The Encyclopedia of George Carlin Jokes - Compiled by Mike Nelson.

George Carlin was an American stand-up comedian who died in 2008. This book details his best 302 jokes.

I do not remember George Carlin and his comedy was not broadcast much in the UK. So I read this book with fresh eyes and an open mind. When I got to the end, I was disappointed. I did not enjoy reading this book and I found it a chore. His humour is typical of a stand-up comedian, lots of ranting about everyday frustations. There is nothing special about his humour, George was not unique, just another American comedian playing the underdog. Okay, there were a few bits that made me smile but nothing made me laugh out loud. His humour is very similar to another dead American comedian, Bill Hicks.

The structure employed by Mike Nelson for this book is okay and you get the feeling that you may have been a fan following George for many years. But you can't get any atmosphere of the gigs from this book. It is just a transcript, so you have no idea of tone, accent, timing and body language. These 4 key elements of comedy brighten up any performance and make the gig work. Reading a transcript in this fashion gives you as much character as a telephone directory.

As a book this does not work. Whatever good work George performed does not translate into this book of quotes. There is very little reading pleasure to be gained from this book and any talent George had, has been lost within these pages. This book is NOT a good read and I can only vote it 1 star.