h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Which authors can make you laugh 'til you cry?

My favourite 'humerous' authors at the moment are :

Terry Pratchett (inevitable-good, but not the funniest).
Robert Rankin (Funnier than Pratchett).
Andrew Harman (Bit varied at times, but usually good).
Steven Walker (The funniest author I have ever read).

Tony Hawks
Douglas Adams
Evelyn Waugh
Hunter S. Thompson

Plus

'Head On' by Julian Cope
'Mr. Nice' by Howard Marks

Robert Rankin (Funnier than Pratchett).
Tom Sharpe
Craig Shaw Gardner.....that *was* a joke by the way. He is about as funny as being circumcised using a cheesegrater.
Scott Adams of Dilbert fame writes some excellent books as well rather than just being a stripcartoonist

The best has to be PG Wodehouse.

DNA,
Robert Rankin (funnier than Ian)

erm

I've read and enjoyed 3 men in a boat and Ascent of Rumdoodle, but nothing else by either author.
Currently reading Diary of a Nobody which I am not finding that good. Not bad, just not that good.

pTerry is ok, it's all a bit formulaic now, but he can still make me laugh.

Andrew Harman? Wow, we have at last found an A.Harman fan! Good on ya, personally I put him in the same bucket as Craig Shaw Gardner, but that's just me.

Oh, and who was it that wrote 'Grunts'? That was good as well.

Of course! n 'Three Men In a Boat' was Jerome K. Jerome, and is incredibly funny.

Wodehouse, too, although I find all his books start to feel the same after a while.

Three men in a boat is one of my favourites, and one of the few books I keep re-reading

then can I recommend you hunt out The Ascent of Rumdoodle ?
It has the same sort of gentle unassuming humour. I won;t say too much as I can;t do it justice here, but if you get a chance, try it.
Not quite the same as 3 men, but in the same vein it must be said.

Who's the author of the ascent of rumdoodle ? If it's an old book, maybe I'll find it on abebooks.

Few authors actually ever make me laugh out loud but the books that have are :

Terry Pratchett (Discworld stuff) - more laughs per page than any other author

Anything by Douglas Adams - probably still funny after infinite re-reads

Donald Jack's books about a WW1 Canadian airman (read a long time ago but had me howling with laughter)

Wodehouse (though they all seem basically the same)

Om

Heard Rundoodle on Radio 4 as the 'Book at Bedtime' not too long back, so it should still be generally available.

Oh, and I'm with Ictoan on Harman. Can't say I ever found his writing remotely funny.


Geggs

rumdoodle is available now, a new version with forward by Bill Bryson is currently out, Amazon has it as do most retailers.
Can;t remember the fella's name, but google for it and you should find it.
The author's son maintains a website for it as well.

Carl Hiassen - any of his books

Authors whose work has made me chortle include:

Bill Bryson
Ben Elton
Mavis Cheek
Kate Atkinson