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Letters from a Nut #1
Letters from a Nut
Who is Ted L. Nancy?
He's a superstitious Vegas high-roller who wants to gamble at a casino in his lucky shrimp outfit...
He's the genius inventor of "Six Day Underwear"...
He's a stage actor who only travels while dressed as a stick of butter...
He is, in reality, a twisted prankster—a supremely off-kilter alter ego who sends patently ridiculous letters to corporate honchos, entertainment conglomerates, national publications, politicians, celebrities and heads of state. His innocent requests, queries, complaints, demands, and suggestions are so absurd it is amazing they fool anyone—but often the deadpan responses he receives are even more hilarious:
"Dear Mr. Nancy, It is not often that we receive such enthusiastic support for the paper bag."—The Paper Bag Council
"On behalf of Greyhound, there should be no problem traveling while in your butter costume."—Greyhound Bus Lines
"I look forward to working with you to create a better future for this great nation."—Vice President Al Gore
Letters From A Nutis an insanely inspired, truly madcap collection of Nancy correspondence, a wet-yourself-in-a-public place funny aggregation of official—and officially certifiable—requests, complaints, fan mail and questions that could not possibly have been taken seriously...but, amazingly, were.
He's a superstitious Vegas high-roller who wants to gamble at a casino in his lucky shrimp outfit...
He's the genius inventor of "Six Day Underwear"...
He's a stage actor who only travels while dressed as a stick of butter...
He is, in reality, a twisted prankster—a supremely off-kilter alter ego who sends patently ridiculous letters to corporate honchos, entertainment conglomerates, national publications, politicians, celebrities and heads of state. His innocent requests, queries, complaints, demands, and suggestions are so absurd it is amazing they fool anyone—but often the deadpan responses he receives are even more hilarious:
"Dear Mr. Nancy, It is not often that we receive such enthusiastic support for the paper bag."—The Paper Bag Council
"On behalf of Greyhound, there should be no problem traveling while in your butter costume."—Greyhound Bus Lines
"I look forward to working with you to create a better future for this great nation."—Vice President Al Gore
Letters From A Nutis an insanely inspired, truly madcap collection of Nancy correspondence, a wet-yourself-in-a-public place funny aggregation of official—and officially certifiable—requests, complaints, fan mail and questions that could not possibly have been taken seriously...but, amazingly, were.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1997
198 people are currently reading
1,905 people want to read
About the author
Ted L. Nancy
9books30followersTed L. Nancy is the pseudonym used by the comedian Barry Marder, author of a number of prank letters which have been published in a series of bestselling books under the titles Letters from a Nut, More Letters from a Nut, Extra Nutty!: Even More Letters from a Nut, and the new book All New Letters from a Nut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 474 reviews
January 30, 2008
I saw this book in a "Borders" bookstore, and picked it up while me and a friend had coffee.. as I read the book, in a crowded cafe in the bookstore, I noticed that I was laughing aloud..I was in tears in a matter of minutes... I passed the book to my friend, who in turn, laughed aloud.. we both laughed and laughed and laughed uncontrollably, page after page...the others in the cafe were wanting to see what we were laughing out, so we ended up passing the book to other people as well who also got a good laugh out of it.. this book is very funny, I recommend for anyone wanting a good laugh!
June 1, 2007
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.
November 22, 2015
Funny letters sent to various businesses and the responses that were sent back. Very strange what people will request and even stranger how people try to accommodate those strange requests...LOL!
December 16, 2008
I laugh until I cry. Seriously, tears are streaming down my face every time I pick this book up. I wonder what the author of this book is thinking. He's either totally insane or a complete genius.
This book is full of completely made up letters to companies, hotels, restaurants, etc. about their products and services and those companies responses.
If you have no sense of humor, please don't read this!
This book is full of completely made up letters to companies, hotels, restaurants, etc. about their products and services and those companies responses.
If you have no sense of humor, please don't read this!
January 1, 2014
This book is a cheap ripoff of The Lazlo Letters by "Lazlo Toth" (Don Novello, whom you may remember as Fr. Guido Sarducci on Saturday Night Live.) There are several differences, though, aside from the lack of originality in the knockoff.
