A compendium of literary humor from the pages of "The New Yorker" features essays and articles by S.J. Perelman, Dorothy Parker, Calvin Trillin, Garrison Keillor, Steve Martin, David Sedaris, and Ian Frazier.

Couples: The breaking up of the Winships / James Thurber ; The house of mirth / Peter De Vries ; The Zagat history of my last relationship / Noah Baumbach ; 8 simple rules for dating my ex-wife / David Owen ; Audio tour / Patricia Marx ; Share our joy / Larry Doyle -- The flesh is weak: Frigidity in men / E. B. White ; The New Yorker advisor / Roger Angell ; The whore of Mensa / Woody Allen ; Artichoke / Polly Frost ; My sexual fantasies / Jim Windolf ; Aristotle on relationships / Frank Gannon ; Four short crushes / Paul Simms -- Children's hours: Stage fathers / Calvin Trillin ; Shiftless little loafers / Susan Orlean ; Recently discovered childhood letters to Santa / Johnny Carson ; How to lay off your kids / Carina Chocano ; Camp correspondence / Bruce McCall ; College essay / Christopher Buckley ; Inappropriate / Paul Rudnick ; The wisdom of children / Simon Rich ; Hey, look / Simon Rich -- Animal crackers: Coyote v. Acme / Ian Frazier ; What to do about sharks / Bruce McCall ; All I really need to know I learn by having my arms ripped off by a polar bear / Andrew Barlow ; Animals all around us / Jack Handey ; The living dead / David Sedaris ; Talking chimp gives his first press conference / Paul Simms ; My dog is Tom Cruise / Noah Baumbach ; Aesop in the city / Yoni Brenner ; Monkey do / Yoni Brenner ; Animal tales / Simon Rich -- No business like show business: Farewell, my lovely appetizer / S. J. Perelman ; Early morning of a motion picture executive / Thomas Meehan ; Hollywood in the Fifties / Garrison Keillor ; Running through the wall / Frank Gannon ; The envelope, please : a viewer's guide to the Emmys / Jon Stewart ; Theatre-lobby notices / Andy Borowitz ; Review / Patricia Marx ; Studio script notes on The passion / Steve Martin ; Why we strike / Larry Doyle.