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It's back!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com\/gadgets\/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-XxcCxW_njP4%2FUzk_-9uMVwI%2FAAAAAAAAATs%2Fo9Eio11oRPc%2Fs1600%2FDiagram%2BPrize.jpg\u0026amp;container=blogger\u0026amp;gadget=a\u0026amp;rewriteMime=image%2F*\" imageanchor=\"1\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"160\" src=\"https:\/\/images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com\/gadgets\/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-XxcCxW_njP4%2FUzk_-9uMVwI%2FAAAAAAAAATs%2Fo9Eio11oRPc%2Fs1600%2FDiagram%2BPrize.jpg\u0026amp;container=blogger\u0026amp;gadget=a\u0026amp;rewriteMime=image%2F*\" width=\"200\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd not just back for another year, but back in form. If you've been visiting Books in the City over the years, you may recall -- and perhaps you even shared -- my recurring disappointment during the last few editions of the prize with how the surest road to the shortlist seemed to have become the gleeful, not to say calculated, brandishing of the scatological, which I ranted on about in \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.co.nz\/2014\/04\/winning-with-poo-thoughts-on-diagram.html\"\u003EWinning with Poo: thoughts on the Diagram Oddest Title Prize 2014\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.co.nz\/2013\/02\/the-diagram-prize-hunting-odd-book-title.html\"\u003EHunting the oddest book title \u003C\/a\u003Ethe year before.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut today, Diagram Prize, may I offer my compliments on your having dusted off your founding principles of discovering the unabashed, unlaboured odd title, and taking it out for a night on the town -- not a \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2036363\"\u003EDiner de Cons\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(Dinner of fools)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eeither, more of a \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2769929\"\u003ERoman Holiday\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003C\/i\u003Eyou know, the girl who had never been on a Vespa, never eaten ice-cream on the street, who gets her day in the sun before returning to her daily grind, well, so to speak, she \u003Ci\u003Eis \u003C\/i\u003Ea princess.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven the title of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/news\/nether-regions-and-pavements-hot-diagram-prize-shortlist\"\u003Earticle\u003C\/a\u003E with which The Bookseller, the organisers of the prize, announced the shortlist shows more finesse than in many a year. \"Nether regions and pavements hot on Diagram Prize shortlist\", it read.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EThe Diagram Prize shortlist\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?isbn=9780670785919\/mc.gif\u0026amp;upc=\u0026amp;oclc=\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"syndetics-lc\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?isbn=9780670785919\/mc.gif\u0026amp;upc=\u0026amp;oclc=\u0026amp;client=elgar\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E1.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2868024\"\u003ENature's nether regions: what the sex lives of bugs, birds, and beasts tell us about evolution, biodiversity, and ourselves\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Eby Menno Schilthuizen \u003C\/b\u003E(Viking)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Researching private parts was long considered taboo,\" says the publisher's description, \"but scientists are now beginning to understand that the wild diversity of sex organs across species can tell us a lot about evolution\". You have to love that 'wild'.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2. Advanced Pavement Research\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003Eedited by Bo Tian \u003C\/b\u003E(Trans Tech)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ESubtitled\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESelected, Peer Reviewed Papers from the 3rd International Conference on Concrete Pavements Design, Construction, and Rehabilitation, December 2-3, 2013, Shanghai, China, \u003C\/i\u003Ethis volume of\u0026nbsp;papers from a pavement symposium is not available at the library. But you are welcome to put in a suggestion for purchase.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?isbn=9780393088687\/mc.gif\u0026amp;upc=\u0026amp;oclc=\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"syndetics-lc\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?isbn=9780393088687\/mc.gif\u0026amp;upc=\u0026amp;oclc=\u0026amp;client=elgar\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cb\u003E3.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2859221\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe madwoman in the Volvo : my year of raging hormones\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E \u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eby Sandra Tsing Loh \u003C\/b\u003E(Norton)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"A memoir of the menopause\". Readers in the Central City, Grey Lynn, St Heliers and Devonport (two in Devonport!) are currently enjoying this book by an American comedian who is here to tell us (the catalogue summary says) that \"it does get better\". Yes, after you have to write off the Volvo, they give you a room in the attic.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E4.