I agree with others that P.G. Wodehouse is probably the most consistently funny author of all. He's known mainly for the 'Jeeves and Wooster' novels, but my favourites are those involving Lord Emsworth, Marquis of Blandings. Lord Emsworth is a delightful eccentric, who dotes on his prize pig called 'Empress of Blandings'.
'Sunset at Blandings' was Wodehouse's final novel, and was unfinished at the time of his death. He'd got as far as the 16th chapter, and the book was published with the final chapters given to speculation about how it would have ended. These chapters were written by Richard Upborne, using handwritten notes of Wodehouse.

"If God Wanted Us to Travel," David Brenner

"If You're Talking to Me, Your Career Must be in Trouble," Joe Queenan

"The Worst Rock & Roll Records of All Time," Jimmy Guterman & Owen O'Donnell

"Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady," Florence King


Screamingly funny, all of them.

I love 'The Timewaster Letters' by Brian Cooper. I'm forever dipping into this and can thoroughly recommend it as top holiday reading material. So funny! Laugh out loud every time I pick it up...very original.

I like "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," personally. But you have to have a little background knowledge.
The funniest kid's books (i'm 14 years old) would have to be "The Giggler Treatment" by Roddy Doyle. I laughed until I cried. It's very subtle humour.

However, my vote is for "I want to go Home" by Gordan Korman. I can't even explain how hilarious it is: just read it!

any terry pratchett book, I especially loved the Fifth Elephant.

Douglas Adams, definitely. And Lewis Grizzard is hilarious, especially They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat...about his heart surgery.

And Don't Try This at Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World's Greatest Chefs is also a good read.

And Plato and Platypus Walk Into A Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes is a great joke book about- well, philosophy. Some of the jokes aren't for kids, but funny, nonetheless.

I loooooove all of Douglas Adams' work - both of the Dirk Gently books, and it goes without saying the Hitchiker's series.

I also love "House Of God" - but for the life of me I can't remember who wrote it. It's a spoof of hospital administration and doctors.

The one book guaranteed to make me laugh is "Red Dwarf" by Grant Naylor. The others are okay, but I can't go past the original.

I too love Wodehouse. I enjoyed listening to Pam Ayers poetry as a child, and my son laughs along with these now too. For kids stories, you just can't go past Roald Dahl.

Well... I've heard that I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell is hilarious. I can't remember the author's name, though.

I have to agree with sumirp on Fear and Loathing, but the two that come to mind are both by George Carlin the comedian.
1)Napalm and Silly Putty
2)Brain Droppings
I almost made myself sick laughing and had to keep stopping because I couldn't read through the tears streaming out of my eyes. My boys were around some of the time and actually checked on me because they thought I was crying and shrieking because someone had died. I got them howling and they didn't have a clue why they were even laughing. I do have a HUGE problem with uncontrollable giggles at inappropriate times, but if not for my sense of humor, I wouldn't have gotten through life!

Gervase Phinn writes about schools in Yorkshire he's inspected and the funny things the children have said to him or what has happened at the inspection. They're funny!
If you are looking for children's books, I think you should look no further than Louise Rennison's books about Georgia Nicholson and Alan Temperley's Harry and the wrinklies. They made me laugh out loud!

The Reddwarf books by Huge Grant and Doug Naylor are very funny ,although you may need to be a fan of the show to fully appreciate them.Also Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdin.Im not sure Ive spelt the laters name right,but then Im hopeless at spelling and always have been.

I would seriously advise reading Bill Bryson's book, 'Notes from a Big Country'. There are so many (mostly true) points that make you chuckle out loud I couldn't begin to list them! Several times I got funny looks as I'd laughed way too loud at some parts (this involved an experiment with a garbage disposal and used coffee grounds - have a think about it)

I'd also plump for his book 'Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid', a true story of growing up in 50's Americana that contains some great moments of true humour.

For some brilliant and hilarious satire, I nominate two books:

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

Great stuff right there.

I noticed that someone mentioned "1066 And All That" and I scrolled through the first two pages looking for my post thinking that I must have mentioned the book and forgotten that I`d posted here!

Probably for me "Catch 22" by Heller is the funniest book I`ve read but there are a few others that at different times have seemed to be the funniest.

"The Good Soldier Svejk" by Jaroslav Hasek was amazingly amusing for me as was "1066 And All That" by W. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman.

The black humor of Roald Dahl is enjoyable and "Over To You" is one of the blackest and funniest books I`ve read.

Frank Herbert of "Dune" fame wrote "Man Of Two Worlds" which had me in stitches at times.

I love Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Not to spoil the books, but Stephanie is the most inept bounty hunter in the world, and her adventures are guaranteed to give me a good belly laugh. Her books are numbered sequentially; start with "One for the Money".

"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" by Douglas Adams is as good as the Hitchhiker series. Also, "Last Chance to See," his book about endangered species, is funny as well as a good science story.

I second the Stephani Plum nomination... for some comfortable chick-lit with humour and unpredictableness, go with her. =)

Hands down the most hilarious book that I've ever read is Gordon Korman's "Don't Care High" - I've been in tears of laughter every time I've read it, and it gets better with each reading.

The second most funny book I've ever read is Sophie Kinsella's "Can You Keep A Secret?" ---> highly recommended if you're into chick-lit! And don't believe the synopses that they give you on Amazon or Chapters.ca... they're not accurate at all.

Oh, I feel the need to explore some of these titles I haven't yet read.

And I agree with so many of the ones I have.

I know this shows my age terribly, and I suppose the edge has gone off them slightly now because they are so well known, but I really did cry laughing at the James Herriot books.

I am sure there's more, but need more time to dredge up those memories.

I would have to say Anne of Green Gables (and hair) she does some of the craziest stuff. i almost died when she dyed her hair green. even though it is funny it also has some touching moments as well. Matthew cracks me up, and Marilla does too. the redwall series is humerous, but not lugh out loud, but it is still funny.

High on my list is Big Trouble, by Dave Barry. It was made into a mediocre movie, but the book is hilarious.
I, also, am a big fan of both Wodehouse and Mortimer. I'm in the midst of re-reading a Rumpole story, as a matter of fact.

I agree with you that every book I have read by Tom Sharpe has had me crying with laughter at some stage,I reccomend any one to start with WILT

I still laugh out loud at 'Jennings' books by Anthony Buckeridge. P G Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett, Tom Sharpe, Douglas Adams, Bill Bryson are or have been favourites. George MacDonald Fraser's 'The MacAuslan Trilogy' is also hysterical. If I had to pick an outright winner...I can't! ;-) GMF, Terry and The Master, PGW, in a dead heat.

I agree with readers who mentioned both Bill Bryson and Mark Twain. Please add Leo Rosten's "The Education of Hyman Kaplan" to the list.

My vote goes to Terry Pratchett. Few other authors cause me to laugh out loud, particularly in public!

All my favorites have already been mentioned. Douglas Adams, particularly HHG, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe does it for me, and Red Dwarf, and Connecticut Yankee by Twain.

Cooper's Mohicans may have left me cold (as indeed they left Twain), but The Two Admirals had me alternately laughing out loud and literally sobbing. It was great fun. Except for the parts that were not. lol Of course, it's an entirely different type of story, written about British Navy instead of about woodsmen and Indians, and it has a great deal more political slant than Mohicans ever could have hoped to possess. I wonder if writing about something a little closer to home made it easier for him to construct a decent story. Of course, I don't know thing one about British Navy of the 1740's, nor their ships, so it's possible it's entirely hogwash. But it was fun to read.