The first difference is that Letters from a Nut isn't particularly funny. It has a few amusing moments, but mostly it's just stupidity masquerading as a sense of humor. There is no "theme" to the humor, and no endearing quality to the main character; in fact, there really is no shell of a character. Lazlo Toth, on the other hand, has a well-developed character as a naive, overly enthusiastic, overly literal, overly patriotic man with a childlike approach to life and too many stamps at his disposal.
The second difference is Nancy's belief that crass = funny. With no coherence, a series of crass and stupid letters does not make a funny story, it just makes a series of crass and stupid letters.
The fact is that "Ted Nancy" doesn't really understand what makes funny. Merely doing something messed up isn't humor. It's not even comedy in any quality sense. It's just a desperate attempt at attention.
My suggestion to Barry Marder, the writer behind the name, is to read Mark Twain's "How to tell a story." If all you want is a punchline, not a funny story, you're probably not even a funny stand up comic, let alone a humor writer.
If you want a quick laugh, you might get one or two. It's only a half hour's read, so not much time wasted. If you want something that will make you laugh out loud at random times months later, read The Lazlo Letters instead.
The first difference is that Letters from a Nut isn't particularly funny. It has a few amusing moments, but mostly it's just stupidity masquerading as a sense of humor. There is no "theme" to the humor, and no endearing quality to the main character; in fact, there really is no shell of a character. Lazlo Toth, on the other hand, has a well-developed character as a naive, overly enthusiastic, overly literal, overly patriotic man with a childlike approach to life and too many stamps at his disposal.
The second difference is Nancy's belief that crass = funny. With no coherence, a series of crass and stupid letters does not make a funny story, it just makes a series of crass and stupid letters.
The fact is that "Ted Nancy" doesn't really understand what makes funny. Merely doing something messed up isn't humor. It's not even comedy in any quality sense. It's just a desperate attempt at attention.
My suggestion to Barry Marder, the writer behind the name, is to read Mark Twain's "How to tell a story." If all you want is a punchline, not a funny story, you're probably not even a funny stand up comic, let alone a humor writer.
If you want a quick laugh, you might get one or two. It's only a half hour's read, so not much time wasted. If you want something that will make you laugh out loud at random times months later, read The Lazlo Letters instead.
March 4, 2008
This guy IS a nut. He writes these wacky letters to different companies, hotels, and celebrities with off-the- wall requests; my favorite is when he writes to the Mars Inc and tells them his new candy ideas such as STARTLES -- a combination of Starburst and Skittles (which I think would be delicious).
March 25, 2011
I'm not certain which I found more funny: the completely absurd scenarios concocted by the author of these letters, or the responses of the poor employees who must remain appropriately polite. I loved sharing some of these letters with students when I taught business letter writing. Not only are they great visuals for showing a variety of letterheads and styles, the responses also show students how tone or voice come into play when writing a formal business letter.
June 2, 2015
If you are a bathroom reader, this book just may fill that bathroom reading need. The author, who calls himself Ted L. Nancy, has written to many different businesses with bizarre questions or requests. He has published his original letters, and then the reply. I find myself wondering what the PR folks at these companies have to deal with on a daily basis. Fun reading.
June 19, 2019
Shameless derivative hack of Lazlo Toth's books. Completely unoriginal and not the least bit funny.
April 11, 2015
"The Lazlo Letters" by Don Novello did this first and better.
December 9, 2017
I feel like Jerry Srinfield lied to me. I did not find this book to be hilarious. In fact, it was very repetitive and boring at times.
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March 15, 2012This book is about a guy named Ted L. Nancy who writes funny letters to all kinds of businesses like Frito Lays and the Disneyland Hotel with random requests. Although this book was funny at times, this was something that (at least for me) you only want to read a few pages of. It is an easy book to read though. So if you want to read this book, i would recommend reading it along with another book like I did, so that you have another book to read while you take a break from this.
