To start the fall semester on a light note . . .

The first half of this post is a list of unusual book titles collected by Russell Ash and Brian Lake for Bizarre Books (1998). It is another item that I am re-posting from Futility Closet (www.futilitycloset.com). It is re-posted with the permission of Greg Ross, who maintains the site. You can have daily updates from the site delivered to your e-mail each morning.

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Jokes Cracked by Lord Aberdeen by Lord Aberdeen, 1929.

The Romance of Proctology, by Charles Elton Blanchard, 1938.

Atomic Bombing: How to Protect Yourself, by Watson Davis, 1950.

God Drives a Flying Saucer, by R.L. Dione, 1973.

The Fangs of Suet Pudding, by Adams Farr, 1944.

The Benefit of Farting Explain’d, by “Don Fart-inhando Puffindorst” (Jonathan Swift), 1727.

Handbook for the Limbless, by Geoffrey Howson, 1922.

A Toddler’s Guide to the Rubber Industry, by D. Lowe, 1947.

Be Married and Like It, by Bernarr Macfadden, 1937.

Hand Grenade Throwing as a College Sport, by Lewis Omer, 1918.

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What follows is a list of unusual book titles that I myself have been collecting for a number of years. I won’t vouch for the value of all of the books, but several of the novels are quite good.

The Angry Puppet Syndrome, by John H. Menkes, 1999.

The Cat Name Companion, by Mark Bryant, 2000

The Curious Eat Themselves, by John Straley, 1993 [Novel]

Eating the Cheshire Cat, by Helen Ellis, 2000. [Novel]

The Electroencephalographer Couldn’t Cry, by Bernard Sussman, 1999. [Novel]

Every Midget Has an Uncle Sam Costume: Writing for a Living, by Donald Bain, 2002.

Making Love to the Minor Poets of Chicago, by James Conrad, 2000. [Novel]

Making the World Safe for Tourism, by Patricia Goldstone, 2001.

Never Shake Hands with a Left-Handed Gunman, by Benjamin Prado, 1999. [Novel]

Nocturnal Butterflies of the Russian Empire, by Jose Manuel Prieto, 2000. [Novel]

Slaughtermatic, by Steve Aylett, 1999. [Novel]

Violence, Nudity, Adult Content, by Vince Passaro, 2003. [Novel]

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My previous re-posts from Futility Closet have included:

“But Should It Cound toward Promotion and Tenure”: https://academeblog.org/2013/05/21/but-would-it-count-toward-promotion-and-tenure/

“Another Item of Ironic Scholarship from Futility Closet”: https://academeblog.org/2013/05/26/another-item-on-ironic-scholarship-from-futility-closet/

“Odd Library Subject Headings”: https://academeblog.org/2013/06/03/odd-library-subject-headings/

“Herein Lies Another Route to Madness”: https://academeblog.org/2013/06/07/herein-lies-yet-another-route-to-madness/

“How-To Books That Make One Wonder Why”: https://academeblog.org/2013/06/18/how-to-books-that-make-one-wonder-why/

“Higher Ed’s Version of the Great Imposter”: https://academeblog.org/2013/06/20/higher-eds-version-of-the-great-impostor/

“Dissertation Titles That Warrant a Double-Take”: https://academeblog.org/2013/08/20/dissertation-with-titles-that-warrant-a-double-take/