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2835494\" style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003EWhere do camels belong? The story and science of invasive species\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eby Ken Thompson \u003C\/b\u003E(Profile Books)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?isbn=9781781251744\/mc.gif\u0026amp;upc=\u0026amp;oclc=\u0026amp;client=elgar\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"syndetics-lc\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?isbn=9781781251744\/mc.gif\u0026amp;upc=\u0026amp;oclc=\u0026amp;client=elgar\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EDr. Thompson,  a lecturer in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield who also writes regularly on gardening for the Daily Telegraph, and not one to clamour for attention, uses chapter headings such as \"Two rather unsuccessful theories\", followed by \"A slightly better theory\", before working up to \"The strange tale of the harlequin ladybird\" and \"Japanese knotweed: lice to the rescue\", followed by a plunge into the downright controversial (and, let's just say it, seriously interesting) \"Five myths about invasions (#1 Alien invasions reduce biodiversity and ecosystem function; #2 Alien species cost us a fortune; #3 Aliens are always to blame; #4 Aliens are out to get us; #5 Aliens are bad, natives good).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E5. \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2990389\"\u003EDivorcing a Real Witch: For Pagans and the People That Used to Love Them\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Eby Diana Rajchel\u003C\/b\u003E (Moon Books)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: right; text-align: right;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/static\/w-700\/h--\/q-95\/sys-images\/Guardian\/Pix\/pictures\/2015\/2\/26\/1424970965014\/78f25a95-b1d2-4f19-8c1a-f0d29d112d6c-472x720.jpeg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Divorcing a Real Witch by Diana Rajchel (£12.99, Moon Books), Oddest book titles\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/static\/w-700\/h--\/q-95\/sys-images\/Guardian\/Pix\/pictures\/2015\/2\/26\/1424970965014\/78f25a95-b1d2-4f19-8c1a-f0d29d112d6c-472x720.jpeg\" height=\"200\" width=\"131\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EPhoto: The Guardian\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs the title says, it's for real, a \"practical guide for ending Pagan relationships\", in the words of The Bookseller. The library doesn't have this, but I have asked if we can purchase a few copies, or at least one for Waiheke, that traditional Wiccan stronghold. Diagram Prize Coordinator Tom Tivnan of The Bookseller commented \"Along with its real-life applications for those who have loved and lost in the Wiccan community, \u003Ci\u003EDivorcing a Real Witch\u003C\/i\u003E could also serve as a guidebook for Harry Potter fan-fiction writers who are focusing on the statistically inevitable end of the marriage of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E*Update, 4 March: Auckland Libraries now has this book on order, for Manurewa, Albany, Massey and... Waiheke Libraries! Now that it's on our catalogue, we can read a bio of the author, who definitely possesses some supernatural qualities. \"Diana Rajchel is a 3rd degree Wiccan priestess in the Shadowmoon tradition. Her work has appeared in Sage Woman, Circle Network News and Llewellyn annuals since 1909.\" we are told.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E6. \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2990260\"\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;Ugly Wife is Treasured at Home\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E by Melissa Margaret Schneider\u003C\/b\u003E (Potomac)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/static\/w-460\/h--\/q-95\/sys-images\/Guardian\/Pix\/pictures\/2015\/2\/26\/1424962697836\/ce3ea043-faf3-4025-ab09-1985f9d18e7e-478x720.jpeg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/static\/w-460\/h--\/q-95\/sys-images\/Guardian\/Pix\/pictures\/2015\/2\/26\/1424962697836\/ce3ea043-faf3-4025-ab09-1985f9d18e7e-478x720.jpeg\" height=\"200\" width=\"132\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003Ephoto: The Guardian\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBesides its title, another odd thing about this book is that while The Bookseller calls it \"An exposé of love and sex under Maoist rule in China\", \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/booksblog\/gallery\/2015\/feb\/27\/diagram-prize-oddest-book-titles-of-the-year-2015-in-pictures\"\u003EThe Guardian\u003C\/a\u003E decided to describe it as \"Love, marriage and life for ordinary citizens during China’s cultural revolution\". Or perhaps it is The Guardian which is being revealed as odd. Says Tivnan, \"\u003Ci\u003EThe Ugly Wife is a Treasure at Home\u003C\/i\u003E is a sentiment which will perhaps resonate with many readers—if they travelled back to the 1950s.