This is the first publication in English of the resplendent anthology that contains Breton’s definitive statement on black humor, one of the seminal concepts of Surrealism, and his provocative assessments of the writers he most admired. The entries range from the acerbic aphorisms of Swift, Lichtenberg, and Duchamp to the theatrical slapstick of Grabbe, from the wry missives of Rimbaud and Jacques Vaché to the manic paranoia of Dali, from the ferocious iconoclasm of Alfred Jarry and Arthur Craven to the offhand hilarity of Apollinaire. Breton’s original foreword, considered to be one of his most important theoretical essays, is included, along with his preface to the 1966 edition. For each of the 45 authors included, Breton writes a biographical and critical preface, placing their work in the context of black humour, which, as readers will discover for themselves, is a partly macabre, partly ironic, and often absurd turn of spirit that Breton defined as “a superior revolt of the mind.”