July 30, 2015
Humorous and hilarious! Nancy's acerbic wit displayed in a series of prank letters to various companies, hotels, and even governments will keep you laughing for a while. Appropriate and fun to share with friends as well, say at a dinner party.
August 7, 2015
It was a bundle of fun! I thought it was good for a laugh, but nothing more than that. I also found that some of his letters were similar to other letters, so reading them happened to be a chore. Other than that, if you're looking for something that's fun and light, I'd recommend this book!
February 18, 2016
This is a very fun, light book to read. It is great for picking up and reading for a couple of minutes and then putting it down. At first the book is very funny but quickly becomes routine and repetitive. By the end of the book, you know what is coming and I lost interest.
December 2, 2024
This is more like a coffee table book but it is a hilarious collection of letters. Apparently letters sent by Tom Nancy to different places companies, hotels, manufacturers etc to question some really cooky questions and or asking permission for his crazy antics. These letters were discovered by Jerry Seinfield who was instrumental in bringing attention to them and getting them published. Some of these letters were so laugh out loud. A definite palate cleanse that I discovered in a vacation condo we recently visited. A real HOOT!
July 7, 2009
Have you read this book? If not, and you want a good clean laugh, I'd recommend it. I just randomly picked it out of the humor section at Borders last night and it turned out to be a real howl. You know you've got a funny book on your hands when your daughter, becoming slightly exasperated with all the laughing, suggests that maybe it would be best if you took a little break from the book and did something else for a while!
The book is a hilarious compilation of letters, purportedly written by the pseudonymic Mr. Nancy, directed to various companies requesting assistance, permissions, and information, and making suggestions, about the companies services and products. There is, for instance, a letter to Disney World Resorts requesting permission to bring Mr. Nancy's own personal ice machine to his hotel room when he visits Orlando. Each letter (well, almost all of them) are accompanied by the response from the poor sap in the company (or sometimes even the president of the company) assigned to respond.
The overall effect is hilarious, in part because all of the requests are off-the-wall, but more so because of the author's brilliant comedic style. He is, for example, a master of inserting irrelevant detail in the letters. For example, in a letter to the Golden Nugget inquiring about his mattress, he inserts, at a completely irrelevant point, that he will be arriving in a 61-year-old Buick. Does seem that funny to you? No? Well, that's just because I'm not ruining it for you by giving you the whole context. Read it yourself and weep--tears of laughter.
The author also somehow manages to convey an impeccable sense of comedic cadence in print--no doubt one of several reasons Jerry Seinfeld has been accused of being Ted L. himself.
The letters are also funny because they very accurately reflect that kind of almost-but-not-quite-insane prose one gets in inappropriate letters of application and other intended-to-be-official correspondence. If you've been on a few search committees, you know what I mean. Like when the poet applies for the quantitative methodology position and attempts to explain why he or she would be a good fit for the position. This is reflected in Nancy's assumptions that the reader knows way more about his life than the reader ever could, and his assumption that he and the letter reader are in an actual dialog (he writes BACK after the first response and seems to fully expect the same person to read his letter, to remember the first letter, and to continue developing their correspondent relationship).
Also quite amusing are the twists, turns, and contortions the responders go through in their attempts to return Nancy's extreme politeness and congeniality--that is, unless the person responding is a lawyer, in which case the response to Ted's almost child-like good nature becomes expectedly rude. "Accordingly, we must reject your proposal to share the "Whiskey Pete's" or "Whisky Pats" name in anyway and demand that you not pursue this matter further. If you do, we will be forced to pursue all legal avenues available to protect our rights to this important name."
The book is a hilarious compilation of letters, purportedly written by the pseudonymic Mr. Nancy, directed to various companies requesting assistance, permissions, and information, and making suggestions, about the companies services and products. There is, for instance, a letter to Disney World Resorts requesting permission to bring Mr. Nancy's own personal ice machine to his hotel room when he visits Orlando. Each letter (well, almost all of them) are accompanied by the response from the poor sap in the company (or sometimes even the president of the company) assigned to respond.
