN 0 521 82513 X

THE MAX MILLER APPRECIATION SOCIETY’S BLUE BOOK — THE MAX MILLER SHOW — Foreword by Roy Hudd. President Roy Hudd, Vice-President Clive Allen. Patron Ken Dodd
A bunch of Max Miller enthusiasts formed THE MAX MILLER APPRECIATION SOCIETY in January 1999 in Brighton. It exists to celebrate the lifes and times of Max Miller, the Cheeky Chappie, the greatest stand up comic of them all. The society publishes a journal quarterly, meets regularly, holds special events, collects Max Miller memorabilia and is fundraising for a statue of its hero to be erected on the Brighton Seafront. All profits from the sale of this book will go directly to the statue fund. ISBN 0 9541345 0 8

MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS. Vols 1 and 2 — Just the Words. Special 30th anniversary Edition
Two complete volumes containing the complete scripts from the four Monty Python series, first shown on BBC TV between 1969 and 1974. Illustrated.

MORE VARIETY DAYS. Edited by Frank Bruce and Archie Foley
Flairs, Fit-ups, Music Hall, Variety Theatre, Clubs, Cruises and Cabaret

"O" CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AT BELLAGIE. Photographs by Véronique Vial. Introduction by Franco Dragone, Peoms by Kerry Fleming.
Widely popular and critically acclaimed celebrity photographer Véronique Vial is also an official photographer for Cirque du Soleil, the adored theatrical troupe that mixes traditional circus performance tropes with imaginative mysticism and exotic storytelling in sold-out performances worldwide. Vial captures the vivid colour, breath-taking special effects, and mesmerizing costume, set design, and troupe performances — in and out of water — that are the hallmark of Cirque’s new Vegas venue at Bellagio. ISBN 1 57687 094 4

THE ORIENT ON THE VICTORIAN STAGE — Edward Ziter
This examines the representation of the Middle East in a variety of nineteenth-century entertainment forms such as panoramas, melodrama, pantomime, ballet and opera. Ziter explores the plays and productions at a number of venues including Drury Lane, Covent Garden, the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Crystal Palace and the British Museum.
ISBN 0 521 81829 X. Hardback

PANTOMIMES 101: Pantomime — Pantomiming. James W. Gouseff

PETER COOK AND DUDLEY MOORE — Goodbye Again. Edited by William Cook
This collection of their works is a comprehensive compilation of the finest sketches that Cook and Moore ever wrote together — form the beginning of their partnership, in the groundbreaking stage show, Beyond the Fringe, to the notorious taboo-busting Derek and Clive LPs that captured the spirit of punk rock, and inspired the scatological anarchy of Aternative Comedy. ISBN 0 09 947256 2

THE PHYSICAL COMEDY HANDBOOK. Davis Rider Robinson
This book is a one-of-a-kind resource for actors, teachers, and directors interested in physical comedy — from slapstick pratfalls to the theatre of the absurd. The author believes that the basic physical skills of comedy can be taught to anyone.

PORRIDGE: THE SCRIPTS. Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Edited by Richard Webber. Foreword by Ronnie Barker.
Published in their entirely for the first time, the scripts of this golden series reveal why Porridge outshone many of its rivals and continues to appeal to so many people. ISBN 0 7472 5862 7

RINGS OF DESIRE — Circus History and Representation. Helen Stoddart
This book offers readers an introduction into the cultural history of the circus; it gives an account of the dominant characteristics of the circus’s aesthetics practices and relates these to the sometimes precarious developments, changes and variations in its economic organisation, architecture and social status. ISBN 0 7190 5234 3

RONNIE BARKER — " All I Ever Wrote" The Complete Works.
Ronnie Barker was also responsible for writing much of the material he performed, often hiding the fact from the public by using a number of pen names. Gathered together here for the first time are sketches, songs, poems and scripts from every strand of his long career. ISBN 0 283 07334 9

SCOTLAND AND THE MUSIC HALL — 1850 — 1914. Paul Maloney
This book explores all aspects of the Scottish music-hall industry, from the lives of the professional culture of performers and impresarios to the place of music hall in Scottish life. This fascinating and lively account will be of interest to students and teachers of Scottish social history, popular culture, nineteenth-century social history and theatre studies, as well as to anyone with an interest in the history of popular entertainment. ISBN 0 7190 6147 4

THE SITCOM CAREER BOOK — Mary Lou Belli and Phil Ramuno. Foreword by Henry Winkler. Preface by Robert Greenblatt.
A Guide to the Louder, Faster, Funnier World of TV Comedy.
From two veteran television directors, here is a comprehensive guide to the most popular form of comedy in the world: the television sitcom. Revealed are the rules, the language and the traditions of this popular art form along with a colourful, first-person account of what it feels like to be on the set. ISBN 0 8230 2874 7

