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Product Description
Product Description
2008 marks the 30th anniversary of the Diagram Prize, the momentous annual contest to determine the oddest book title of the year. Established in 1978 by book packagers the Diagram Group, the prize is a joyous celebration of the barmy side of publishing.
Baffling titles such as Bombproof Your Horse, How to Avoid Huge Ships and People Who Don't Know They're Dead have all been recipients of this glittering prize. Who could forget classic winners such as Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers or The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories? Who could fail to be inspired by titles such as Highlights in the History of Concrete and Weeds in a Changing World?
British publishers and booksellers compete fiercely to get their suggested titles on to the short list, before the final winner is voted for by readers of the Bookseller. And the fame of the Diagram Prize has stretched beyond the book trade, with blanket coverage from national newspapers and the BBC.
While rival literary awards have sold out, the Diagram Prize has refused all offers of corporate sponsorship for 30 years. The Costa and Man Booker may receive the lion's share of media attention, but the Diagram is privately considered the one that really matters. There was even a 'Diagram of Diagrams' in 1993, the well-deserved winner being Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice.
Do-It-Yourself Brain Surgery has all the makings of a quirky humour bestseller.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Card Catalog For the Obscure, Nov 24 2008
By theboombody - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: How to Avoid Huge Ships: And other implausibly titled books (Hardcover)
I heard that there was a contest on the internet that searched for the most unusual book of the year, and that How To Avoid Huge Ships was one of the winners. That's why I bought this book. Turns out that this is a different book than How To Avoid Huge Ships. This book is called "How To Avoid Huge Ships And Other Implausibly Titled Books," which is probably a heck of a lot better read than How To Avoid Huge Ships.How To Avoid Huge Ships did win a contest, but it wasn't for most unusual book of the year. It was for most unusual book TITLE of the year. How To Avoid Huge Ships And Other Implausibly Titled Books, is nothing more than a list of titles that won this award (called the Diagram Award), and a few honorable mentions.
Naturally, I was disappointed that I got a LIST of books instead of a book itself, but the list was absolutely hilarious. Most of these books I would NEVER want to read. I'm glad I didn't get the book I thought I was getting.
Some of the featured titles include: Greek Rural Postmen and their Cancellation Numbers, American Bottom Archaeology, Italian Without Words, and my favorite, Bombproof Your Horse.
What makes the list good is it has information like publishers, years of publication, and even picture covers to make the books easier to find if you actually want to read them. It's like a card catalog for the obscure. The list has an amusing introduction as well.
I still wish I could find a list of unusual books instead of unusual book titles, but I'm glad I got this. I think it would make a neat gift for a friend. It made me laugh a lot. My only complaint is I think I spent too much on it, since it isn't much more than a funny list with pictures.
20 of 28 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Questionable value, Nov 7 2008
By Jörma Jackson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: How to Avoid Huge Ships: And other implausibly titled books (Hardcover)
If you are looking for practical advice on the avoidance of large sea-faring vessels, this is not the book for you. I neglected to read the subtitle, as it was set in very small type and seemed utterly unimportant beneath the huge title. And so it was that I came to a bad pass, colliding with the tanker Condoleezza Rice some 150 miles east of the Bay of Fundy.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Be Sure to Read the Whole Book First, Feb 26 2011
By Jerome Bush "JBUSH" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: How to Avoid Huge Ships: And other implausibly titled books (Hardcover)
Super-interesting book! I laughed out loud at some of the book titles. However, I was showing it to my class before previewing it. You have to know when to stop. The last part of the book contains some items not suitable for 5th grade.
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