The overall effect is hilarious, in part because all of the requests are off-the-wall, but more so because of the author's brilliant comedic style. He is, for example, a master of inserting irrelevant detail in the letters. For example, in a letter to the Golden Nugget inquiring about his mattress, he inserts, at a completely irrelevant point, that he will be arriving in a 61-year-old Buick. Does seem that funny to you? No? Well, that's just because I'm not ruining it for you by giving you the whole context. Read it yourself and weep--tears of laughter.
The author also somehow manages to convey an impeccable sense of comedic cadence in print--no doubt one of several reasons Jerry Seinfeld has been accused of being Ted L. himself.
The letters are also funny because they very accurately reflect that kind of almost-but-not-quite-insane prose one gets in inappropriate letters of application and other intended-to-be-official correspondence. If you've been on a few search committees, you know what I mean. Like when the poet applies for the quantitative methodology position and attempts to explain why he or she would be a good fit for the position. This is reflected in Nancy's assumptions that the reader knows way more about his life than the reader ever could, and his assumption that he and the letter reader are in an actual dialog (he writes BACK after the first response and seems to fully expect the same person to read his letter, to remember the first letter, and to continue developing their correspondent relationship).
Also quite amusing are the twists, turns, and contortions the responders go through in their attempts to return Nancy's extreme politeness and congeniality--that is, unless the person responding is a lawyer, in which case the response to Ted's almost child-like good nature becomes expectedly rude. "Accordingly, we must reject your proposal to share the "Whiskey Pete's" or "Whisky Pats" name in anyway and demand that you not pursue this matter further. If you do, we will be forced to pursue all legal avenues available to protect our rights to this important name."
July 26, 2012
The author of this book wrote ridiculous letters (often requests) to real companies, and the original letters and responses are published in this book.
I thought many of the letters were funny. I read about three fourths of the book. And there were maybe five that I read out loud to my husband, because I thought they were so funny. I really enjoyed the one he wrote to the stadium seating company president. :) Truly a question for the ages . . .
However, it stopped being as funny for me when he started involving diseases or situations that real people have to deal with. It's one thing to ask about getting on a bus wearing a stick of butter costume or getting special protection at a restaurant because you look like Abraham Lincoln or gambling dressed as a shrimp, but, to me, Siamese twins and Tourette's Syndrome was not as funny. And he was not making fun of those conditions, but he was making someone else concerned about them, and he doesn't have them. Essentially, and realistically, he was lying. And once I realized how he was lying in most of the letters, it made it less funny for me. So, really I'm kind of lame. I am often told that I need to lighten up, so I'm not surprised that I stopped enjoying the book.
And I'm sure that even though many of the letters were lies they probably still lightened the person's day who received them. I'm sure they were shared in the break room and enjoyed by many people. It was really interesting to see who took them seriously, who could tell it was a big joke, and who obviously didn't read the letter at all. I was very impressed by how courteous many of the responses were to his ridiculous letters. I hope Nancy was sincere in his letters expressing appreciation.
I am sure many people will enjoy this book and its humor.
Some quotes I enjoyed.
"Dear Mr. Nancy: Yours is one of the most interesting requests I have ever received. Candidly, I can't imagine any family who has lost a loved one wanting to see a mannequin that resembles that person."
[These letters are about whether you should exit stadium seating with your back or front to the people sitting in the aisle next to you.] "Stadium seating is the only situation in life where you can show whole rows of people your butt or crotch. And it's acceptable! Can something be done about this seating? Should the rows be changed? . . . Is there a gracious way to exit?" "Dear Mr. Nancy: Your letter on crotch or butt first was most interesting. In fact, in all 38 years which I have been in this business it is probably the most interesting question I have ever been asked. I shared your letter with numerous of my colleagues, and they have also found it most interesting." And my favorite part of this letter was at the end of the letter, but I don't want to give that away. You'll have to read the book. :)
I thought many of the letters were funny. I read about three fourths of the book. And there were maybe five that I read out loud to my husband, because I thought they were so funny. I really enjoyed the one he wrote to the stadium seating company president. :) Truly a question for the ages . . .
