Andy Rooney is a classic chronicler of America and her foibles. Over more than six decades of intrepid reporting and elegant essays, Rooney has told it to us straight and without a hint of sugar coating, but with more than a grain of truth and humor. Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit brings together the best of more than a half-century of work (including long-out-of-print pieces from Rooney's early years) in an unforgettable celebration of one of America's funniest men. With selections from his beginnings as a correspondent for The Stars and Stripes during WWII to his arrival at CBS to his more than thirty-year stint on 60 Minutes, this book is a must-have for any Rooney fan.

A wonderful, diverse collection spanning the writing career of the celebrated"60 Minutes" commentator and bestselling author.

The author recounts his experiences as a young reporter to "Stars and Stripes," the American forces' daily newspaper in Europe, including his personal account of the liberation and entry into Buchenwald.

"Andy Rooney's Sunday evening observations on 60 Minutes are an American institution, shaping the way people see everything from coffee percolators to the state of the nation."

The "60 Minutes" commentator brings together his greatest pieces of writing spanning a half-century.

The 1950s were simple times to grow up. For Lewis Grizzard and his buddies, gallivanting meant hanging out at the local store, eating Zagnut candy bars and drinking "Big Orange bellywashers." About the worst thing a kid ever did was smoke rabbit tobacco rolled in paper torn from a brown grocery sack, or maybe slick back his hair into a ducktail and try gyrating his hips like Elvis. But then assassinations, war, civil rights, free love, and drugs rocked the old order. And as they did, Grizzard frequently felt lost and confused. In place of Elvis, the Pied Piper of his generation, Grizzard now found wormy-looking, long-haired English kids who performed either half-naked or dressed like Zasu Pitts. Elvis Is Dead and I Don't Feel So Good Myself is the witty, satiric, nostalgic account of Grizzard's efforts to survive in a changing world. Sex, music, clothes, entertainment, and life itself receive the Grizzard treatment. In this, his sixth book, Grizzard was never funnier or more in tune with his readers. He might not have felt so good himself, but his social commentary and humor can still make the rest of us feel just fine.

This is an assemblage of Rooney's innumerable and thoughtfully (mostly) sassy (always) letters responding to government and business folk, viewers of 60 Minutes, organizations asking him for a speaking engagement, lawyers, friends, those interested in religious matters, and others. And the letters are arranged into sections according to the type of recipient. Letters that prompted Mr. Rooney's replies are not listed (though Rooney's style allows one to easily understand the original letter's gist). No notes or index, but there seems little need for either. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Chairs. Neat people. Ugliness. War. Over six decades of intrepid reporting and elegant essays, Andy Rooney has proven a shrewd cultural analyst - unafraid to question the sometimes ridiculous, often surprising facts of our lives. Rooney's great gift is telling it straight, without a hint of sugar coating, but with more than a grain of truth and humor. His take on America? ''It's just amazing how long this country has been going to hell without ever having got there.'' On food? ''there's more dependable mediocrity than there used to be.''

Andy Rooney has been at it for twenty-five years. It's time to celebrate. So here's the ultimate gift for every Rooney fan: an illustrated collection of Rooney's very best pieces from a quarter centur

Insightful essays on the frustrations of modern life.