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Preface Interest in political humor seems to have steadily increased over the past few dec- ades. Perhaps this is due to the growing popular political humor content available for viewing on late-night television and on the Internet. Whatever the reason, siz- able numbers of people now seem to appreciate political humor as a distinct form of political discourse. The study of political humor is now recognized by many as a small but distinct subdiscipline of political communication, and there are a num- ber of scholars who till this particular field. The present volume adds to this field of scholarship. The purpose of the book is to help further the study of American political humor. Section introductions and the 120 profiles included here cover notable pol- itical humorists and works of political humor (e.g., magazines, television pro- grams) throughout American history. These profiles provide a fairly thorough and representative, though certainly not comprehensive, portrait of American political humor. The book is organized chronologically into 11 sections, from colonial times through the early days of the Trump administration. The book’s contribu- tors are experts drawn from the academic fields of English, history, communica- tion, political science, culture studies, education, and more, in addition to several practitioners (i.e., comics) who have contributed profiles. In this sense the book is a microcosm of the study of political humor, which has no true disciplinary home but rather is an amalgam of studies from multiple disciplines. There are a few features that set this volume apart from other studies of Amer- ican political humor. First, it covers the entire sweep of American history. There are other books, fine scholarship indeed, that examine political humor during spe- cific periods of time in American history, but none that have tried to make sense of the whole picture. The 11 section introductions can be read together as a com- plete history of American political humor. Second, some of the profiles in this book examine individuals and humorous work that have been studied in great detail (e.g., Mark Twain). The inclusion of these profiles ensures that a complete picture of American political humor is pre- sented in this single volume. But numerous entries cover subjects that have little to nothing written about them, and this is especially the case with the more contem- porary humorists and humorous works. In this sense the book adds to the existing base of knowledge.