book has kept my spirits up over some very tough times. Each short essay is a gem of understated humor. Perelman's gift for making up names that make you laugh out loud -- especially if you know Yiddish -- is unparalleled. This is a book to savor. Even the introduction and interstitial writing by the editor, Steve Martin, are hilarious. Perelman is also an erudite humorist, throwing about deadly accurate references to the classics of American and European literature with abandon. If it was worth lampooning between 1930 and 1958, Perelman lampoons it. The results have not aged badly.