Letters from a Nut

"Letters From a Nut," though hilarious, are written with just enough of a straight tone so as to be taken seriously. (God knows, there are enough real "nuts" out there capable of such quirky eccentricities). The letters, and the responses to them, are great fun to read. As for Ted L. Nancy, I think he's simply a very clever, imaginative comic with the kind of twisted comedic bent I enjoy most. I've spread the word about this thoroughly entertaining book...my sister and a couple of friends have bought and enjoyed it, too. I'll look foward to the sequel that I hope will follow. Mr. Nancy, I think you're terrific!

Sitting here I'm imagining what all these people must be thinking as they get these letters. I wish I were as creative. I'm not so I depend on writers like this to feed me humor and keep me sane. If you like this book you should check out "Mr. Nary: The Story of How Grady Thoms Got Published" by Roo Carmichael.

Entertaining Comical Fun!
This book is a bunch of fake letters and the replies they got. For example, a man wants to stay in a hotel...and writes them asking if he can gamble in his shrimp costume. The next page is the hotels response. I read this book in one sitting...eager to read letter after letter. The more outrageous the letter...the more eager you are to hear what the company says in reply.
I found that the majority of the letters were a bit too alike for me. I found 3 letters in the book that made me laugh and laugh.
Comedy is good for the soul, enjoy the book

This was just as funny as the first "Letters from a Nut," even though Ted can't top Don Novello, aka Laszlo Toth. My favorites are the letter to a hotel chain repeatedly demanding the "respect due me," and the one warning the hotel owners about the uncontrollable bedding-eating urge. I also liked the Fat Beatle. But nothing can top the Pip the Mighty Squeak letter in the first collection! Ted, how about an "Emails From a Nut" collection? That way, you could treat us to a new book every two months....

This is the ultimate coffee table book. Leave it there and when you are feeling a little down or depressed pick it up. I took the advice offered in the introduction and tried to read a couple of my favorite letters out loud to people. I was in tears. This book is meant to be taken in small doses so don't sit down and read it from cover to cover. Pay attention to the small quirky details he puts into the letters, they are the funniest parts. Read some letters out loud and see if you can finish them.

I just started reading this book tonight. I have been literally laughing so hard that I not only cried, but I couldn't breathe. This is a hilarious book...the funniest I have ever read. The letters to Nordstroms and Ringling Brothers almost killed me. I can't imagine being the person at the various companies that actually received these letters--how in the world did they ever stop laughing long enough to reply? I strenuously urge you to get this book. It is a masterpiece. Mr. Nancy, whoever and wherever you are, thanks for the laughs!

The letters are brilliantly written, and simply waste people's time. And that's why this book is so funny and a must-have for anyone enjoys humor like Seinfeld's. No one could create a fictional work that is so absurd.. and that's what makes this book so funny. It's real, yes hysterically funny. Brilliant writing as well. The writer says a lot with minimal sentences. When you step back and look at it, the writer is very effective by being brief... so as to solicit legitimate responses.

If you are looking for a great laugh, and remember what it was like to truly enjoy a book, then I would reccomend this book wholeheartedly. It asks all the questions that you would really like to ask some organizations but never really had the nerve. I mean really, who would think to write the Hilton hotels and let them know that they are going to steal items out of the hotel before they even check in? I have found the perfect book to give those folks that are "so hard to shop for" .

Leave it to Jerry Seinfeld to find something that is so different and refreshing! Letters From a Nut is a hilarious book, and is the perfect book for reading when you are in the mood for a lot of laughs, or when you want to share something funny with others. This is the kind of book that people like to see out there, because it is something so strange and unique. If you are ready for some laughs, Letters From a Nut should definitely be in your shopping cart! A truly hilarious book

Jerry Seinfeld is obviously the author! Every letter displays his unique sense of humour. His "story" in the introduction about "finding" the letters at a party is ludicrous! Anyway, I found the book to be quite entertaining, although many letters were somewhat boring. Often, however, a letter would come that would knock your socks off! A good example of that would be the one about his costume on the bus (I won't say more). In any case, it's a fun read.

