An excellent comedy memoir from one of the most creatively funny men to ever live. Safe home Bob.

Bob Newhart certainly qualifies as a beloved American icon. This book is a loose memoir interspersed with transcripted comedy routines dating back five decades.

I see that others have recommended getting this as an audiobook, and even without hearing it I guess I agree as Newhart's material is all in the delivery and, while you can imagine it (or if you have heard them before) it would be better from the source.

Although the book was published in the mid-2000s, the emphasis is definitely on the earlier eras of Newhart's career, with lots of tales of working and playing with Rat-Pack era luminaries and making movies in the '60s with Steve McQueen and yukking it up with Johnny Carson and Dean Martin. Newhart's TV shows get short shrift while his later films (such as Elf, Legally Blonde, and North) barely rate a mention and of course this was written before his TV resurgence on the Big Bang Theory.

I learned some things (who knew Newhart was at one point an accomplished boxer? Or that his co-star on the later Newhart sitcom was miffed at the surprise ending of that series?) But I don't feel like I really discovered much about the man himself; like his characters he holds a lot in reserve even in a tell-all book.

Still, easy and breezy and fine for anyone interested in the man or the era.

Breezy, anecdote-driven memoir by a very funny (IMO) guy. Some parts dragged (e.g., the chapter on how much he loves to play golf, some of the many instances in which he and his wife went out to dinner with Don Rickles and his wife.......), but for the most part it's readable and amusing. I remember his hit TV shows well and fondly, and I knew he'd been a successful touring standup comedian forever, but until reading this track I'd lost track of how huge comedy albums used to be. Fun quiz you can try out on people:

Q: Which sold more albums during the 1960's (so, not counting later sales of things made in the 60's) -- The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart, or any album by the Beatles?

A: Newhart for the win.......

Very hard for me to picture at this point buying a comedy album and listening more than once to a person I can't see doing a standup routine, but I guess in an earlier generation it was all the rage.

One observation I could relate to readily, having been a teacher for 21 years..........he said he has had to cut his "Abe Lincoln" routine in half to accommodate audiences' shorter attention spans these days.

It pains me to say this because, like everyone else, I love Bob Newhart, but this book is pretty mediocre. Newhart tells the story of how he became a successful comedian (this is probably the most interesting part of the book, but he told it much better on Conan's O'Brien's podcast), he rehashes old comedy routines (which are not as good on paper as they are when he actually delivers them), and he tells a series of jokes and anecdotes that are sometimes amusing and sometimes not so amusing.

I would have liked more biography and less repeating of comedy routines that are already on his great albums, but still this was great fun to listen to on a trip. Glad Bob read it himself - no one else could have done it justice.

I shouldn’t be reading this

I’m supposed to respond to three questions in 20 or more words. I will address them in reverse order. I chose the highest rating because I thought Mr. Newhart’s effort deserved it. He offered enough detail about his career in stand up comedy to keep me interested but not so much to make me bored. I would recommend this book to anyone who admires Bob Newhart as much as I do. The “Button Down Mind” was not only the first comedy album I ever heard it was the first record. I listened to it until I had it memorized. His comedic style is unique and tieless. What I liked about the book was that he just told his story simply and without embellishment. Sure he met the Queen of England but it cost him $750 for the dress. So Bob if you read this review, give me a call. Trust me. Amazon knows how to find me.

Bob Newhart is a very funny guy. And he's written a very funny book.

I picked this up under odd circumstances; in the used book store next to the Boothbay Public Library. The funny thing was that I found it only seconds after finding a copy of Dr Katz's Me at a Glance. What's the connection? I used to watch Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist and The Bob Newhart Show (the one where Bob plays a psychologist) with a friend back in the 1990s. We loved those shows!

It's a nice, light read; Bob recounts some of his funniest bits and talks about his life and TV shows. The thing that surprised me most was that Don Adams (of Get Smart!) stole some of Bob's material. Apparently he was known for doing that sort of thing.

But the book isn't a tell-all or revenge book. It's just a good, light, enjoyable read with a lot of laughs. Thanks, Bob!

Pithy memoir in which we learn a little about the man behind the laughs and hear him perform some of his most famous bits. Great as an audio book.

Mostly a memoir of his routines, not his life.

A timeline of anecdotes from his life in comedy. The paragraphs will sometimes have no continuity and jump around a bit with no clear segue. Ultimately, any fan of the comedy of the 50s and 60s (especially Bob's) will love the stories. An easy bedtime read. 3.5 stars.

Maybe 3.5 stars - there are many amusing stories and Bob Newhart seems as likeable in real life as he does on TV. I think he would be a fun neighbor. But there doesn’t seem to be any organizational structure and, honestly, his life doesn’t seem that exciting. By the last few chapters, I felt that I was reading the same stories over and over.

Back when I was kid I used to watch the Bob Newhart Show and I bet I didn't understand 1/2 of it but I liked it. Then when I was older I watched Newhart and I like it.

This is an autobiography by Bob Newhart. He's funny. In a quiet subtle way

His life story was very interesting and he didn't get into comedy until he was older and his best friend is Don Rickels. And he used to play pretty good golf