Inside Mad, 50th Anniversary Edition Vol. 3 — Harvey Kurtzman

These are the first four of five scheduled facsimile editions of the original MAD paperbacks from the 1950s written by "the usual gang of idiots," as the publication professed. Love it or hate it, MAD has been read by everyone, and Alfred E. Newman is one of the 20th century's most unlikely cultural icons. Some of the material might be a tad dated (parodies of long-gone comic strips and TV shows like Howdy Doody), but funny is funny and this is. The MAD reprints are great pieces of Americana and essential for pop culture collections. If you don't buy these, then you're MAD.