Thursday 21 March 2013

Flog It blog It, Terrible Tomes!


Molly The Wally Waits For The Muse!


The 2013 Diagram Prize for Oddest book Title Of The Year. 


Remember this wonderful tome from yesterday? 



The Bookseller magazine has announced this years’ shortlist for The Diagram Prize 2013 for Oddest Title of the Year. They include  a re-evaluation of Adolf Hitler’s mental state and a not so imaginatively titled tome Handbook For Pigeon Fanciers. This award began as a laugh for delegates at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1978 and has been presented nearly every year since. Past winners have included,

Proceedings Of The Second International Workshop On Nude Mice, 
A short History Of Tractors In Ukraine
American Bottom Archaeology,
Bombproof Your Horse
and most recently Cooking With Poo.

Since 2000, the winner has been decided by a public vote, so which of this year’s nominated titles do you think is the oddest?
You can actually go and vote (here).

Here are some of this years’ offerings,


Lofts Of North America By Jerry Gagne (Foy’s Pet Supplies)
Pigeon fancier’s professional guide to pigeon housing.


Goblinproofing Ones’ Chicken Coop Reginald Bakeley (Conari)
How to identify, track, defend and destroy bothersome members of the fairy realm.


How Tea Cosies Changed The World Loani Prior (Murdoch)
Comprehensive and inspirational guide to the humble tea cosy.


How to Sharpen Pencils David Rees (Melville House)
The art of achieving the perfect point.

Happy Reading Folks!

42 comments:

  1. OMD Molly these all look Awful except for maybe the Goblinproofing of a Chicken Coop - that might be useful ;P and Cooking with Poo - that may offer some new inspiration for homemade treats! :D

    Waggin at ya,
    Roo

    PeeS: Where do you come up with this stuff? BOL!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Molly I cannot tell you how long I have been looking for a book on pencil sharpening!!
    Thank you!!!
    MOL MOL MOL
    Hugs Madi your BFFF

    ReplyDelete
  3. Same as Madi..LOL funny,we will have to order one..Have a wonderful day Molly and Mom xx00xx

    Mollie and Alfie

    ReplyDelete
  4. LOL...what is a pencil? I think I saw one in a museum once. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hilarious! I have never heard of this contest before.
    I have to say my favorite one was the one on tea cozies. Too funny!
    Such an interesting topic! So glad you blogged about it. Love the picture of Molly too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You need a book to sharpen a pencil . . . is that what society has come to! Our Lady loves her tea cosy, but isn't sure it changed the world. Great titles! teehee! Lee and Phod who think anything can get published!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just saw that tea cosy book.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm more interested in those world changing tea cozies. What have they been up too?

    Nanina

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Molly, sometimes I find it hard to get to sleep, counting sheep isn't the answer as I just want to chase them and I get all excited. However now I have a list of the most boring books ever written in the entire world all I have to do is get through a chapter of how to sharpen your pencil..........who woke me!

    ReplyDelete
  10. HA! I winder if someone will buy the movie right to Cooking With Poo?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Molly I went over to vote and it took me ten minutes to stop laughing at the entries...Whatever possesses folks to write these books? I had to vote for the book about tea cozies...It's important to learn such history BOL!

    ReplyDelete
  12. i like the chicken coop one. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. The art of achieving the perfect point! BOL!

    ReplyDelete
  14. BaaaaaWaaaah our MOM could have written that book about pencil sharpening... She used to teach furst and second graders... THEY can Take a NEW pencil and sharpen them do NOTHING by NOON. She solved the problem by making it a classroom JOB and each day only one person could sharpen everybuddy's Pencils.... she called it MR. CRANKY... since the sharpener was a crank style... THEN she got even smarter and got an ELECTRIC one... butt still kept the Mr. Cranky job... Pencils would then last a WEEK instead of just a morning. BaaaaaWaaaaah.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh Molly those are funny titles
    Benny & Lily

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sometimes you just have to grab the attention of the public.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

    SHE read 'A short history of tractors in the Ukraine'

    ReplyDelete
  17. Why TEA cosies? I prefer COFFEE.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm afraid the tea cosies changed not much of the world :o) btw: the name of the author of the pigeon loft book, Jerry Gagne means in french: won ( gagne=won)...but this book sounds not really like a winner to me :o) Have a great thursday :o)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ohhhhhh, we need a copy of How to Sharpen Pencils for Mom, she hasn't got a clue, we get enoung wood chip to start a fire!

