The 30th Anniversary Edition is a candid academic treatment of offensive and sick humor by the leading folklorist scholar on the topic of jokes and joke cycles. It features insightful, surprising, controversial and thought-provoking analyses of the jokes that have been told for years, within various cultures.

"No piece of folklore continues to be transmitted unless it means something-even if neither the speaker nor the audience can articulate what that meaning might be. In fact, it usually is essential that the joke's meaning not be crystal clear. If people knew what...