Cobb's Anatomy (version 2)

Irvin S. Cobb was one of America's greatest humorists, and in this gleefully irreverent guidebook he turns his wit upon the human body. With the confidence of a man who has studied his own considerable midsection extensively, Cobb dissects the mysteries of digestion, the tragedy of teeth, the philosophy of hair, and the humble servitude of hands and feet. Each chapter treats its subject with the mock-seriousness of a medical textbook written by someone who clearly spent too much time in front of the mirror. What makes Cobb endure is his voice: warm, self-deprecating, and impossibly readable. He writes like your funniest uncle after his third glass of bourbon, dispensing wisdom about why the stomach "objects to being filled with things it never asked for" or why feet seem to have a death wish regarding shoes. This is not a book you read straight through. It's a book you keep on a shelf and reach for when the world gets too serious. For readers who miss the art of the comic essay.