Erma Bombeck Beloved for her wry yet warm look at family life, Erma Bombeck was America's favorite humorist at the time of her death in 1996. Ten of her 13 books, including Forever, Erma, appeared on the New York Times best-seller list. She claimedher first fiction writing was the weather forecast in the Dayton Herald. Her favorite food was pasta, and her hobby was dust. Read More Read Less