An unmissable gift book, A Small Book of Jewish Comedians is a perfect (please God) post-pandemic pick-me-up. In 1978, Time magazine estimated that around 80 percent of professional American comics were Jewish, and Jewish humour remains a foundation stone of American popular culture and humour. This book is not intended as a definitive tome but is instead a joyful and irreverent celebration of great photography and of some of the greatest one-liners of the twentieth century, ripe in satire, anecdote, self-deprecation and irony.

Featuring photographs of comedians such as Larry David, Fran Lebowitz, Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar, Lenny Bruce, Joan Rivers and George Burns, the book’s portraits are accompanied by one-liners such as: “When I was a boy the Dead Sea was only sick.” (George Burns); “It was a Jewish porno film... one minute of sex and nine minutes of guilt.” (Joan Rivers); “You know who wears sunglasses inside? Blind people and assholes.” (Larry David); “I am not the type who wants to go back to the land; I am the type who wants to go back to the hotel.” (Fran Lebowitz).

Bobby Slayton, often referred to as “The Pitbull of Comedy” or “Yid Vicious”, has been performing his own intense style of comedy for well over 40 years, becoming one of the best known, respected, and energetic comics working today. His many television credits include “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “The Tonight Show”, “Politically Incorrect”, “Home Improvement” and his own Showtime special, “Born to be Bobby”. He was a series regular on “Mind of a Married Man” and played Joey Bishop opposite Ray Liotta and Joe Mantegna in the critically acclaimed film “The Rat Pack”. Other movie credits include scene-stealing roles in “Get Shorty”, “Ed Wood”, “Bandits”, “Dreamgirls” and “Rifkin’s Festival”. Slayton’s distinctive gravelly voice has often been heard on animated shows, including “Dr. Katz’” and “Family Guy”, as well as many popular radio shows across the country.