Seven Years of Highly Defective People: Amazon.ca: Scott Adams: Books

Product Description

Book Description

It has grown so quickly that it is now generating a worldwide sensation. "Seven Years of Highly Defective People" revisits the introduction and development of all that is Dilbert, allowing Adams to share with readers his thoughts about the formation of his character's lives.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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First Sentence
Dilbert was a doodle long before he had a name. Read the first page

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Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!, Jun 9 2011

By

B. Breen "Canuckster1127" (Sterling, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Seven Years of Highly Defective People (Paperback)

Dilbert is the signature comic of the cubicle generation. It never ceases to amaze me how an engineer who wrestles to keep his characters even looking consistent, because he is admittedly not a great artist, has managed to make so much of his strip. The reason, of course, is that he understands the climate and atmosphere of so many of us who walk the mazes of cubicles chasing the corporate cheese. He's captured the cynicism, the drollness and the other elements that help us cope with the impersonal affronts that greet us regularly.

If you have every other Dilbert, you may want to think before picking it up as it has no new material. It does however, have the unique arrangment that shows the development of so many characters. The notes themselves add an element that gives insight into the twisted mind of Adams.

Viva la Dilbert!

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5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding introduction to the Dilbert phenomenon, Oct 9 2003

By

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Seven Years of Highly Defective People (Paperback)

Scott Adams' Dilbert comic strip is simply brilliant; Dilbert is the embodiment of the typical white collar working man. Other comic strips may be funny, but Dilbert personally connects with huge numbers of people in ways no other comic strip has ever come close to matching. It's really amazing how a single three-frame daily comic can say so much so well. I feel a particular affinity to both Dilbert and his creator Scott Adams. Adams' first job was a bank teller position, as was mine. I am also quite familiar with the whole cubicle phenomenon, and while my own work experience was never quite as dysfunctional as that of Dilbert, I can relate to and understand very well the types of management decisions, innovatively silly programs and campaigns, and team-building charades that take place in Dilbert's workplace. You don't have to be a cubicle veteran to "get" Dilbert, though, and Adams' humor is so razor-sharp and grounded in common sense that Dilbert's fans should be and are legion in number.

Seven Years of Highly Defective People makes a great introduction to Scott Adams' brilliant comic strip. Not only do you get a sampling of Adams' best creations from the time of the strip's appearance in 1989 to 1996 and the publication of this book, you get a great introduction to the characters who share Dilbert's world. You can see the progression of the The Boss over time and marvel at the appearance and growth of his increasingly pointy hair, watch Dilbert's coworker Alice evolve from a nondescript female character to the triangle-haired attitude-laced pistol she came to be. Wally has always been Wally, but this guy makes any comic strip frame better and funnier just by lending his presence. Then there are the minor and not-so-minor other characters: Ratbert, Catbert, Bob the Dinosaur and family, Dilbert's Mom and never-seen Dad, the world's smartest garbageman, Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light, Asok the intern, Ted the Generic Guy, etc. My favorite character is of course Dogbert, Dilbert's dog who is constantly scheming to take over the world, creating some of the most amazing jobs for himself to aid him in his efforts. Dogbert gets to say all the things that Dilbert (and his author and I and many of us) would like to say but cannot even think about uttering aloud.

Each significant character gets a little bio-type write-up here, and perhaps best of all Adams has included notes for the majority of the comic strips stuffed into these 250+ pages. It's fascinating to see how little things he did almost on a lark ended up becoming so popular that they had to be incorporated into the whole Dilbert universe. Even more fascinating are Adams' references to the many controversies some of his seemingly innocuous comic strip ideas met with. His comments on his own poor cartooning skills are also quite funny and, it would seem, true to an extent. Of course, Dilbert wouldn't be the same if it came out looking like a piece of art or a Disney-type production. Most people either "get" Dilbert or don't "get" him, and I think most individuals can establish their respective place with a look at a small sampling of the comic strips. Those whom Dilbert speaks to as a prophet of truth blazing forth across the heavens would do well to invest in this significant collection; there are a lot of Dilbert books on the market, but I think Seven Years of Highly Defective People is among the best of the bunch and is particularly appealing to those wanting to review or learn about the early years of Dilbert.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, July 7 2003

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"autumngreer" (Dallas, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Years of Highly Defective People (Paperback)

This book is a must for Dilbert fans. Its shows the evolution of dilbert and characters to what we see today, along with author notes. I truely enjoyed reading this book, it kept me laughing.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars SEVEN YEARS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE COMICS
A single cartoon that I have laughed the hardest at, the longest at, as to be a Dilbert. Scott Adams has jokes that may step over the line in a businessman's perspective, but if... Read more

Published on Dec 11 2002 by christianrockfreak

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any Dilbert fan
SEVEN YEARS OF HIGHLY DEFECTIVE PEOPLE is a must buy for anyone who likes Dilbert. Reading it is a hilarious review of Dilbert comics from 1989 to 1995-- all of them conveniently... Read more

Published on Dec 28 2001