Many words have been spilled documenting and explaining the lives and careers of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and there are plenty of books out there to delve into.

John McCabe met the boys backstage when they were touring England in 1953 and would become their official biographer. Writing in the 1960s he was able to interview Stan himself, Stan and Babe’s wives and many of their contemporaries. McCabe’s three books are the starting point for anyone interested in the duo: “Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy” details their creation as a team and examines their movies; “The Comedy World of Stan Laurel” draws on the memories and papers of Laurel (not always accurately in light of later research) building up a sympathetic picture of a brilliant and driven comic mind, untouched by the pretentions of Chaplin or the demons of Keaton; “Babe: The Life of Oliver Hardy” charmingly brings to life a very private and modest artiste, whose innate talents and reliability Stan came to rely upon. McCabe would go onto help create the Sons of the Desert, the international Laurel and Hardy appreciation society.

If you are looking for a more recent biography of the boys then turn to Simon Louvish’s marvellous “Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy”. A true comedy geek and biographer of WC Fields, Mack Sennet, the Marx Brothers and Charlie Chaplin, Louvish draws upon decades of newly discovered films and documents and is not afraid to share some strong opinions of Laurel and Hardy’s output. He also details the team’s marital struggles in the 1930s, speculating on their impact on the subject of the movies.

Two reference books you can’t do without if you are a fan and which are much better written than anything you’ll find on Wikipedia are Glenn Mitchell’s comprehensive “The Laurel and Hardy Encyclopedia” and Brian J. Robb’s concise and witty “The Pocket Essential Laurel & Hardy” which reviews all of their movies as a team. For some historical context you should also consider Paul Merton’s “Silent Comedy”. A warm overview of all the major movie comedians and their work up to the advent of sound it’s written from the point of view of a working comedian, giving a valuable insight into what made the great clowns tick.

Elsewhere on my blog I’ve reviewed John Connolly’s remarkable new novel “He” which recreates the duo’s eventful career from Stan’s point of view.

There are many other books available, so do check up on the Laurel and Hardy Forum on Facebook for updates.