What can I say? This collection of letters is humor at it's very finest. YES! YES! And another- YES!!!
This book MUST be purchased and read before you die. At least to say that you've read it. It's that good!
Despite what some people think, this collection of letters was NOT written by Mr. Jerry Seinfeld (though he does write up a juicy introduction). The true author has been around a few years longer. *Wink!*
Shhhhh. Your secret is safe with me. =)

While this book is hilarious in its own right, by using a pen name Mr. Nancy loses some credibility. "Idiot Letters" by Paul Rosa, on the other hand, is one of the few of this genre (and yes now there are so many incarnations of this concept that it has become its own genre) where the author has the chutzpah/cojones/guts/balls to use his real name. Also I think the Rosa letters are more realistic. Or rather, they could more realistically result in a reasonable response. Read both books to get 2 different approaches to how to drive customer service departments crazy and get revenge for being put on hold and not being able to reach a real person. Both are good diversions.

'Letters From a Nut' is truly hilarious! From Ted L. Nancy's lost tooth to his lost bag of otter hair, this book is a laugh riot! You must read this book in the order it is written to appreciate it to its fullest potential. The jokes come full circle. This kind of humor wreaks of Jerry Seinfeld. I highly recommend this book!! I can't wait to get my copy of 'More Letters From a Nut'!!

I bought this book while honeymooning in NYC, I translated the letters to my wife who can't read english and we had a great time. Specially during our flights, I lended the book to several passengers and everyone around us was laughing hysterically at the letters. Everyone was so happy with this book (except for a Mrs. Lippman who wanted to get some sleep)

if the world was only filled with normal regular people it would just be so boring. fortunately it has Ted Nancys now and then. his level of craziness is almost as high as my stomach pain from laughing so hard.

Ted Nancy sends a bunch of letters to people, his letters are rather crazy... and boring. There are the occasional funny letter, like the shrimp costume and the letter to the King of Tonga. But his endless letters to casinos will bore you. The similar, but much better, book "Wilber Winkle has a Complaint", is better if you are interested in prank letters.

A very enjoyable collection of letters and responses. I'm amazed at the mental frame of mind required to even think of sending letters like this, and still more amused by the deadpan and serious responses that were obtained in many cases. Only one reply obviously got that a joke was intended!

You may find it hard to believe that anyone could be so amused by a book. I had to buy this after laughing myself to tears in a bookstore. I was literally doubled over with laughter after reading the first few pages of this book. This is pure, side splitting humor at its best. I don't think I ever laughed so hard at something I've read. Even a person with the dullest sense of humor can find at least one letter in this book that will make it well worth the purchase price.

I laughed out loud many times while reading this book and just missed giving it a 10 because of the repetition of some gags. I find it interesting that some readers have faulted it for being reminiscent of earlier works by other authors. Seems specious reasoning to me. By this standard all genre work is inferior simply because it was not the first. Judge this work against itself. For the comedy lover of the "Seinfeld" or Benchley bent, or maybe even the Alexander King fan(if there are any) this is a fun read.

Ted is better than any of the so-called ''great'' literary writers. Thoreau can't make you laugh like Ted. Neither can Falkner, or anyone else. People are happiest when they are laughing, and no one can make you laugh like Ted. So that means Ted makes you happier than anyone. So who's the best writer?

This is an ABSOLUTE MUST read !! I cannot remember the last time I have EVER laughed so hard that I got a headache !! Although this book is funny when reading it on your own, reading it out loud in a group of people has the best results. If you don't find the humor in this book, check your pulse!

This hilarious book and its' sequel 'More Letters From A Nut' are by my bed. If I've had a stressful day, I read a letter. If I've had a horrible day I read two letters. It never fails to make me smile or laugh out loud. Warning : Don't read this on an airplane, someone will have to be called to restrain you.

A collection of really funny prank letters and the responses to those letters. Nanny writes to celebrities and large corporations pretending to be the strange cousin you never know how to handle. Often the responses are funnier than the letters as you try to imagine what the guy writing back was thinking.
"Discovered" by Jerry Seinfeld, it's possible that it was written by him, but he's never admitted it.
Perfect for a guest room, coffee table, or restroom because each individual letter and response is relatively short.

