In addition to writing in a very broad range of genres, from history to science fiction to fantasy to mystery to science, Isaac Asimov also published joke and humor books including Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor (1971). (You can read parts of it online here.) He was quite fond of puns and whether he was the first to say it or not, I remember him commenting that puns were one of the highest forms of humor.
One of his groan-inducing, pun-driven jokes that I remember goes something like this:
A man with the last name of Stein committed a crime, then used a time machine to escape to a point in the future just after the statute of limitations on his offense ran out.
He was found, arrested and brought to trial on the theory that since he did not actually live through that passage of time, the statute of limitations should not apply.
After hearing arguments on both sides and examining the evidence, the judge issued his verdict in Stein's favor and the headlines read: "A niche in time saves Stein."
If, for whatever reason, you are looking for some additional reading punishment, here are a few suggestions.
Several years ago I went back and reread many of the books and series from my childhood. This included the book that sparked my interest in reading - The Wizard of Oz (1900) and the subsequent 13 sequels by L. Frank Baum. The story had many elements I had completely forgotten about, especially since they weren't in the movie. In some regards I was a little disappointed as the story had lost some of its magic, but in other areas I found it more meaningful so it is still one of my favorites despite its meandering plot.
Anyway, upon my rereading I was surprised at the sheer number of puns in all of the Oz books. I must not have caught them when I was younger, or the magical newness of the characters, creatures and events overpowered the puns at the time.
In Junior High one of my teachers exposed me to books written and illustrated by Fred Gwynne. (Yes - the same Fred Gwynne who played Herman Munster on The Munsters TV series.) He also loved puns and his books, The King Who Rained (1980), The Sixteen Hand Horse (1982), A Chocolate Moose for Dinner (1987), and A Little Pigeon Toad (1988) are full of puns created as a child tries to visually reconcile what common phrases, many with homonyms mean.
I read an interview with Gwynne in which he showed many sculptures and various odds and ends he created himself, included a small bell shaped like a banana. The sole purpose behind this nick-knack was to set up the joke that when it is rung it peals.
As a teenager, I read several of Piers Anthony's Xanth stories. The sheer volume of groan-inducing puns in these books is staggering. These are not for young children like the Oz or Gwynne's books, however, as some of the plots, jokes and characters can be risque (to put it mildly). Starting with A Spell for Chameleon (1977), Anthony has continued to publish these formulaic stories (well, at least they were formulaic up through the sixth or seventh book and I stopped reading them) for 30 years now with the 32nd in the series, Two to the Fifth, published last month.
More recently David Farland's younger young adult Ravenspell series with Of Mice and Magic (2005) and The Wizard of Ooze (2007) uses a few puns, but not nearly to the extent of the other books I have mentioned here. Younger readers might enjoy the stories solely for the fantasy elements while older readers will pick up on jokes and pop culture references that pass completely over their heads.
Let me know if there are other books I should add to this list.
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