P. J. O'Rourke

America's favorite political humorist leads readers on a hysterical whirlwind tour, from the "good capitalism" of Wall Street to the "bad socialism" of Cuba, in search of an answer to the age-old question: "Why do some places prosper and thrive, while others just suck?"

Eat the Rich

Called "an everyman's guide to Washington" (The New York Times), P. J. O'Rourke's savagely funny and national best-seller Parliament of Whores has become a classic in understanding the workings of the American political system. Originally written at the end of the Reagan era, this new edition includes an extensive foreword by the renowned political writer Andrew Ferguson -- showing us that although the names and the players have changed, the game is still the same. Parliament of Whores is an exuberant, broken-field run through the ethical foibles, pork-barrel flimflam, and bureaucratic bullrorfle inside the Beltway that leaves no sacred cow unskewered and no politically correct sensitivities unscorched. "Highly pungent and wickedly accurate observations ... [from a] boisterous, pedal-to-the-floor humorist." -- The New York Times Book Review "Outrageous ... It is insulting, inflammatory, profane, and absolutely great reading." -- The Washington Post Book World "A gonzo civics book ... O'Rourke is like a trophy hunter let loose in an unguarded zoo." -- Chicago Tribune

A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government

Parliament of Whores

On The Wealth of Nations (Books That Changed the World)

Having traveled to hot spots around the world in search of trouble, truth, and a good time, the author humorously recalls his experiences in Lebanon, Korea, the West Bank, El Salvador, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and Poland. Reprint.

Holidays in Hell

Observations on the present political moment, and the absurdity that defines it, from the best man for the job: bestselling author and acclaimed satirist P.J. O'Rourke

Dispatches from a Divided Land

A Cry from the Far Middle

In a national best-seller, the right-wing humorist skewers the liberal media's fashionable concerns, traversing the globe to reveal the absurdities behind such problems as overpopulation, pollution, and ethnic hatred. Reprint.

The Lighter Side of Overpopulation, Famine, Ecological Disaster, Ethnic Hatred, Plague, and Poverty

All the Trouble in the World

Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin

The author of Parliament of Whores takes a look at freedom around the world, discussing the Gorbachev-Reagan summit, the Berlin Wall, elections in Paraguay and Nicaragua, Russia after the aborted coup, Saddam Hussein, liberals, and more. Reprint.

Film Technique and Film Acting

By the author of All the Trouble in the World. This is a volume of previously uncollected pieces by P.J. O'Rourke, spanning his 25 years in journalism. The work ranges from 1970, when he wrote for the Underground and National Lampoon, to his 1996 position on Rolling Stone magazine.

Twenty-five Years of P.J. O'Rourke

Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut

The #1 New York Times bestseller from “one of America’s most hilarious and provocative writers . . . a volatile brew of one-liners and vitriol” (Time). Renowned for his cranky conservative humor, P. J. O’Rourke runs hilariously amok in this book, tackling the death of communism; his frustration with sanctimonious liberals; and Saddam Hussein in a series of classic dispatches from his coverage of the 1991 Gulf War. On Kuwait City after the war, he comments, “It looked like all the worst rock bands in the world had stayed there at the same time.” On Saddam Hussein, O’Rourke muses: “He’s got chemical weapons filled with . . . with . . . chemicals. Maybe he’s got The Bomb. And missiles that can reach Riyadh, Tel Aviv, Spokane. Stock up on nonperishable foodstuffs. Grab those Diet Coke cans you were supposed to take to the recycling center and fill them with home heating oil. Bury the Hummel figurines in the yard. We’re all going to die. Details at eleven.” And on the plague of celebrity culture, he notes: “You can’t shame or humiliate modern celebrities. What used to be called shame and humiliation is now called publicity.” Mordant and utterly irreverent, this is a modern classic from one of our great political satirists, described by Christopher Buckley as being “like S. J. Perelman on acid.” “Mocking on the surface but serious beneath . . . When it comes to scouting the world for world-class absurdities, O’Rourke is the right man for the job.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review “The funniest writer in America.” —The Wall Street Journal

Eyewitness Accounts of Mankind's Struggle Against Tyranny, Injustice, and Alcohol-Free Beer

Give War a Chance

A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like a Pig (O'Rourke, P. J.)

The Bachelor Home Companion

Presents essays by the conservative political humorist, from his days as a member of the counter culture in the 1970s to an essay on the Republican control of Congress published in the "American Spectator" in 1995

P. J. O'Rourke takes on his scariest subjects yet --- business, investment, finance, and the political chicanery behind them.