I can't believe people actually wrote him back! The letters he wrote were so ridiculous. Like the one that he had Mickey Mantle's toe nails. And the one when he left his sword at a hotel. Even stupid Al Gore fell for his letter, saying he was the best vice president (yeah right).

Ted L. Nancy explores the hidden prankster in all of us goofing on institutions throughout our culture. It goes to show you that many can't see the forest through the trees. Keep writing Mr. Nancy, you have great stationery.

I found myself laughing loudly in the bookstore as I read a few pages of the book before buying it.

Besides just being a very funny book, this publication can be used as a reference for selective humor such as ice breakers for getting meetings and discussions off the ground.

The author was able to utilize very legitimate situations for the basis of his comedy. The structure of the pages with actual text from the responding organizations on business letterhead makes the issue of communicating very bizarre situations to others so legitimate.

A friend of mine handed me this book and immediately, I associated it with The Lazlo Letters, the genius of Non Novello (Father Guido...). I thought Don was at it again, for a new generation. But as I read on, I soon came to the realization that instead of the original irreverence and spunk shown in Lazlo, there was repetition of similar schtick to different people... impossibly old pets, invented candybars, half-baked references instead of the subversive tongue-in-cheek tone of it's literary forefather. I found myself skipping letters after a while.

The idea is a good one, and clearly Ted has a powerful name on the cover to suck the buyer/reader in, once the cover is cracked, it is like watching a parade in a cul-de-sac, it begins to cannibalize itself. And at least half of the responses are canned form letters and dismissals. Unlike the rabble-rousing and tomfoolery it tries to initiate, it falls flat for chunks of the book.

The fictitious Mr. Nancy has sold a few copies and may come out of hiding someday, or may just spend his hard earned dough on food for his old finch and support his bed wetting affliction. It comes off as sophomoric and most of the people on the other end don't seem to even try to get his ranting.

In short, buy it used, borrow it, but not worth buying at full price.

I really enjoyed the first three quarters of this book, but in the last quarter it gets very repetitive. Most of the letters are very simmilar to the earlier ones. That is the only reason that the book got 4 stars rather than 5. Ted L. Nancy sure thinks up some random things for his books! I cant wait to read the next two in the series (hopefully not so repetitive!!) overall I would highly reccomend this book to friends who enjoy laugh out loud reading.

This book is addictive. I call friends and tell them I'm going to read them one letter. An hour later, I'm still reading. Whenever I get to "Pip The Mighty Squeak", I start laughing so hard that no sound comes out. Which is a bad thing when you're on the phone. My question is this -- since Ted L. Nancy is a mystery, does that mean that he'll never do a book signing? Kathy Weiss [email protected]

This book is hilarious! Sometimes I can't stop laughing when I read these letters. Some are so ridiculous and the responses are so sincere. I can just imagine the people thinking of a nice way to respond to his off-the-wall letters.
This book is a must-have for any bookshelf, coffee table, or reading material for travel.

Just about every letter, and, perhaps more so, every response in this ingenious satirical swing at america's uptightness and utter cluelessness left me in tears I laughed so hard. The hilarious writing style of each of the letters, as well as the perfectly placed random interjections [ Fred! Dogs Bark! ] make this a masterpiece of up-all-night-reading-out-loud humor

This book will make you laugh. It's appropriate for all, clever, and very funny. There is no vulgarity. Not an easy task with today's humor. I appreciate that very much. To write such whimsical letters, keep them clean, and get a response sure makes for a wonderful read. Thank you, Mr. Nancy. You put a smile on my face.

First, to not acknowledge "The Lazlo Letters" is flat out wrong. Second, if you've read "Lazlo" you will find "Letters from a Nut" to be second rate. How many times can he write to a hotel asking permission to bring along an object like a desk, sink, tub, bed, etc. The responses are identical. Very mediocre.

This is definately the best book I ever read! How many times does it happen that you read a book and suddenly start to laugh out loud, with tears on your cheeks? Buy this and see...
Oh BTW, last week I saw a picture of the King of Togo on TV and suddenly started grinning...