The Penguin Book of Canadian Jokes

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Colombo has been collecting Canadian jokes and anecdotes since 1967, and
he has now assembled them in 36 thematically organized chapters. In his
preface, he identifies five characteristics of Canadian humor and later
concludes that “there is a Canadian preference for political humour
over all other kinds.” He also admits that some of the book’s jokes
are arguably in bad taste, while others—such as those in “What
Should You Call a Newfie Joke?”—are definitely not politically
correct.

Colombo provides an introduction to each of the themed chapters, often
identifying his favorite joke or anecdote within the chapter.
Particularly in the case of the anecdotes, he will offer a few lines of
context for those readers who might not be aware of the people or
situations on which the anecdote is based. While some chapters (like
“Politicians and Their Kind” or “Location, Location, Location”)
have a broad scope, others (like “Inimitable Pierre Elliot Trudeau,”
“Behind Brian Mulroney,” or “Toronto, Centre of the Universe”)
are much more targeted in their focus. Most of the jokes and anecdotes,
which range in length from a single line to more than a page, are new.
The original sources of the reprinted jokes and anecdotes are
acknowledged.

The fact that some jokes appear in more than one chapter may cause some
readers to experience moments of déjа vu. Eliciting groans, smiles,
chuckles, and even the occasional guffaw, The Penguin Book of Canadian
Jokes is a book that should be dipped into, not read cover to cover in
one long sitting.