Review of "The Questionable Mad," edited by Albert B. Feldstein

Review of

The Questionable Mad, edited by Albert B. Feldstein

Four out of five stars

 One consequence of some of the humor that appears in Mad Magazine is that it becomes dated. For example, any item that is based on a current event or an active public figure will make little sense to a young reader thirty years later. There is little of that in this collection. Another item of humor that can also be rendered obsolete over time is something based on a social norm that has changed. There is one of that type in this book, it is “The Lighter Side of Smoking.” Reflecting the times, smoking indoors and at parties and the paraphernalia are depicted as a socially respectable action.

 Despite this caveat, this is overall a fun book to read, a look back on what was humor on the edge in the early sixties. There is no better parody of the Cold War than the recurring saga of “Spy vs. Spy.”