David Thorne (writer)

     

David Thorne is an Australian humorist, satirist, Internet personality and New York Times best-selling author. His work has been featured on the BBC, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Thorne gained public recognition in late 2008 for an email exchange in which he attempts to pay an overdue bill with a drawing of a seven-legged spider.

The exchange spread virally via email and social networking sites, leading to a surge of visitors to his website 27b/6 (27bslash6). 27b/6 features a collection of humorous emails and articles from Thorne's life. These and additional essays appear in Thorne's book, The Internet is a Playground. Published by Penguin Group and released on 28 April 2011, the book debuted at number 4 on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Thorne says that he has been a long-time fan of other online satirists like Ross Amorelli, Mil Millington and George Ouzounian (better known as Maddox), stating that they have all been a "constant source of amusement over the last few years." Much of Thorne's humor is autobiographical and self-deprecating, often concerning his immediate family and work associates.

The Internet is a Playground

Thorne's first book, a collection of articles from the website titled The Internet is a Playground, sold almost 8,000 copies in its first month of release. The book was initially picked up and released by a small Australian publisher named Fontaine Press. Disputes between Thorne and Fontaine Press regarding delivery and nonpayment of author royalties caused Thorne to end his relationship with them a few months later. In 2011, the rights to publish the book, along with approximately 160 pages of new content, were purchased by Penguin Group US. Released on 28 April 2011, Penguin renamed the book The Internet is a Playground, Irreverent Correspondences of an Evil Online Genius and the book debuted at number 4 on The New York Times Bestseller list the following week.