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E7. \u003Ci\u003EStrangers Have the Best Candy\u003C\/i\u003E by Margaret Meps Schulte\u003C\/b\u003E (Choose Art)\u003Cbr \/\u003ESubtitled\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EHow talking to strangers leads to a life of crazy adventure  and lasting friendship\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cb\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: right; text-align: right;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/static\/w-460\/h--\/q-95\/sys-images\/Guardian\/Pix\/pictures\/2015\/2\/26\/1424962450216\/8dffefa0-9fcb-4c1e-bc0e-6dbbc3fa81ef-477x720.jpeg\" height=\"200\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" width=\"132\" \/\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EPhoto: The Guardian\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003EI'm not sure I see the oddness in this one, but I wouldn't be a good judge. Talking to strangers is one of my most -- I'm not going to say 'favourite', perhaps 'inevitable' is the word I'm looking for -- experiences. I will say that the author left something out -- the amazing things you learn. What's candy compared to the tidbits of knowledge you can pick up from strangers? Sometimes more than tidbits, from the philosopher on the bus who told me the story of David on his deathbed instructing Solomon \"Do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace\", to the guy who told us about the most beautiful and secret beach in the Peloponnese, to the woman in the supermarket who told me how to make brussel sprouts delicious. Don't ask me to judge the relative importance of these!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EBut speaking of judging...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Which of these books is worthy of the accolade for oddest book title of 2014?\" asks The Bookseller.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EYes, because the Diagram Prize is decided by public vote. Vote for your favourite now at \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.surveymonkey.com\/s\/diagramprize2014\"\u003EWe Love This Book\u003C\/a\u003E!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EVoting closes at midnight on Friday 20th March, with the winner announced on Friday 27th March.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E-- \u003Ci\u003EKaren\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm A', 'Gotham Narrow SSm B', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.999979019165px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm A', 'Gotham Narrow SSm B', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.999979019165px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm A', 'Gotham Narrow SSm B', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.999979019165px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/static\/w-460\/h--\/q-95\/sys-images\/Guardian\/Pix\/pictures\/2015\/2\/26\/1424962450216\/8dffefa0-9fcb-4c1e-bc0e-6dbbc3fa81ef-477x720.jpeg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8810799849907079603\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2015\/03\/the-diagram-prize-for-oddest-book-title.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/8810799849907079603"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/8810799849907079603"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2015\/03\/the-diagram-prize-for-oddest-book-title.html","title":"The Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title. It's back!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-2519026545435924727"},"published":{"$t":"2014-04-04T11:27:00.000+13:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2015-03-04T00:21:12.533+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Diagram Prize"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Karen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Oddest Title"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Winning with Poo: thoughts on the Diagram Oddest Title Prize 2014"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\"A little madness in the Spring\u003Cbr \/\u003EIs wholesome even for the King\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E(Emily Dickinson #1333) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt 36, the Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year may be the youngest among the many eccentric traditions of the British springtime, centuries behind cheese-rolling, the Nutters Dance, and the Hare Pie Scramble, but it need harbour no inferiority complex. The prize, which is awarded annually by the book industry trade magazine \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/\"\u003EThe Bookseller\u003C\/a\u003E, lacks neither for prestige -- in fact its custodian, The Bookseller's \"legendary\" diarist Horace Bent refers to it as \"my prestigious prize\" - nor for popularity. More people voted for the Diagram of Diagrams, won by \u003Ci\u003EGreek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers,\u003C\/i\u003E than voted for the Booker of Bookers, won by Salman Rushdie.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XxcCxW_njP4\/Uzk_-9uMVwI\/AAAAAAAAATs\/o9Eio11oRPc\/s1600\/Diagram+Prize.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XxcCxW_njP4\/Uzk_-9uMVwI\/AAAAAAAAATs\/o9Eio11oRPc\/s1600\/Diagram+Prize.jpg\" height=\"256\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EGreek Rural Postmen and Their \u0026nbsp;Cancellation Numbers \u003C\/i\u003Eobviously\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Emerits its star status, but the Diagram Prize has called our attention to many sleeper glories over the years, including these, a few of my personal favourites:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHow to Avoid Huge Ships \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDesigning High Performance Stiffened Structures \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPeople Who Don't Know They're Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHighlights in the History of Concrete\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rJg1MHgIvTs\/Uzotg_FRB9I\/AAAAAAAAAUM\/QdaLulsBVRk\/s1600\/How_to_Poo.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rJg1MHgIvTs\/Uzotg_FRB9I\/AAAAAAAAAUM\/QdaLulsBVRk\/s1600\/How_to_Poo.