You can have a lot of laughs in ten years, which is why we have collected the very best of the amusing stories encountered by the readers of The Herald Diary column over the past decade. There was even a Scottish Labour Prime Minister all those years ago, Celtic fans could only dream that their team would begin its quest for 10 titles in a row, and the word Covid was simply a typing error for David or cove. So as everyone could really do with a smile just now, we have combed well over two thousand Diary columns to bring the best of what made Scots laugh over the last ten years, whether it is the sharpest humour from pubs, the daft things children say or the humour from all sides of Scottish courts, the very best are here.

It was a year that careered out of control, with the natives of Scotland feeling like passengers in a souped-up dodgem car being driven by a crackpot clown without a valid driving licence. Luckily The Herald's Diary column was able to cover the toppling of Boris Johnson, the triumphs of Liz Truss, a huge green-hued shindig and a bat-like creature fighting crime on the streets of Glasgow. All before the outpouring of Royal grief in September when we said goodbye to the Queen and came to terms with "God Save the King". Away from the monarchy, there was the surreal story of a woolly mammoth who might one day play for Scotland, a knight in armour visiting an Edinburgh pub, a cow patiently waiting for a train, Santa climbing a statue and an emu loose in Livingston. And the year also saw a mysterious entity called . . . the Platty Jubes? This cockamamie compilation presents all sorts of shenanigans to round off a year like no other. All with that patented Diary twist.

What are folk desperate for these days? A laugh, we reckon. And fortunately the readers of The Herald newspaper agree, as over the past year they have sent the newspaper's Diary column their funniest moments, whether it's about the daft things that happen in their office, the outrageous comments they are told in the pub, or just the eyebrow-raising observations they overhear on the train into town. They even have the occasional smile over politics, would you believe.And the very best of them are gathered in this handy volume. So if you want to know why Scotsmen still cannot understand their partners, the funniest claims made on the golf course, and the outrageous shenanigans of police officers, apprentices, shop-workers and school teachers, then look no further.

In uncertain times we all need a good laugh, and this brand new collection from THE HERALD DIARY is sure to help. In Purrsuit of Happiness has hundreds of strange, amusing and hilarious tales that will bring a smie to even the most grim-faced banker, politician or traffic warden. So go on, crack a smile and enjoy!

David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favoritesas the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow"); the puzzling Christmas traditions of other nations ("Six to Eight Black Men"); what Halloween at the medical examiner's looks like ("The Monster Mash"); and a barnyard secret Santa scheme gone awry ("Cow and Turkey"). No matter what your favorite holiday, you won't want to miss celebrating it with the author who has been called "one of the funniest writers alive" (Economist).

In her diary, Mary Boykin Chesnut, the wife of a Confederate general and aid to president Jefferson Davis, James Chestnut, Jr., presents an eyewitness account of the Civil War.