SIT-DOWN COMEDY — Stand-Ups Swap the Stage For the Page. Edited by
Malcolm Hardee and John Fleming
Ed Byrne. John Dowie. Jenny Eclair. Stephen Frost. Bothby Graffoe
Ricky Grover. Hattie Hayridge. John Hegley. Dominic Holland. Jeff Innocent. Stewart Lee. Simon Munnery. Owen O'Neill. Arthur Smith. Linda Smith. Jim Tavaré. Dave Thompson. Tim Vine.
To gratify the humour glands of the thousands of punters who pay good money to see stand-up every year and those now too infirm or lazy to bother, Malcolm Hardee (‘ the spiritual father of alternative comedy’ Independent on Sunday) compares a comedy club of the written word with a bill featuring the glitterati of British stand-up comedy. Malcolm gives the famous names and new talents alike carte blanche to try out their humour on the page in any weird and wonderful way they choose — fiction, fantasy, skewed slices of real life and beyond. Their only brief is to make us laugh. ISBN 0 091 88924 3

SKETCH-O-FRENIA— Fifty short and witty satirical sketches. John Dessler and Lawrence Phillis
Comedy sketches for stage, TV or Film. Fifty spoofs of the sacred icons of everyday life. A must resource for every theatre repertory group. ISBN 1 56608 089 4

SLAPSTICK & SAUSAGES — The Evolution of British Pantomime. Norman Robbins
In this enthralling book, the author traces the evolution of British Pantomime from pre-Christianity to the present century; revealing the origins of several comedic set-pieces and introducing many of the famous (or forgotten) people who shaped its extraordinary development. Packed with amusing anecdotes and excruciating puns, it will delight readers with a sense of the ridiculous, and make a perfect addition to the libraries of anyone interested in Theatre. ISBN 0 95429871 3

TEACH YOURSELF MAGIC. Anthony Galvin
If you want to astound and entertain your audience with intimate miracles that happen right before their eyes, Magic is for you. Using everyday objects you will be able quickly gain the confidence and competence needed to perform mind-boggling illusions. ISBN 0-340-90511-5

1000 CLOWNS MORE OR LESS — H. Thomas Steele
A visual history of the American Clown. ISBN 3 8228 2623 5

TWO-CHARACTER COMEDY SKETCHES. Susan Stepp

THE ULTIMATE IMPROV BOOK — A Complete Guide to Comedy Improvisation. Edward J. Nevraumont and Nicholas P. Hanson. With additional material from Kurt Smeaton.
A complete improv curriculum in twenty-four class length units. This comprehensive resource shows the who, what, when, why and how of comedy improvisation. Main Topics: What is Improv?. Improvisational Skills. Structuring. Strategies. PLUS: How to start your own improv team. Many games and exercises included. ISBN 1 56608 075 4

THE VICTORIAN CLOWN. Jacky Bratton and Ann Featherstone
The Victorian Clown is a microhistory of mid-Victorian comedy, spun out of the life and work of two professional clowns. Their previously unpublished manuscripts — James Frowde’s account of his account of his young life with the famous Hengler’s Circus in the 1850s and Thomas Lawrence’s 1871 gagbook — offer unique, unmediated access to the grass roots of popular entertainment. Through them this book explores the role of the circus clown at the height of equestrian entertainment in Britain. HB ISBN 0 521 81666 1

WHY IS THAT SO FUNNY? A Practical Exploration of Physical Comedy. John Wright
Why Is That So Funny? Starts with a discussion of the various types of laughter that can be provoked by performance. It then presents graduated sequences of over a hundred games and exercises devised to demonstrate and investigate the whole range of comic possibilities open to a performer and to test every assertion made.
Topics explored include Complicity, Finding and Declaring the Game, States of Tension, Rhythm, Comic Timing, Clowning, Parody, Satire, Pastiche, Caricature, Burlesque and Buffoon. ISBN 1 85459 782 5

WILD AND WACKY VARIETY SKITS — A Hilarious Variety Show. Judy Wicklund

WOODY ALLEN COMPLETE PROSE . ISBN 0 330 49198 9

THE WORKS, ISAAC AIR FREIGHT. Sketches From the Premier Christian Comedy Group. Dan Rupple and Dave Toole
ISAAC AIR FREIGHT — the name is synonymous with humour. This Christian comedy group tickled the collective Church’s funny bone right from their start in the late ’70s. National touring, TV and radio appearances, and the production of eight albums followed these pioneers in the new field of Christian comedy.

ZEN AND THE ART OF STAND-UP COMEDY. Jay Sankey
In this engaging and disarmingly frank book, comic Jay Sankey spills the beans, explaining not only how to write and perform stand-up comedy, but how to improve and perfect your work. Maybe even your life.

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