The stars of stand-up comedy : a biographical encyclopedia /

Smith, author of the recent Cosby biography, has written brief (2-3 page) biographies of 101 stand-up comics and comedy teams. All of the classic comedians (Hope, Berle, Cosby) are included, as well as some lesser knowns (Lord Buckley) and even a few women (Tomlin, Diller, Rivers). Of more interest than the biographical material, which is readily available in other reference sources, is the analysis of the comedy style and material of each. Typical bits of material are quoted in each article, which makes the volume of more interest for browsing and also adds a considerable amount of off-color reading. Illustrated with small, often dated, publicity photos, this is not a necessary purchase for reference collections. Marcia L. Perry, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.