How to Become Extinct

This one is mostly about fish, reptiles, and Aristotle, not necessarily in that order. (You will find Aristotle under reptiles.) Plus snippets about some of the animals that have mastered the art of extinction, such as the dodo, “the ultimate in extinction,” which “seems to have been invented for the sole purpose of becoming extinct.” And if you are thinking of adding a snake to your family circle, Cuppy gives you a few points to consider before making that kind of commitment. In general, he is against making pets of snakes, but admits that he might not have met the right snake. Anything by Cuppy is worth reading, and this one is no exception. The text is superb and the illustrations by Steig are first-rate.

Cuppy Humor for Fishermen and Nature Lovers: Very funny if you like dry humor. Had me laughing out loud. Fishing "advice" covers topics from minnows and carp to salmon and pike. Additional chapters on Reptiles, Dinosaurs, and Insects. "The Salmon have strange ideas; they are afraid of parsley and slices of lemon." "Aristotle's discovery that snakes and fish have no feet is a keen bit of observation for an ancient Greek." One can sense that Carlin and Seinfeld took some lessons from Cuppy's observational humor.

Translating humour is difficult. This book is supposed to be funny. The German translation does not seem to be funny at all. Either I have lost my sense of humour or Lutz-Werner Wolff has not succeeded in translating the humour of this book. I won't give a rating because the English may well be funny.

While not as wildy funny as The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody, this is another agreeable example of Cuppy's humor, and has the advantage of having been completed in his lifetime under his own supervision.