February 23, 2010
Winning bad titles
by Dennis Johnson
Finalists for Britain’s annual Diagram Prize for the oddest book title have been announced. According to an Associated Press wire story, the six top finalists are:
- Afterthoughts of a Worm Hunter
- Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich
- Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots
- The Changing World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes
- What Kind of Bean is This Chihuahua?
The award, given out by the book trade magazine The Bookseller, will be decided by a public vote next month. The magazine details the finalists here.
Unfortunately, the public won’t be able to vote for a few beauts that didn’t make the shortlist, such as Bacon: A Love Story. Previous winners, meanwhile, include Bombproof Your Horse and Living With Crazy Buttocks.
Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.