I've read a handful of books on comedy writing in the past few months, and this book is the only one worth the money and the time. It is intelligent, insightful, and useful -- which the other books in general were not. Most writing on comedy that I am familiar with is either incredibly obvious (and no help in getting a humorous tale underway) or bafflingly and pointlessly academic (ditto -- and I read philosophers: I do not have trouble with intellectual content per se). This book, by contrast, hits the sweet spot of analysis and how-to, of what-makes-it-go and how-you-can-get-there. Job well done. (It must be said that Vorhaus doesn't understand the Wodehouse magic, specifically the Jeeves-Wooster relationship or what defines the characters of Jeeves and Wooster (who is not, *pace* the author, a class snob -- that's sheer projection and carelessness on the author's part.) I would also have liked more reference to English comedy -- Are You Being Served?, for instance, has been well known to American audiences for about a quarter century -- which would illustrate his points as well as American ones, and underscore the universality of the principles he talks about. Overall, a strong book, and recommended.