Satire
The Paying Guest
Clarence and Emmeline Mumford are in for a real treat when they take in the young, outspoken Miss Louise Derrick as their guest. Shedding a …
Widowers' Houses
This is one of three plays Shaw published as Plays Unpleasant in 1898; they were termed "unpleasant" because they were intended, n…
The Devil is an Ass
An inferior devil, Pug, asks Satan to send him to Earth to tempt men to Evil. But when Pug arrives in 1616 London and sets himself at the Sq…
The Island Pharisees
Richard Shelton is wrestling with his conscience. As a member of the upper class at a time when the British Empire is at its height, he sees…
Knickerbocker's History of New York
Washington Irving, an author, biographer, historian, and diplomat, completed his first major work, a satire of contemporary local history an…
The Inheritance
"As the noblest attribute of man, family pride had been cherished time immemorial by the noble race of Rossville. Deep and incurable, t…
Fred Allen Show
Enjoy a selection of episodes from the beloved Fred Allen Show, a classic radio program that entertained audiences with its unique blend of …
Damn! A Book of Calumny
Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken (1880 – 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of Ameri…
Bill Nye and Boomerang
Humorist Bill Nye was the first editor of the daily paper in Laramie, Wyoming, and named it the Laramie Boomerang in honor of his mule. As …
The Struggles of Brown, Jones, and Robinson
Billed as a satire concerning the dishonest advertising and business practices of the day, it tells the tale of an upstart clothing business…
A Tale of a Tub
A Tale of a Tub was the first major work written by Jonathan Swift, composed between 1694 and 1697, that was eventually published in 1704. I…
The Voyage Out
The Voyage Out is the first novel by Virginia Woolf, published in 1915 by Duckworth; and published in the U.S. in 1920 by Doran. One of Wool…
You Never Can Tell
In this witty comedy of errors, the Clandon siblings, Gloria and the twins, Dolly and Philip attempt to uncover the identity of their long l…
The School for Wives
In 1661 and 1662 Moliere presented the plays The School for Husbands and then The School for Wives (this one). "The central situations …
The Celebrity
The Celebrity is a sharp satire that explores the complexities of fame and the literary world through the lens of a young novelist's rise to…
Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich
A collection of humorous fiction by renowned Canadian writer, Stephen Leacock. Unlike the lighter Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town that pr…
Die drei gerechten Kammmacher
Gottfried Kellers Novelle "Die drei gerechten Kammmacher" (diese Schreibweise wurde in der Erstausgabe 1856 verwendet und gilt nac…
The Wit and Humor of America
The Wit and Humor of America is a delightful anthology that captures the essence of American wit through a collection of 55 short stories an…
The Confidence-Man
The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade was the last major novel by Herman Melville, the American writer and author of Moby-Dick. Published on Ap…
Curiosities of Street Literature
This is a collection of broadsides from London. Broadsides are short, popular publications, a precursor to today's tabloid journalism. The c…