About "Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks & Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits & Wordsmiths"

Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks & Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits & Wordsmiths Published November 2005       Hardcover: 304 pages List Price: $14.95       ISBN: 0060789484

All online booksellers and all major brick & mortar bookstores will be selling the book, but to make things a little easier for you, I'll provide links to two online sellers:

Viva la Repartee is a celebration of clever comebacks and witty replies from some of history's most quick-witted people. After the success of Oxymoronica, my publisher asked if I could quickly follow up with another book. Viva la Repartee is the result.

The book contains over 600 examples of repartee, and the often fascinating stories behind them. All of the usual suspects have been rounded up, like Winston Churchill's famous reply to Nancy Astor ("And if you were my wife, I'd drink it!") and Groucho Marx's legendary quip to a man who said he had ten children because he loved his wife ("I love my cigar, but I take it out of my mouth every now and then"). You'll also find wonderful ripostes and rejoinders from Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Mae West, Dorothy Parker, Dolly Parton, and many, many others.

The book also features many fabulous, but little-known, replies, like the spectacular remark that actor Christopher Reeve made one night to host James Lipton on the Bravo TV program "Inside the Actor's Studio." When Reeve was asked what it was liked to have acted with Katharine Hepburn, he delighted the audience with his reply:

Even though I've been interested in repartee for more than forty years, I only began to systematically collect examples of such wit-under-pressure about ten years ago. I've found them in books, magazines, newspapers, films, and television programs. Many were described—often with great relish—at cocktail parties and in personal conversations. As friends and colleagues learned about my project, they began to tell me their favorites. As my collection of comebacks grew into the thousands, I began organizing them into categories (political, literary, sports, etc.).

The target audience for the book has always been perfectly clear to me: it's for people who enjoy great wit and wordplay, especially when the cleverness is displayed under pressure or when the chips are down. If this description fits you, I think you'll enjoy the book. If you know such a person, it could be the perfect gift.

For more information, click on the links below:

Table of Contents

To give you a better idea of how the book is organized, the Table of Contents appears below:

How to Get the Book

Let me briefly describe three ways for you to get a copy of the book.

1) Your Local Bookstore

Most discerning bookstores will have Viva la Repartee in stock, so a visit to your favorite bookseller may be the easiest way to get your hands on a copy. If they don't have it, ask them to order a copy. This is a service bookstores are more than willing to provide to their book-loving customers, so take advantage of it. To identify a local Independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound.

2) Online Bookstores:

3) Your Local Library

If you're a little short on cash right now, no problem! You can be reading Viva la Repartee within a few weeks. Simply call or go to your local library and ask them to order a copy or two for the library's collection. Tell them to reserve the book for you, and they'll notify you when it comes in. I've been able to get my hands on scores of books this way over the years. This is one of the many fantastic services provided by public libraries; yet very few people are aware of it. And it's paid for by your tax dollars, so take advantage of it. By the way, even if you decide to buy a copy of the book, I'd appreciate your asking your local library to order a copy anyway.