"On the lawns and porches, and in the living rooms and backyards of my threescore years, there have been more dogs, written and drawn, real and imaginary, than I had guessed before I started this roundup."
Here is James Thurber, arguably the greatest humorist of the twentieth century, on all things canine. In The Dog Department, Michael J. Rosen, a literary dogcatcher of sorts, has gathered together Thurber's best in show. Here we have the stylish prose and drawings from Thurber's Dogs (which connected the words "Thurber" and "Dog" as inseparably as "Bartlett" and "Quotation," as "Emily Post" and "Etiquette"), along with unpublished material from the Thurber archives, a great sheaf of uncollected cartoons, and two dozen "Talk of the Town" miniatures from The New Yorker — the consummate dog book from an artist of extraordinary pedigree. What other author can claim to have penned his own personal breed? The Thurber hound is a creature as unmistakable as Disney's mouse or Playboy's bunny.
In The Dog Department you'll find standard poodles, Scottish terriers, an Airedale, a rough collie, an American Staffordshire terrier — all Thurber family members who inspired quintessential dog tales. For instance, there's Muggs, "the dog that bit people," an avocation that, each year, required Thurber's mother to send her famous chocolates to an ever-growing list of Muggs's victims. There's also a fair share about bloodhounds, German shepherd dogs, and pugs. But what you'll find remarkable and comforting is that reading Thurber from fifty or even seventy-five years ago is akin to reading about dogs today — or about dogs from the previous century, as Thurber grew up reading — or about dogs, we hope, from this new century we've just entered. The Dog Department is proof that Thurber's work defines the canine canon.

The Dog Department: James Thurber on Hounds, Scotties, and Talking Poodles

Humor & Entertainment

Rosen, Michael J.

Thurber, Rosemary

THURBER, JAMES

Humor

Harper

Perfect for commuter train rides, rush-hour gridlock, Pilates work-outs, or any time when levity might add to the very quality of life. With inimitable contributions by Merrill Markoe, Dave Barry, Garry Trudeau and Bruce McCall, you have a triumphant salute to one of America's greatest assets: its sense of humor.
A salvo of hilarity from that loose canon of American humor that Mirth of a Nation editor Michael J. Rosen has culled from some 1200 pages of brilliantly original works by our best contemporary humorists. This action-packed compilation of highlights (FYI, we have no intention of mentioning "the funnybone" and how these CDs are sure to tickle it) includes Bobbie Ann Mason's stint at the La Bamba hotline, David Rakoff's insights on families, Andy Borowitz's memoir of Emily Dickinson (basically, she was a drunken jerk), and Michael Feldman's helpful (re)locating of the Midwest.
Performed by Tony Roberts, Susie Essman, with guest performances by Stephen Collins, Michael Feldman, Cynthia Kaplan, Martha Plimpton, David Rakoff, M. Sweeney Lawless, Sandra Tsing Loh, and Mark O'Donnell.

Mirth of a Nation: Audio Companion, Fellow Traveler and Friend for Life--Laff Tracks From America's Most Trusted Humor Anthology

HarperAudio

Nutritiousness aside, May Contain Nuts provides 100% of the daily recommended amount of that essential life-enhancer, laughter. With more than 70 contributors and 150 shots from the loose canon of American humor, it's a stellar edition with plenty of real stars from stage and screen(writing):
• Seinfeld's Peter Mehlman • Hairspray's Mark O'Donnell • Ed's Michael Ian Black • and the world's most famous drive-in movie critic, Joe Bob Briggs
Plus, there's Roy Blount Jr. on how to travel "Southern" outside the South; summer recipes from our man in the kitchen, Henry Alford; Firesign Theatre's Phil Austin's yuletide "Tale of the Old Detective"; P. J. O'Rourke's not-so-intimate "Diary of a Country Gentleman"; Daniel Radosh's "PowerPoint Anthology of Literature"; and Tom Gliatto's helpful overview of today's thriving cabaret scene. With umpteen illustrations, many perplexing charts, and our first centerfold ever, this volume is party-sized for your reading pleasure.
New in This Issue
<ul>
<li>a comprehensive teacher's guide</li>
<li>a food section (including a transcript from Van Gogh's early cooking show)</li>
<li>up-to-the-minute newscrawl</li>
<li>a preview of the new all Law &amp; Order Network</li> <li>"Blues for Advanced Beginners"</li>
<li>Ingenious and iffy tributes to Orson Welles, Dale Earnhardt, Beck, John Edwards, and Celine Dion</li>
</ul>

