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Oddest Book Title of the Year

A list of 485 words by reesetee.

About

Every year, Bookseller magazine announces the winner of its Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year. This year, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Diagram Prize, the magazine is also holding public vote for the "Diagram of Diagrams"--the oddest book title ever.

Here are the illustrious winners, as well as the titles currently on the short list for this year's award and some that narrowly missed out on a place in history.

Notes:
1) No awards were given in 1987 and 1991.
2) None of these are madeupical.

UPDATE: This list is now open to all odd book titles, regardless of whether they were nominated for the abovementioned award. There are just too many bizarre book titles out there to let them go without capturing on Wordie/Wordnik. Also included here are titles from AbeBooks' Weird Book Room, seen here. :-)

For more hilarity, see sionnach's excellent "Bizarre Books" list. Prefer magazines? Try VanishedOne's "Peri-odd-icals", if you dare.

Comments

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  • reesetee Thanks, marky--it's still growing! Aug 30, 2012

  • marky why have i never seen this list? cool list! Jun 20, 2012

  • reesetee Ooh! *yoink* Feb 14, 2011

  • ruzuzu *favorited*

    One of my favorite travel books is Jaguars Ripped My Flesh. Feb 14, 2011

  • madmouth the old sot Apr 15, 2009

  • reesetee Thanks for the reminder. I'd been waiting for this year's collection. :-) Feb 21, 2009

  • vanishedone This year's shortlist is out.

    Edit: there's also some further commentary here. Feb 21, 2009

  • reesetee When I worked with rare/antique books, I came across quite a few titles like this. If only I'd written them down.... :-) Sep 3, 2008

  • chained_bear HAAAAAA ha ha ha!! :) That's okay, the first sentence is kind of the best anyway. Sep 3, 2008

  • reesetee Oh, but I must add it! Although I think it'll probably bork Wordie. Here, I'll try....

    Edit: Well, I managed the first sentence of the title, at least. :-) Sep 3, 2008

  • chained_bear Reesetee, I found a humdinger of a book title, but it was published in 1800. I understand if you don't add it to this list, but it deserves a comment at least:

    Some account of an existing correspondence now carrying on between the inhabitants of the moon, and the natives of old England. To which is subjoined, a list of such articles as are immediately wanted for the export trade, by some merchants just arrived from that planet. Interspersed with several useful and valuable hints, particularly adapted to the use of those gentlemen who are fond of speculation. A work strongly recommended to the perusal of the merchants, bankers, manufacturers, wholesale tradesmen, shopkeepers, underwriters, insurance brokers, and ladies of Great Britain. Sep 3, 2008

  • reesetee Thanks, O--I added both (although the question mark won't take in What Is the Name of This Book?, of course). Also, thanks Asativum, for your suggestion--sorry I didn't see it before now. :-) Aug 19, 2008

  • oroboros This probably isn't a list-maker but I've always admired Raymond Smullyan's What is the Name of this Book?. Oh, and also Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book. Aug 19, 2008

  • asativum Not sure this qualifies -- it's actually a pretty good read: At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig: Travels Through Paraguay. Jul 5, 2008

  • reesetee Added! I opened the list to all odd book titles, not just the ones from the contest. :-) Jun 19, 2008

  • chained_bear This doesn't belong on your list, but I didn't know where else to put it, and I think it's a great title: When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden (Bill Maher). Jun 19, 2008

  • reesetee Yes, some are relatively popular books. Scary, isn't it? May 23, 2008

  • pterodactyl Huh. I thought that these would all be pretty esoteric, but I've seen six or seven of them on the shelves at the Barnes & Noble where I work. May 22, 2008

  • reesetee Wow. I may need an entirely new list for that one, since (as far as we know) it isn't in the running for the Bookseller prize. Mar 10, 2008

  • chained_bear I found this in Newsweek but I think it belongs on this list, not mine:

    "In a new book, "I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed by Me," military buff Trevor Paglen...." (The rest doesn't matter.) Newsweek, March 10, 2008 Mar 7, 2008

  • reesetee And somehow they're funnier when they're real, aren't they? Feb 27, 2008

  • palooka Hilarious list & link! I guess it's not that hard to get a book published after all. Feb 27, 2008

  • reesetee Agreed. One of my favorites is Cheese Problems Solved. Feb 27, 2008

  • yarb The short ones are the best. Versailles: the View from Sweden, How to Avoid Huge Ships, and Bombproof your Horse. Genius. Feb 27, 2008