P.J. explains money, banking, debt, equity, assets, liabilities, and why he's not rich and neither are you

None of my business

Jonathan V. Last

From the all-star cast who brought you The Seven Deadly Virtues comes a book with a look at the good life or the crazy-stressful-overwhelmed life of a father. The Dadly Virtues is a tongue-in-cheek collection of encouragement and guidance for any stage of fatherhood, from pacifying babies to prepping for senior prom, from cutting the cord to getting the first, "Best Grandpa" t-shirt. --Provided by publisher.

adventures from the worst job you'll ever love

The Dadly virtues

Travels to hellholes around the globe looking for trouble--from Lebanon to Epcot-- the truth and a good time.

Confessions, Adventures, Essays, And (other) Outrages of P. J. O'rourke, this is the first collection of wildly humorous essays from the former editor-in-chief of National Lampoon.

The Confessions, Adventures, Essays and (Other) Outrages of P. J. O'Rourke

Republican Party Reptile

The humorist-author of Eat the Rich shares his iconoclastic observations and advice on the mysteries of modern life as he takes on a three-year-old who wants a cell phone, Democratic neighbors, a freelance writing career, Hillary Clinton, the legalization of drugs, women, kids, and more. Reprint. 150,000 first printing. $150,000 ad/promo.

The CEO of the Sofa

An “extremely funny” take on the decline of civility, from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of How the Hell Did This Happen? (The Plain Dealer). In Modern Manners, cultural guru P. J. O’Rourke provides the essential accessory for the truly contemporary man or woman—a rulebook for living in a world without rules. Traditionally, good manners were a means of becoming as bland and invisible as everyone else, thus avoiding calling attention to one’s own awkwardness and stupidity. Today, with everyone wanting to appear special, stupidity is at a premium, and manners—as outrageous and bizarre as possible—are a wonderful way to distinguish ourselves, or at least have a fine time trying. This irreverent and hilarious guide to anti-etiquette offers pointed advice on topics from sex and entertaining to reading habits and death. With the most up-to-date forms of vulgarity, churlishness, and presumption, the latest fashions in discourtesy and barbarous display, O’Rourke is our guide to the art of incivility. “Modern Manners is O’Rourke doing what he has always done: making hilarious, insightful, often vicious fun of the world and all its inhabitants.” —People “A reader who rushes through [Modern Manners] from cover to cover—like I did—will feel like a child who has gorged on chocolate cake: happy, but a bit disappointed that it’s all gone. The reason O’Rourke’s book is so successful, however, is not just his great sense of humor. O’Rourke’s writing has a cutting edge behind it, which makes a reader’s laughter just a bit thought-provoking, and just a bit rueful . . . Very funny.” —Chicago Tribune

An Etiquette Book for Rude People

Modern Manners

A New York Times Bestseller As P. J. O'Rourke says, 'It's as if Smith, having proved that we can all have more money, then went on to prove that money doesn't buy happiness. And it doesn't. It rents it.' Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was first published in 1776 and almost instantly was recognized as fundamental to an understanding of economics. It was also recognized as being really long and as P. J. O'Rourke points out, to understand The Wealth of Nations, the cornerstone of free-market thinking and a book that shapes the world to this day, you also need to peruse Smith's earlier doorstopper,The Theory of Moral Sentiments. But now you don't have to read either, because P. J. has done it for you. In this hilarious work P. J. shows us why Smith is still relevant, why what seems obvious now was once revolutionary, and how the division of labour, freedom of trade and pursuit of self-interest espoused by Smith are not only vital to the welfare of mankind, they're funny too. He goes on to establish that far from being an avatar of capitalism, Smith was actually a moralist of liberty. As P. J. says, 'It's as if Smith, having proved that we can all have more money, then went on to prove that money doesn't buy happiness. And it doesn't. It rents it.'

A Book that Shook the World

On The Wealth of Nations

Holidays in Heck takes the reader on a globe-trotting journey to far-reaching places including China, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and the Galapagos Islands. The collection begins after the Iraq War, when P.J. retired from being a war correspondent because he was "too old to keep being scared stiff and too stiff to keep sleeping on the ground." Instead he embarked on supposedly more comfortable and allegedly less dangerous travels - often with family in tow - which mostly left him wishing he were under artillery fire again. The result is a hilarious and oftentimes moving portrait of life in the fast lane - only this time as a husband and father of three. Adventures include: - The first stag hunt in Britain after hunting had been banned. If the British had been half as caring about Indians and American colonists as they are about animals, they'd still rule the world. - A month-long tour of mainland China's economic hubs where P.J. learned that the entire Chinese concept of political freedom and individual liberty can be summed up in the words, 'New Buick'. - A harrowing horseback ride across the mountains of Kyrgyzstan - no towns, no roads, no people. "If something happened to my horse it would be shot. For me, the medical treatment wouldn't be that sophisticated."

Daniel Comnenus

About

Books

Join the club