'Twitter Wit' Is The New Algonquin Roundtable

Endorsed with a foreword by Biz Stone, Twitter Wit is the new Harper Collins collection of "the funniest tweets of all time."  Satiric humor in 140 characters or less includes one-liners from some of the Twitterati's most famous wordsmiths including Stephen Colbert, Sarah Silverman, Stephen Fry in addition to many more unknown would-be humorists.

Dorothy ParkerRemember the famous wordplay and quips from Dorothy Parker and the what some labeled the "Vicious Circle" at the world-reknown Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan? A world filled with clever aphorisms satirizing the human experience with sharp tonque and quick wit was something Parker's sidekicks relished. Today' Twitterverse could have easily been a substitute venue for this roguish band were they they still with us.




In the 176-page book, Twitter Wit brings together a similar ensemble of wits who have produced hundreds of the most hilarious tweets since Twitter's inception three years ago. The tweets are irreverent, inappropriate, geeky and hilarious.

Who couldn't imagine that a tweet from Erica Minton, aka "redrabbit" wouldn't have been a welcome treat back in the 1920s.



Nick Douglas, the editor of the book could have sat at Dorothy's table as well with his bite-sized brand of humor which helped found Valleywag, Gawker Media's blog about Silicon Valley.

In recent defense of his book and against those that criticize poor support of 'good literature' (Dan Brown's Lost Symbol) on the proliferation of gimmick books like Twitter Wit, Douglas' response was "it's like blaming world hunger on the American kid who doesn't finish his dinner."  Douglas titled his retort, "Love Joke Books. Fear Dan Brown."

While the barbs that were traded by Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman were one of a kind, there is something to be said about a writer who grasps how to use an economy of words to make a point. Dorothy Parker is part of a long tradition of humorists. In the same ilk as Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde they were all masters of this art form, and Twitter provides today's tweeters with the same type of outlet, whether or not they are professional writers.

Sometimes 140 characters or less is all that's needed to hit the target on the proverbial head, or as Dorothy quipped, "writing well is the best revenge." Pick up a copy of Twitter Wit. Biz Stone bought the book for his entire staff. Whether or not Twitter will be around for many more years to come, I am sure that many of us will look back at this period of time as our very own Roundtable.