However, it stopped being as funny for me when he started involving diseases or situations that real people have to deal with. It's one thing to ask about getting on a bus wearing a stick of butter costume or getting special protection at a restaurant because you look like Abraham Lincoln or gambling dressed as a shrimp, but, to me, Siamese twins and Tourette's Syndrome was not as funny. And he was not making fun of those conditions, but he was making someone else concerned about them, and he doesn't have them. Essentially, and realistically, he was lying. And once I realized how he was lying in most of the letters, it made it less funny for me. So, really I'm kind of lame. I am often told that I need to lighten up, so I'm not surprised that I stopped enjoying the book.
And I'm sure that even though many of the letters were lies they probably still lightened the person's day who received them. I'm sure they were shared in the break room and enjoyed by many people. It was really interesting to see who took them seriously, who could tell it was a big joke, and who obviously didn't read the letter at all. I was very impressed by how courteous many of the responses were to his ridiculous letters. I hope Nancy was sincere in his letters expressing appreciation.
I am sure many people will enjoy this book and its humor.
Some quotes I enjoyed.
"Dear Mr. Nancy: Yours is one of the most interesting requests I have ever received. Candidly, I can't imagine any family who has lost a loved one wanting to see a mannequin that resembles that person."
[These letters are about whether you should exit stadium seating with your back or front to the people sitting in the aisle next to you.] "Stadium seating is the only situation in life where you can show whole rows of people your butt or crotch. And it's acceptable! Can something be done about this seating? Should the rows be changed? . . . Is there a gracious way to exit?" "Dear Mr. Nancy: Your letter on crotch or butt first was most interesting. In fact, in all 38 years which I have been in this business it is probably the most interesting question I have ever been asked. I shared your letter with numerous of my colleagues, and they have also found it most interesting." And my favorite part of this letter was at the end of the letter, but I don't want to give that away. You'll have to read the book. :)
February 23, 2008
This book is hilarious. It is a compilation of outrageously goofy letters sent to actual businesses and the responses he receives. You will laugh until you cry and your stomach hurts. Whenever I need a really good laugh I will break out this book and read a few pages. My family has read this book over and over and over. We have also enjoyed reading it to one another in the car while traveling.
August 11, 2007
I have yet to find anyone who didn't laugh at some of the letters in this book. How about the guy who looks just like Abraham Lincoln and needs special treatment at the casino or the man in the acting troup who will be riding the greyhound dressed as a stick of butter? It's hilarious stuff!
September 4, 2007
Oh, this was funny... The guy wrote letters to different companies and from their responses you can tell some sort of knew something was up, others seemed to genuinely be good people and made you feel bad for laughing. But, oh, it was funny.
January 23, 2008
This book is hilarious! Basically, this guy writes letters with ridiculous requests to different businesses to see if and how they'll reply. Some of the ideas that he comes up with are so clever and random. My husband and I read it together and laughed so hard.
February 28, 2008
I laughed harder than I can remember. Thought provoking, random, and memorable. The author's mind works in a very interesting way, and he is quite the creative, humorous mind. Kyle and I have our "favorite" letters, but they're all great.
March 1, 2008
This is one of the funniest books I've ever read! If you read the letters out loud to other people you really will LOL! HA! I especially enjoyed the stories of Morris the butter stick and the shrimp outfits in Vegas. Have fun with this one - I have.
April 21, 2012
I grew up laughing with this book. Or at this book. I'm not sure xD My Dad would take it down from the shelf where it sat next to his dusty Latin and Greek textbooks from college and read portions outloud.
July 21, 2007
Dude has way too much time on his hands, he sends random letters to places with made up complaints, and it's really really funny.
January 23, 2008
Even if Jerry Seinfeld is actually a complete jerk-off - these books are friggin' hilarious. (And they're always a hit as last-minute stocking stuffers.)
June 10, 2008
total awesome silliness. my friends and i were obsessed with these books in high school. i think they helped to develop my sense of humor. i don't know if that's good or bad actually.
February 20, 2010
HILARIOUS!
January 5, 2014
This book was hilarious.
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