Salmagundi (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

The Mad magazine of its day, the satirical journal Salmagundi was launched in 1807 by Washington Irving, his brother William, and their friend James Kirke Paulding. Featuring pseudonyms like Will Wizard and Pindar Cockloft, their nonsensical (and occasionally bawdy) comedy is collected in this volume, which popularized New York City’s nickname “Gotham.”