What is snark? You recognize it when you see it -- a tone of teasing, snide, undermining abuse, nasty and knowing, that is spreading like pinkeye through the media and threatening to take over how Americans converse with each other and what they can count on as true. Snark attempts to steal someone's mojo, erase her cool, annihilate her effectiveness. In this sharp and witty polemic, New Yorker critic and bestselling author David Denby takes on the snarkers, naming the nine principles of snark -- the standard techniques its practitioners use to poison their arrows. Snarkers like to think they are deploying wit, but mostly they are exposing the seethe and snarl of an unhappy country, releasing bad feeling but little laughter. In this highly entertaining essay, Denby traces the history of snark through the ages, starting with its invention as personal insult in the drinking clubs of ancient Athens, tracking its development all the way to the age of the Internet, where it has become the sole purpose and style of many media, political, and celebrity Web sites. Snark releases the anguish of the dispossessed, envious, and frightened; it flows when a dying class of the powerful struggles to keep the barbarians outside the gates, or, alternately, when those outsiders want to take over the halls of the powerful and expel the office-holders. Snark was behind the London-based magazine Private Eye, launched amid the dying embers of the British empire in 1961; it was also central to the career-hungry, New York-based magazine Spy. It has flourished over the years in the works of everyone from the startling Roman poet Juvenal to Alexander Pope to Tom Wolfe to a million commenters snarling at other people behind handles. Thanks to the grand dame of snark, it has a prominent place twice a week on the opinion page of the New York Times. Denby has fun snarking the snarkers, expelling the bums and promoting the true wits, but he is also making a serious point: the Internet has put snark on steroids. In politics, snark means the lowest, most insinuating and insulting side can win. For the young, a savage piece of gossip could ruin a reputation and possibly a future career. And for all of us, snark just sucks the humor out of life. Denby defends the right of any of us to be cruel, but shows us how the real pros pull it off. Snark, he says, is for the amateurs.

"Published on April Fool's Day, 1876, Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark remains one of the most amusing and bizarre works of modern verse. Carroll, who completed this classic poem eleven years after the publication of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, invites readers along on a fictitious hunt to determine who - or what - the Snark actually is." "Now, over 130 years later, Martin Gardner, the extraordinary "philosophical scrivener," returns to the Snark with a trove of new annotations and illustrations, offering readers fresh insights into Carroll's existential play of fancy and philosophy." "Henry Holiday's original drawings enhance the work, as does a new introduction by Adam Gopnik that communicates the relevance this strange and in many ways ominous poem holds for a new generation of readers."--BOOK JACKET.

What do Dorothy Parker, Groucho Marx, H. L. Mencken, Oscar Wilde, Robert Benchley, George Bernard Shaw, Jules Feiffer, Bill Hicks, Bill Maher, Phyllis Diller, Édith Piaf, W. C. Fields, Mark Twain, Voltaire, Charles Bukowski, and countless others have in common? Not a thing, other than each was a brilliantly snarky wit and all are included in this compendium of the original snark handbooks. Hear wit, sarcasm, and offhanded comments from: The Snark Handbook: A Reference Guide to Verbal Sparring The Snark Handbook: Insult Edition The Snark Handbook: Sex Edition Snark! The Herald Angels Sing The Snark Handbook: Politics and Government Edition The Snark Handbook: Clichés Edition The Snark Handbook: Parenting Edition Isn’t that enough!?!? A minor literary success (beloved by both minors and miners), the snark handbooks have cemented their position in the literary world, high atop toilet seats everywhere. Now in one great big edition, this lofty tome promises to fulfill the need to chuckle, guffaw, titter, groan, and belly laugh as readers dip in and out of the great minds in literature, comedy, movies, music, and more. Proceed with caution.

Set sail on an exhilarating adventure with "The Cruise of the Snark" by Jack London. This enthralling narrative chronicles London's journey across the Pacific on his beloved yacht, the Snark, where he seeks freedom, inspiration, and the thrill of discovery. As you dive into this riveting account, ask yourself: What drives a man to chase the horizon, leaving everything behind? But here's the intriguing question: Can the pursuit of adventure lead to unexpected challenges that redefine one's purpose? Through vivid descriptions and passionate storytelling, London immerses you in the beauty and peril of life at sea. Each chapter reveals not only the breathtaking landscapes but also the internal struggles and revelations that come with the journey. Are you ready to navigate the waters of self-discovery alongside London? This isn't just a travelogue; it's a profound exploration of ambition, the human spirit, and the relentless quest for meaning. London’s reflections invite you to ponder your own journeys and aspirations. Now is the time to join Jack London on this unforgettable expedition. Will you let "The Cruise of the Snark" inspire your own adventures? Don't wait—secure your copy of "The Cruise of the Snark" today and embark on a journey that transcends the ordinary!

The Cruise of the Snark is a non-fictional, illustrated book by Jack London chronicling his sailing adventure in 1907 across the south Pacific in his ketch the Snark. Accompanying London on this voyage was his wife Charmian London and a small crew.A history of what was once viewed as the heart of the American city. Urban historian Robert Fogelson gives an account of how downtown - and the way Americans thought about it - changed between 1880 and 1950. Recreating battles over subways and skyscrapers, the introduction of elevated highways and parking bans, and other controversies, this work offers a perspective on downtown's rise and fall.

The author has narrated a two-year voyage aboard a ship. It is the account of wild sea storms, navigational doubts and sea-illnesses combined with the natural beauty. The amalgamation of terror and fascination renders beauty to the narrative. A book that testifies man's indefatigable courage and spirit....

The author has narrated a two-year voyage aboard a ship. It is the account of wild sea storms, navigational doubts and sea-illnesses combined with the natural beauty. The amalgamation of terror and fascination renders beauty to the narrative. A book that testifies man's indefatigable courage and spirit....

This lively collection provides hours of entertainment and captures the current era of snarky humor--usually at someone else's expense.