'Strangest' Titles Ever

By Staff

Friday, February 27, 2009, 11:58

The books with the most unique titles will now compete for the 'Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title'. The title was devised by Bruce Robertson from The Diagram Group in 1978. He did this when he got board at the Frankfurt Fair.

"In this, the 31st year of the prestigious award, never have I found it so problematic to pick a shortlist of just 6. At a time when the economic climate is forbidding and cost-cutting companies are ten-a-penny, I'm proud to report that the British publishing industry has remained as stubborn in the face of change as ever," the Telegraph quoted Horace Bent, from the Bookseller magazine, as saying.

"Given the economic gloom, I would not have blamed publishers if they'd decided to slash their lists. But it gives me great pleasure to report that diversity lives!" he added.

The books with the 'Strangest' titles shortlisted this year are as follows:

1. Baboon Metaphysics by Dorothy Dorothy L Cheney and Robert M Seyfarth (University of Chicago Press)

2. Curbside Consultation of the Colon by Brooks D Cash (SLACK Incorporated)

3. The Large Sieve and its Applications by Emmanuel Kowalski (Cambridge University Press)

4. Strips and Knit with Style by Mark Hordyszynski (C&T)

5. Techniques for Corrosion Monitoring by Lietai Yang (Woodhead)

6.The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais by Professor Phi.