Thrown Under the Omnibus: A Reader

P.J. O'Rourke has had a prolific career as one of America's most celebrated humorists. But that career almost didn't happen. As he tells it, "I began to write for pay in the spring of 1970. To tell the truth I didn't even mean to be a writer, I meant to be a race car driver, but I didn't have a race car." Fortunately for us, he had to settle for writing. From his early pieces for the National Lampoon, through his classic reporting as Rolling Stone's International Affairs editor in the 80s and 90s, and his brilliant, inimitable political journalism and analysis, P.J. has been entertaining and provoking readers with high octane prose, a gonzo Republican attitude and a rare ability to make you laugh out loud. Chris Buckley once described his work as "S.J. Perlman on acid" and when Penguin first published its Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations PJ had more entries than any living writer. For the first time Thrown Under the Omnibus brings together his funniest, most outrageous, most controversial and most loved pieces in the definitive P.J. reader. Handpicked and introduced by the humorist himself, Thrown Under the Omnibus is the essential P.J. O'Rourke anthology.

About the Author :
P. J. O Rourke was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, and attended Miami University and Johns Hopkins. He began writing funny things in 1960s underground newspapers, became editor-in-chief of "National Lampoon," then spent 20 years reporting for "Rolling Stone" and the "Atlantic Monthly" as the world s only trouble-spot humorist, going to wars, riots, rebellions, and other Holidays in Hell in more than 40 countries. He s written 16 books on subjects as diverse as politics and cars and etiquette and economics. His book about Washington, "Parliament of Whores," and his book about international conflict and crisis, "Give War a Chance," both reached #1 on the "New York Times" bestseller list. He is a contributing editor at the "Weekly Standard," H. L. Mencken fellow at the Cato Institute, a member of the editorial board of World Affairs and a regular panelist on NPR s "Wait Wait Don t Tell Me." He lives with his family in rural New England, as far away from the things he writes about as he can get. "

Review :
Praise for Thrown Under the Omnibus: "The world is short on laughs these days . . . Excellent timing, then, for the release of a thick collection of humorist P.J. O'Rourke's work, culled from his 16 books by the author himself . . . Mr. O'Rourke has had a full and illustrious career, including stints at National Lampoon, Car and Driver and Rolling Stone. He occupies a rare place among the laughing class: He has somehow avoided the orifice obsession that captivates many of its members; he identifies as Republican; and he is no mere thumb-sucker, having visited more than 40 countries to report on wars, regime changes, economic revolutions and the experience of drinking cocktails garnished with the poison sacs of cobras."--Wall Street Journal "Outspoken conservatives have long been a minority in comedy, particularly in the mainstream media, which provided an opportunity for P.J. O'Rourke, who for decades cornered the market for prominent right-wing humorists . . . If his wry essays have a mission statement . . . it's this: Starchy Republicanism is really, really fun."--New York Times Book Review "[P.J. O'Rourke] was really the first to inject-non-liberal hilarity into political discourse . . . But more important, he was able to yank conservatives out of the hands of the humorless and shrill, and make such writing accessible . . . He changed my life . . . If you don't know him--you have your chance. Buy his new omnibus--an anthology of more good writing than you'd find in ten years of reading Proust."--Greg Gutfeld "The only member of Woodstock Nation smart enough to brand himself as a conservative . . . O'Rourke's career omnibus is best enjoyed from the depths of a button back chair with a glass of something golden at your side. Since the book is impossible to lift, the chair should be a stout one."--Independent (UK) Praise for P.J. O'Rourke: "Whether you agree with him or not, P.J. writes a helluva piece."--Richard Nixon "P.J. O'Rourke is like S.J. Perelman on acid."--Chris Buckley "The funniest writer in America."--Wall Street Journal