    Your Pals
    The Mad Scots

    ReplyDelete
  20. We hate to tell you this... but we actually have read "How to Sharpen Pencils"... it was pretty good. :) But it made our mom LOL that you had it listed under your Terrible Tomes post!! Nothing will EVER out do your David Hasselhoff from yesterday.

    Shelle, Milo, Dixie and Newby,
    http://simpaticodreams.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  21. Definitely the one on Tea Cosies!

    ReplyDelete
  22. "How to Sharpen Pencils" could be the perfect gift for my mom! And that chicken-thing is perfect for me. I can't decide between the Pigeon Lofts and the Tea Cosies....Ok, I vote for the Tea Cosies!
    Nice regards
    Arno

    ReplyDelete
  23. You skipped one... "Gods Doodle...."

    ReplyDelete
  24. OMD Goblin proofing your Chicken Coop, seriously!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I don't know. That one about tractors in Ukraine sounded interesting!
    Play bows,
    Zim

    ReplyDelete
  26. The Goblinproofing book has my vote lol. The picture is just odd and I'm not sure about their revolution against the fairy kingdom. Wonder how that's working out. I've also never even heard of a tea cosy before, but good to know that they have changed the world lol.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I think the Goblinproofing your Chicken Coop will be the hands down winner! All those years ago when I kept a few chickens and they would get all rattled and excited maybe it WAS goblins. I'll never know but I would read the book.

    Cheers,
    Jo, Stella and Zkhat

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love Goblin Proofing One's Chicken Coop. I bet that could be a best seller!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Goblin proofing??? LOL! FWIW I've actually glanced at Bombproofing Your Horse. It's a pretty good book - not that I have a horse. The title just caught my eye while I was in the library looking at dog books :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. I like the goblinproofing one best! I mean, you never know. Safety first and all that :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. some of these I HAVE GOT TO find and read--- love it! although, I do love the fairy world, all it creatures so this one needs to get off the market. :) hugs and wags,

    ReplyDelete
  32. Haha! I just NEED to know how tea cozies changed the world. I'm burning with curiousity now!!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hmmm, it was funny till I got to the tea cosies and then it got interesting, love them!
    Lynne x

    ReplyDelete
  34. I just acquired my first tea cozy. Now I have to find out how they changed the world.

    But I use mechanical pencils so I will pass on that one. Are pencil sharpeners even made today?

    ReplyDelete
  35. I actually saw that pencil sharpening guy on TV! I seem to recall that you can send your pencil to him, and he will sharpen it perfectly for you and send it back in a lovely box w/ a certificate or some such silliness.

    I kinda like the tea cozies one...

    This reminds me of the weirdest title I ever heard. My sis used to be a copy editor at Academic Press, working on the science books, and she once edited a book called "The Warmed-over Flavor of Meat". Apparently this 'warmed-over' flavor is a real thing. (So odd.)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Cooking with Poo?! *shudder*

    Susan and Wrigs

    ReplyDelete
  37. So now we know exactly what to get Mom for Christmas - she NEVER has a good sharp pencil:)

    Woos - Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning

    ReplyDelete
  38. I kind of like The Pidgeons lofts...
    The worst is How to Sharpen Pencils because everybody knows how to do it...dã! And I prefer a mechanic pencil!
    Licks from Pink

    ReplyDelete
  39. We are now very curious to discover how Tea Cozies changed the world. That could be an incredibly interesting story. We also think it might be wise to find out how to goblin proof a chicken coop. But then we don't have a chicken coop. No chickens either. Guess we are safe.

    Purrs,
    Cindi Lou & The Kitty Krew

    ReplyDelete