Bookseller Diagram Prize shortlist

[Pabmusic]

This prize has been awarded annually for the last 35 years or so for the oddest book title.

The shortlist for this year is:

Was Hitler Ill? by Henrik Eberle and Hans-Joachim Neumann (Polity)
Lofts of North America: Pigeon Lofts by Jerry Gagne (Foy’s Pet Supplies)
How to Sharpen Pencils by David Rees (Melville House)
God’s Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis by Tom Hickman (Square Peg)
Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop by Reginald Bakeley (Conari)
How Tea Cosies Changed the World by Loani Prior (Murdoch).

Previous successes include A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.

Any idea what this one's about, Pabs?

[Pabmusic]

Any idea what this one's about, Pabs?

I've not read it, but it seems to be a Swedish Forrest Gump: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012...onasson-review

Mark you, from its title alone, it's me waking up on a bad day.

[JFLL]

There was a fashion a few years ago for books, especially pop science books, to have titles with the formula ‘X’s Y’, e.g. ‘Harrison’s Clocks’, ‘Schrödinger’s Cat’, ‘Wittgenstein’s Poker’, ‘Descartes’ Long Johns’ etc. ‘(OK, I made the last one up.) It seems to be alive and well in ‘God’s Doodle’ in that list.

[Richard Tarleton]

My candidate for most unpromising title from 2008 was Dry Store Room No 1, by the excellent Richard Fortey (it is subtitled The Secret History of the Natural History Museum). An entertaining read.