Laughter and Liberation

The quest for laughter is as old as man himself—Egyptian pharaohs and Roman emperors went to great lengths to amuse themselves, as did the monarchs of medieval Europe with court jesters. Our speech and literature abound with references to humor such as: "Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone," "He who laughs last laughs best," "All the world loves a clown," "Laugh if you are wise," and "A good laugh is sunshine in the house." In , Harvey Mindess tells us how laughter and our sense of humor work. He gives us the background of several well-known humorists—Steve Allen, Richard Armour, Sholom Aleichem—and explains his theory of how and why they have become expert in making others laugh.