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003Ewhich are now joined by the 2014 winner\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2844736\"\u003EHow to Poo on a Date\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESubtitled \u003Ci\u003EThe Lovers' Guide to Toilet Etiquette\u003C\/i\u003E, this book answers \"one of the most important questions that has played\u0026nbsp;[sic] on the mind of mankind for centuries\", according to its publishers.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe runners-up are:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/supercity-iii%7Cb2776429\"\u003EPie-ography\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESubtitles are de rigueur with odd titles and are usually prosaic, as in the case above. But\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EPie-ography's\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;subtitle,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWhen Pie Meets Biography,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eis perhaps even more satisfyingly odd than the title.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rrKDoQUOF6A\/Uz1HVU-ZlsI\/AAAAAAAAAUs\/g9NJvv1Haj0\/s1600\/Jean-Claude+angry.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rrKDoQUOF6A\/Uz1HVU-ZlsI\/AAAAAAAAAUs\/g9NJvv1Haj0\/s1600\/Jean-Claude+angry.jpg\" height=\"110\" width=\"200\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\"Anger\" van Damme\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2772431\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHow to Pray When You're Pissed at God\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere it was the publisher's blurb which was odder than the title. \"Have you ever gotten pissed off at God? Moses did. So did Jesus and Anger van rear,\" I read.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAnger van Rear\u003C\/i\u003E? Who's that? Some Jean-Claude van Damme rip off?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EReading on, all was revealed. That \"van\" was just a typo: \"Anger van rear its ugly head\" the line went on to say. Indeed it van. And proofreaders bow theirs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2792959\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Origin of Feces\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;Subtitle:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWhat excrement tells us about evolution, ecology, and a sustainable society\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAre Trout South African?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESubtitle:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EStories of Fish, Places and People.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003Eand the one I voted for:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWorking Class Cats\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003Esubtitle: \u003Ci\u003EThe Bodega Cats of New York City\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETom Tivman,  Features Editor at The Bookseller, was plumping\u0026nbsp;for \u003Ci\u003EWorking Class Cats\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;to win as well, describing it as \"a blend of feline heroism, Brooklyn hipster chic and Soviet realism\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou can get an idea of what's in the book by visiting the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WorkingClassCats\"\u003Efacebook page\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;of this laudable awareness-raising initiative supporting \"NYC cats who don't get paid for their labour\", which contains gems such as:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rTqaVcieZVQ\/Uzldc8ryshI\/AAAAAAAAAT8\/yMQHaf0E0mQ\/s1600\/Scuzzbudget.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rTqaVcieZVQ\/Uzldc8ryshI\/AAAAAAAAAT8\/yMQHaf0E0mQ\/s1600\/Scuzzbudget.jpg\" height=\"212\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\"ScuzzBucket from Bleeker Street Records wins the fatty award, hands down.\"\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo there you have it, a shortlist which Tivnan announced as one which \"taps into the zeitgeist\", with something for everyone, from internet cat-watchers to fans of foodie shows, and, \"And\u0026nbsp;we have two books about poo\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd this is where I come to the question \"playing\" on my mind, I might even say \"preying\" on my mind (but not \"praying\", pissed or not):\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIs Poo odd?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlthough last year's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGoblinproofing One's Chicken Coop-\u003C\/i\u003Eled shortlist did feature a number of titles on topics of perennial interest and oddity such as penises, knitting and Nazism, and none at all on human waste, the previous year it was again poo, in the guise of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECooking with Poo,\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;which took the prize\u003Ci\u003E. \u003C\/i\u003EHorace Bent recalled \"a long tradition\" when he announced this year's winner on Twitter, adding in \u003Ci\u003EHow to Shit in the Woods\u003C\/i\u003E ('89 winner) and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAmerican Bottom Archaeology\u003C\/i\u003E ('93).