The Leno Wit: His Life and Humor

This readable if derivative look at Tonight Show host Jay Leno comes on the heels of Leno's own Leading with My Chin and Bill Carter's The Late Shift. Thus, the former book is a better compilation of Leno's anecdotes while the latter is a more comprehensive account of Leno's duel with David Letterman. Walker seems to have scavenged any published interview with or story about Leno to lightly tell the tale of the comic's rise in show business and the struggle for late-night talk-show supremacy. Thus Walker can report on Leno's nice-guy personality and lack of emotion without delving into the comedian's particular psychology. Nor does he critique Leno's proclamation that he does not wield political humor to change his audience's views. But freelance writer Walker does include a generous helping of Leno's jokes and the comedian's theorizing about them, making this book an entertaining exercise for fans who must have even one more Leno book. (Feb.)