P. J. O’Rourke Books

An analysis of the present political moment, and the anger that defines it, from bestselling author and acclaimed satirist P.J. O'Rourke.

A collection of O'Rourke's writings about cars for Car and Driver, Automobile, Esquire, Forbes, and other publications.

Called "an everyman's guide to Washington" (The New York Times), P. J. O'Rourke's savagely funny and national best-seller Parliament of Whores has become a classic in understanding the workings of the American political system. Originally written at the end of the Reagan era, this new edition includes an extensive foreword by the renowned political writer Andrew Ferguson -- showing us that although the names and the players have changed, the game is still the same. Parliament of Whores is an exuberant, broken-field run through the ethical foibles, pork-barrel flimflam, and bureaucratic bullrorfle inside the Beltway that leaves no sacred cow unskewered and no politically correct sensitivities unscorched.

A collection of stories about those travel destinations rarely featured in travel brochures, largely because they are in a perpetual state of war, revolution or shortage of everything from hot dogs to toilet paper.

A follow-up to "Holidays in hell" collects classic travel pieces written throughout the author's post-retirement years, a period marked by his haphazard journeys with and without family to such regions as China, Kyrgyzstan, and America.

In 1988, P.J. O'Rourke moved to Washington to examine the US government and to look at what politicians do and why it costs so much. The author argues that governments make everything complicated, obscure and tedious to confuse members of the general public in what he describes as a dictatorship of boredom. In this book he examines and explains many of the aspects of the workings of the American government. P.J. O'Rourke is the author of Modern Manners, The Bachelor Home Companion, Republican Party Reptile and Holidays in Hell.

Now available in paperback, Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, the book that created the field of economics, is transformed into a page-turner of global significance by America's sharpest political commentator writing in English today.

From the author of Give War a Chance and Parliament of Whores, this book offers P.J. O'Rourke's view of all the trouble in the world - but with the goal of answering some tough questions.

Looks at freedom in Russia, Berlin, and Nicaragua, the Gulf War, Africa, drug testing, and pokes fun at people such as Dr. Ruth and Lee Iacocca

In Modern Manners cultural guru P. J. O'Rourke provides the essential accessory for the truly contemporary man or woman-a rulebook for living in a world without rules.Traditionally, good manners were a means of becoming as bland and invisible as everyone else, and thus of avoiding calling attention to one's own awkwardness and stupidity. Today, with everyone wanting to appear special, stupidity is at a premium and manners-as outrageous and bizarre as possible-are a wonderful way to distinguish ourselves, or have a fine time trying.Modern Manners is an irreverent and hilarious guide to anti-etiquette that offers pointed advice on a range of topics from sex and entertaining to reading habits and death. With the most up-to-date forms of vulgarity, churlishness, and presumption, the latest fashions in discourtesy and barbarous display, P. J. O'Rourke makes it easier for all of us to survive with style in a rude world.

By the author of All the Trouble in the World. This is a volume of previously uncollected pieces by P.J. O'Rourke, spanning his 25 years in journalism. The work ranges from 1970, when he wrote for the Underground and National Lampoon, to his 1996 position on Rolling Stone magazine.

With his typical wit and keen analysis, O'Rourke looks at the way the post-war generation somehow came of age by never quite growing up and somehow created a better society by turning society upside down.

Describes the tasks that bachelors must perform to maintain a household, including tricking other people into cleaning for them, turning the cat into a sweeper, and others

Having unraveled the mysteries of Washington and economics, one of our sharpest foreign correspondents focuses on the enigma of America's foreign policy. P.J. O'Rourke, despite years of writing about global affairs, admits he never truly contemplated foreign policy. He likens it to a dog owner lacking a "dog policy," suggesting that Americans care for foreigners but often react with force only when necessary. In this exploration, he aims to decode America's "Great Game," visiting countries on the brink of conflict or recovering from it, starting with Kosovo. There, he observes that America tends to intervene late, often bombing neighboring countries when injustice arises. His journey continues through Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where he witnesses the beginnings and endings of hostilities. O'Rourke also reflects on the impact of war and peace domestically, from the absurdities of airport security to the looming threat of anthrax, humorously noting that his mail threats come mainly from credit card companies. This work showcases O'Rourke at his most incisive, offering a thought-provoking perspective on a world transformed since he previously argued that the most troubling aspect of war can sometimes be peace itself.

Politically incorrect and unflinchingly irreverent, this acerbic book, begun as an article by O'Rourke in The American Spectator and further contributed to by the magazine's readership, offers a hilarious take on all those "undesirables" we have to live with every day. Media tour.

Celebrating the wit and insight of P.J. O'Rourke, this collection compiles memorable quotes and reflections from over forty years of his writing. Released to honor what would have been his 75th birthday, it showcases his unique perspective on various topics, blending humor with sharp commentary. Readers can expect a rich tapestry of O'Rourke's thoughts that highlight his distinctive voice and enduring influence in the literary world.

„Warum sind manche Leute reich und andere nicht? Die zentrale Frage dieses Buches konnte ich nicht beantworten, weil ich ein wirtschaftlicher Idiot war.“ Der Journalist P.J. O’Rourke hat nicht die geringste Ahnung von wirtschaftlichen Theorien. Er beschließt, sich an Ort und Stelle umzusehen und geht auf eine höchst vergnügliche wirtschaftliche Entdeckungsreise um die Welt, auf welcher der Leser ganz nebenher alles Wissenswerte über das Innenleben der New Yorker Börse, über Auto reparieren in Kuba, Cognac trinken in Hongkong und das Funktionieren der Wirtschaft erfährt.