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis pairing exactly illustrates my point. Is that first title really odd, or just a title containing a word which clamours for attention? My hunch is that as with people, the truly odd are always the ones who are not aware of being odd: \u0026nbsp;the aristocrat who goes around in glasses held together with tape, the grown man in front of you in the line for ice-cream, asking a lot of questions about the chocolate dip as the movie is about to start. In fact, the second of those titles,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAmerican Bottom Archaeology \u003C\/i\u003Eis\u0026nbsp;wonderful to us in the same proportion as it was ordinary for its authors.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAmerican Bottom Archaeology \u003C\/i\u003Eis, they go on to tell us in their subtitle, simply\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;A Summary of the FAI-270 Project Contribution to the Culture History of the Mississippi River Valley\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat's how I see it anyway. I am clearly a minority, given that the Diagram Prize is selected by public vote. In the old days, in the nude mice days and the lengthwise rolling days, Horace Bent decided the prize. He seems as chipper as ever when announcing the outcomes, but he has over the years let slip a comment or two about his dislike for the \"intentionally rude\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OxMzRa96V7Y\/U2jhoTo5G6I\/AAAAAAAAAYI\/bqOP5CEGt3U\/s1600\/how+to+seduce+women.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-OxMzRa96V7Y\/U2jhoTo5G6I\/AAAAAAAAAYI\/bqOP5CEGt3U\/s1600\/how+to+seduce+women.jpg\" height=\"200\" width=\"200\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EA pity I didn't come across this 2013 title in time or I could have nominated it:\u0026nbsp; \u003Ci\u003EHow To Seduce Women With Good Spelling, \u003C\/i\u003Esubtitled\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;The Three Words You Can Learn To Spell Right Now In Order To Become A More Successful Lover,\u003C\/i\u003E available on Amazon for kindle (never more apt), author a certain \"Emma R\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEmma R? Emma R? Why does this sound familiar?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;Why of course!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEmma Rouault was the name of that irrepressible reader of romantic novels who made the big mistake of marrying the dull, definitely not odd, Charles Bovary. "},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2519026545435924727\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2014\/04\/winning-with-poo-thoughts-on-diagram.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2519026545435924727"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2519026545435924727"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2014\/04\/winning-with-poo-thoughts-on-diagram.html","title":"Winning with Poo: thoughts on the Diagram Oddest Title Prize 2014"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XxcCxW_njP4\/Uzk_-9uMVwI\/AAAAAAAAATs\/o9Eio11oRPc\/s72-c\/Diagram+Prize.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-2839127233303329187"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-01T18:00:00.000+13:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-02-12T13:19:48.410+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Diagram Prize"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Karen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"literary awards"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Diagram Prize: hunting the oddest book title"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com\/gadgets\/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-XxcCxW_njP4%2FUzk_-9uMVwI%2FAAAAAAAAATs%2Fo9Eio11oRPc%2Fs1600%2FDiagram%2BPrize.jpg\u0026amp;container=blogger\u0026amp;gadget=a\u0026amp;rewriteMime=image%2F*\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com\/gadgets\/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-XxcCxW_njP4%2FUzk_-9uMVwI%2FAAAAAAAAATs%2Fo9Eio11oRPc%2Fs1600%2FDiagram%2BPrize.jpg\u0026amp;container=blogger\u0026amp;gadget=a\u0026amp;rewriteMime=image%2F*\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003EEvery year at this time, in a little island kingdom far to the North, as the crocuses start poking through the snow, Horace Bent of The Bookseller announces his shortlist for the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title and opens the voting, regaling the literary scene with a bright and eagerly anticipated annual recurrence of its own. \u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAnd yet, and yet. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor many years, Mr. Bent could do no wrong in my eyes. How could he, the man who brought to our attention \u003Ci\u003EProceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice\u003C\/i\u003E, the first-ever Diagram Prize winner (35 years ago, when the prize  originated as a way of staving off boredom at the Frankfurt Book Fair), and went on to select such gems as \u003Ci\u003EHighlights in the History of Concrete, How to Avoid Huge Ships,\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E Reusing Old Graves, Bondage for Beginners \u003C\/i\u003Eand my favourite, \u003Ci\u003EGreek Postmen and their cancellation numbers\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI loved the way Mr Bent disdained the odd title for odd title's sake, or  as he saw it, just for the sake of winning his \"prestigious award\", or  even, perhaps, although this doesn't seem to be part of Mr. Bent's  mindset (curious perhaps for one employed by the UK's definitive book  industry publication), or maybe he's too polite to mention it, to sell  more books. And then last year, an about-face as \u003Ci\u003ECooking with Poo\u003C\/i\u003E took the prize. So attention-grabbing, so \u003Ci\u003Eobvious\u003C\/i\u003E, compared to the multinuanced, admirably earnest \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDesigning High Performance Stiffened Structures\u003C\/i\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Efrom the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.