- If you want to succeed here you must be able to handle the English sense of humour. So proclaims George Mikes" timeless exploration of this curious phenomenon. Whether it"s understatement, self-deprecation or plain cruelty, the three elements he identifies as essential to our sense of humour, being witty here is a way of life. Perfectly placed as an adopted Englishman himself, Mikes delivers his shrewd advice - helpfully divided into "Theory" and "Practice" - with a comic precision that does his chosen country proud. Drawing on a trove of examples from our rich comic canon, from Orwell (Every joke is a tiny revolution) to Oscar Wilde, this is the essential handbook for natives and foreigners alike. Mrs Kennedy: I don"t think, Mr Churchill, that I have told you anything about my grandchildren. Winston Churchill: For which, madam, I am infinitely grateful.