Chapters in this book

1. Front Matter i
2. Contents vii
3. Figures ix
4. Acknowledgments xi
5. Introduction 1
6. 1 What’s Practical about Practical Jokes? 8
7. 2 The Types of the Practical Joke 21
8. 3 The Great Drug Bust 31
9. 4 Lies, Damned Lies, and Legends 45
10. 5 The (Im)morality of the Practical Joke 57
11. 6 All Jokes Are Bad if They Are Any Good 72
12. 7 The Rhetoric of Humor Support 84
13. 8 “That Was Why We Were Such Good Mates” 100
14. 9 Pranks, Rituals, and Hazing 116
15. 10 Pranks in Public 134
16. 11 Some Practical Jokers 152
17. Post-Play 171
18. References 176
19. About the Author 187
20. Index 188
21. Index of Practical Joke Examples 195