This collection of classic stories was not compiled to be just another prizewinning book of humor. However, for the majority of individuals who get this book to read and enjoy as one of the funniest collections of groaners in existence today, it will be just that. You'll get the book, read it, get sick with laughter (even though you don't understand many of the stories), and then display it proudly in your bookcase along with the other "best sellers" you've collected over the years. About Harvey Martin I grew up in South St. Louis in an ethnic neighborhood just north of a German area know as "down by the Bevois Mill, where the street car makes da bend in da track, aint it yet" My greatest accomplishment was graduating from Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy in the early sixties. Actually, that was my second greatest accomplishment, with my wife, children and grandchildren being the most significant. After graduating as a metallurgist, I left St. Louis and its terrible accent to go and make steel in Gary, IN. My resume includes that of an engineer, an entrepreneur, a writer, a golfer, an inventor, a Shaggy Dog storyteller supreme and light hauling when I can get it. My greatest downside is procrastination, but I just could not decide where to state that fact. That attribute completely explains why it has taken over 25 years to complete this project.