Collectible: A Treasury of Newfoundland and 27 similar items

Collectible: A Treasury of Newfoundland Humour and Wit, by J.C. Burke, Illustrated L.B. Jenson, 1986, Paperback Condition: Cover showing some wear and creasing, dog ear bottom right cover, pages showing some yellowing. See picture. Otherwise very good. Paperback 128 pages Publisher: Breakwater Books; First edition (1986) ISBN-10: 9919519970 ISBN 13: 9780919519978 Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.4 inches Shipping Weight: 6 ounces This little book of humour and wit is not a protest against the mainland "Newfie Joke," but a statement that we Newfoundlanders are better humourists than other Canadians. We can rightfully claim the coveted title of 'court jester' for the nation, the job of helping people laugh when laughter is the best medicine. And what is more important our h amour, like all good humour, is at our own expense not someone else's. Like the court jester in the days of our early kings it seems we are called upon to create laughter, relieve tensions, and, of course, to be an affectionate social critic. All of this must he done, like it was then, by reacting to fate, however comical, tragic or absurd with the confidence that he who can laugh at his own faults, foibles and follies will survive. Laughter becomes the 'safety valve' that helps us cope with the tragic and the comic in our existence and to transcend them. Genuine Newfoundland humour, as Al Clouston has so ably demonstrated in his books, stems from the rich heritage that fate and circumstance bestowed upon us as a people. Isolation, hardships, uncertainties, and the adventure of living close to the sea have sharpened our wits and helped us to see the comic in the tragic and to laugh a hearty laugh and survive. We have a lot to tea9h other Canadians through our humour. We can teach them how to cope with the uncertainties and difficulties of life by making use of the 'safety valve' of laughter. Long ago when the future was not as bright with promise as it is today, we learned the secret of survival through laughter. And it is hoped that when we share our humour and wit with the rest of Canada, that you, too, will be able to transcend the tragic and the comic for the moment and laugh with us to a healthier and happier state of mind and spirit. It is difficult to acknowledge all sources and originators of the stories and jokes that appear in this volume of humour and wit. Most of the stories were heard at banquets, church halls, and parties where people love to tell stories. Some of them can be rightfully attributed to the fun loving people of the happy province, the others are given a definite Newfoundland flavour, not so much because of the content, but by the Newfoundlander's unique way of telling a good story, and telling it with a flavour and taste that brings laughter rather than derision and ridicule. We have some dandy story tellers in Newfoundland and some of the Newfoundlander that have gone abroad have taken with them that inexpressible gift of being able to tell a good story. People like Dr. Cecil Webber, whose after dinner antics make you realize that the best things come after dessert; Uncle Freeman Melbourne, whose one liners are devastatingly funny; Bob Butler and Les Stoodley, whose absence from the rock makes the heart grow fonder and the stories funnier. And there were countless others who told me stories that appear in this book, or are kept on file for a second effort. Without your contributions this treasury of humour and wit would not have seen the light of day. With acknowledgement to the father of Newfoundland humour and dialect, Al Clouston, I have written this volume, for the most part, in our second language, English. Next time around I might attempt a shot at the dialect. So "watch out, me son!" Many people helped in the production of this volume. Apart from the people who provided the stories I am indebted to L. B. Jenson for his illustrations, Gordon MacLelland for his drawing on the front cover, Bob Butler for proofreading the material and Barbara Goodyear for typing the manuscript. And to my family who for the past several months have had to endure that first line, "Oh, did you hear this one?" Thank you for sharing this pleasurable task. ISBN: 9-919519-97-0 USA domestic shipments are shipped USPS Media Mail with Tracking International shipments are shipped USPS First Class International Mail with Tracking