May Contain Nuts: A Very Loose Canon of American Humor

Harper Paperbacks

Seriously Funny Writing By Today's Most Celebrated Authors
At last, a premier showcase of fifty-four great literary humorists and masters of the journalistic jab, the social spoof, the parodic proof, the satire, the tirade, and the send-up. Here are those "last laughs" and "wit's end" pieces everyone turns to first but then loses in back issues of favorite magazines and newspapers, including:
<ul>
<li>Merrill Markoeon Networking with angels</li>
<li>Garry Trudeau on re-retranslating Madonna</li>
<li>David Sedaris on reviewing school Christmas Plays</li>
<li>John Updike on cross-dressing with J. Edgar Hoover</li>
</ul>
Also included are riotous contributions from Henry Alford, Jon Stewart, and David Ives, as well as millennial maxims by Mark O'Donnell, gardening advice by Mertensia Corydalis, and highlights from Randy Cohen's savvy "News Quiz."
Brought to you by The Thurber House

Mirth of a Nation: The Best Contemporary Humor

Puzzles & Games

In this very special anthology of beautifully poetic short stories, thirty distinguished authors and illustrators explore the unique and varied meanings of home. Their touching words and magnificent art affirm the importance—and joy—of having a place to call one’s own.
Culturally diverse, multi-representative, and socially inclusive, this book is nourishment for the young soul.
At a time when displacement and homelessness remain painfully present in our society, this classic anthology is indispensable. 
The distinguished contributors to this collection include:
<ul>
<li>Franz Brandenberg</li>
<li>Mimi Brodsky</li>
<li>Lucille Clifton</li>
<li>Virginia Hamilton</li>
<li>Jamake Highwater</li>
<li>Karla Kuskin</li>
<li>Myra Cohn Livingston</li>
<li>Liz Rosenberg</li>
<li>Cynthia Rylant</li>
<li>Jon Scieszka</li>
<li>Laurence Yep</li>
<li>Jane Yolen</li>
<li>Arthur Yorinks</li>
<li>Aliki</li>
<li>Karen Barbour</li>
<li>Pat Cummings</li>
<li>Lisa Desimini</li>
<li>Leo and Diane Dillon</li>
<li>Richard Egielski</li>
<li>Sheila Hamanaka</li>
<li>James Marshall</li>
<li>Jerry Pinkney</li>
<li>Vladimir Radunsky</li>
<li>James Ransome</li>
<li>Aminah Robinson</li>
<li>Marc Simont</li>
<li>Lane Smith</li>
<li>Mary Szilagyi</li>
<li>Vera B. Williams</li>
</ul>
Home can be. . .
playing on the stoop of your building,
sitting in your grandmother’s kitchen,
or hiding under your back porch stairs.

Home: A Collaboration of Thirty Authors & Illustrators (Reading Rainbow Book)

Children's Books

VARIOUS

Arts, Music & Photography

Harpercollins

In the eyes of an imaginative boy, his dog becomes a seal when he is slick with soap, a billy goat when he chews the mail, a croc when he crouches beneath the table stalking a crumb, and other animals.

With a Dog Like That, a Kid Like Me (Picture Puffins)

Animals

Puffin

Sixteen children's book illustrators contribute portrayals of families dining, accompanied by verses

The Greatest Table: A Banquet to Fight Against Hunger

Harcourt Childrens Books

Eve Bunting recalls the primroses she picked in Ireland. Amy and David Butler tell the tale of King Watermelon and the curious pole beans. And Lois Ehlert describes her annual amaryllis race. In all, forty-one acclaimed children’s book authors and illustrators contribute gardening memories and vision to benefit the hunger-relief efforts of Share Our Strength. An activity section at the back of the book is filled with ideas to inspire young people to grow their own gardens.

Down to Earth

Collects the stories of five adolescents who overcome the challenges of prejudice, divorce, age, illness, and fear, from a disabled Matt, who discovers his talent for swimming, to Jonathan, who is sent away to boarding school.

The Heart Is Big Enough: Five Stories

Literature & Fiction

Elijah's Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas

Michael and Elijah are friends, but when Elijah gives Michael one of his special carved angels, Michael doesn’t know what to do. How can he possibly take home a Christmas angel, a forbidden graven image--especially on Chanukah? “A strikingly illustrated story that tenderly bridges the boundaries of age, race, and religion.”--American Bookseller

Houghton, mifflin, harcourt

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Books by Rosen, Michael J.