\u003Ci\u003E \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOver the last few years I've watched the deliberately odd title  proliferate ever more among each succeeding year's offerings, to the  point that this year they make up 2\/3 of the offering. And let's face it, even the  earnestly odd titles, all two of them, are not show-stoppers. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere is the shortlist:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/supercity-iii%7Cb2720966\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-TpvAucJheoc\/UT3F3VsC3eI\/AAAAAAAAAHs\/BWJsofurj6c\/s1600\/God%27s+doodle.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-TpvAucJheoc\/UT3F3VsC3eI\/AAAAAAAAAHs\/BWJsofurj6c\/s1600\/God's+doodle.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2720966\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWas Hitler Ill\u003C\/i\u003E?\u003C\/a\u003E by Henrik Eberle and Hans-Joachim Neumann (Polity) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ELofts of North America: Pigeon Lofts \u003C\/i\u003Eby Jerry Gagne (Foy’s Pet Supplies) \u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b2696502\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EHow to Sharpen Pencils\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E by David Rees (Melville House) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/supercity-iii%7Cb2727784\"\u003EGod’s Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Eby Tom Hickman (Square Peg)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/supercity-iii%7Cb2750488\"\u003EGoblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E by Reginald Bakeley (Conari) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/supercity-iii%7Cb2664314\"\u003EHow Tea Cosies Changed the World\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E by Loani Prior (Murdoch).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWas Hitler Ill? \u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003EI'm not sure I'd call this title odd at all, except for how, depending on your font of choice, it can look as if it's about Hitler's grandson, Hitler III. I know about this because it used to always happen to me with North Korean dictators, eg Kim Jong Ill. Oops, Il.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EActually, with many dictators, although not with Hitler, there comes a moment when people start asking not if they are ill, but if they are actually dead, and just stuffed and propped up in the reviewing box for picture-taking on important occasions.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe library catalogue gives the original German title, which is a fascinating case of a phrase almost making sense in two different languages:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWar Hitler Crank?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI think we can answer a resounding yes to that. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELofts of North America: Pigeon lofts\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/i\u003EThere is a Yiddish expression for what I want to say here, but I don't  know how to write it. There's also an Italian hand gesture, the one  where you put out your hand palm down and wiggle it as if you were  playing the piano. But I actually voted for this one, just to remind Mr  Bent that there are some purists still around. (I note that the North  American pigeons have not arrived in the Southern hemisphere yet so no  book about their lofts at Auckland Libraries. When I see a flock of  pigeons in spanking new trainers, ankle socks, and tucked-in t-shirts I'll yell out.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JOLWMF8rKfo\/UT3PDDMKeeI\/AAAAAAAAAH8\/XwYAIA3BviI\/s1600\/how+to+sharpen+pencils.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-JOLWMF8rKfo\/UT3PDDMKeeI\/AAAAAAAAAH8\/XwYAIA3BviI\/s1600\/how+to+sharpen+pencils.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EHow to Sharpen Pencils\u003C\/i\u003E. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ESimilar to the above.\u0026nbsp;The author is an ex-political cartoonist who had himself photographed  in a white shirt a la Anthony Bourdain, but lacking his Hell's  Kitchen carnality. On the other hand, let's not forget we're talking comics here.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGod’s Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis.\u003C\/b\u003E \u003C\/i\u003EMaybe we could make one good title out of two: \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWas Hitler's penis ill?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EGoblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E \u003C\/i\u003EMr Bent, leave chickens alone. You will never surpass \u003Ci\u003EThe joy of chickens \u003C\/i\u003Ewhich you gave us a few years back. \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHow Tea Cosies Changed the World.\u003C\/b\u003E \u003C\/i\u003EMy case rests. Blatantly cashing in on the current trendiness of tea cosies.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EObviously I need to find out how to nominate titles. I think this one is a good candidate, for example:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ECanine Body Language: A Photographic Guide: Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E by Brenda Aloff\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI don't say dogs don't have a language - of a type - but don't you have to speak to have a \u003Ci\u003ENative \u003C\/i\u003ELanguage? Plus, you've got to love the way the colons turn the title into a series of yips. Yip yip yip: yip yip yip: yip yip yip yip yip.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd how about\u003Ci\u003E \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Little Book of Slugs, \u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003Eed. by Allan Shepherd and Suzanne Gallant?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe description of this book contains further gems, such as that you'll find details of \"slug lifestyles\". I'm guessing the couch potato slug, the gym bunny slug...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMathematics forums, conferences, catalogues etc. offer a fertile hunting ground as well. Right off my first click I found an excellent \u003Ci\u003EDegenerate Diffusions, \u003C\/i\u003Ewhich included a discussion of the controlled martingale problem, and of which I can't remember the author's name, unlike the next one I came across, a case of a normal title (\u003Ci\u003EMathematics for the millions) \u003C\/i\u003Eboasting an excellent odd author name, Lancelot Hogben.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd then, lo, my best find yet! Title and author \u003Ci\u003Eboth \u003C\/i\u003Eodd:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EMathematical Cranks \u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eby Underwood Dudley\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI see myself meeting this author one day on some North American --not loft, let's say a university campus, in a faculty lounge smelling of  percolated coffee. I spy him dabbing at his nose with a crumpled tissue and I call out \"\u003Ci\u003EWar crank, \u003C\/i\u003EDudley?\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERead more about the Diagram Prize at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/news\/six-picked-oddest-book-title-shortlist.html\"\u003EThe Bookseller\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd do this: \u003Cb\u003Evote \u003C\/b\u003Efor your favourite title at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.welovethisbook.com\/diagram-prize-2013?enter_competition=2\"\u003EWe Love This Book\u003C\/a\u003E. Winner announced 22 March. "},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2839127233303329187\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2013\/02\/the-diagram-prize-hunting-odd-book-title.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2839127233303329187"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2839127233303329187"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2013\/02\/the-diagram-prize-hunting-odd-book-title.html","title":"The Diagram Prize: hunting the oddest book title"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-TpvAucJheoc\/UT3F3VsC3eI\/AAAAAAAAAHs\/BWJsofurj6c\/s72-c\/God's+doodle.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-8737063569850679342"},"published":{"$t":"2012-05-01T03:00:00.000+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2015-11-29T21:42:04.417+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Diagram Prize"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Karen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"odd book titles"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Disappointed by the Diagram Prize for Odd Titles"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch4\u003EFrom \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/news\/cooking-poo-scoops-odd-title-prize.html\"\u003EThe bookseller\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\"\u003Ci\u003ECooking with Poo\u003C\/i\u003E, a Thai cookbook penned by Bangkok resident Saiyuud Diwong and published in Australia, has trumped its rivals to scoop The Bookseller's coveted Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year award.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"The 114-page cookbook was crowned the winner having received the majority share of the public vote at \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/\"\u003Ethebookseller.com\u003C\/a\u003E and its sister consumer website \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.welovethisbook.com\/\"\u003Ewelovethisbook.com\u003C\/a\u003E. In total, 1,363 votes were cast, with the breakdown as follows:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TF_2AVtyC54\/UFQof7eV25I\/AAAAAAAAImo\/G39blfyn_YQ\/s1600\/jonathan_olivares.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TF_2AVtyC54\/UFQof7eV25I\/AAAAAAAAImo\/G39blfyn_YQ\/s320\/jonathan_olivares.jpg\" width=\"150\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E 1) \u003Ci\u003ECooking with Poo\u003C\/i\u003E by Saiyuud Diwong (Urban Neighbours of Hope) 38%  2) \u003Ci\u003EMr Andoh’s Pennine Diary: Memoirs of a Japanese Chicken Sexer in 1935 Hebden Bridge\u003C\/i\u003E by Stephen Curry and Takayoshi Andoh (Royd Press) 22%  3) \u003Ci\u003EThe Great Singapore Penis Panic and the Future of American Mass Hysteria\u003C\/i\u003E by Scott D Mendelson (Createspace) 13%  4) \u003Ci\u003EEstonian Sock Patterns All Around the World\u003C\/i\u003E by Aino Praakli (Elmatar) 12%  5) \u003Ci\u003EThe Mushroom in Christian Art\u003C\/i\u003E by John A Rush (North Atlantic Books) 8%\u0026nbsp;  6) \u003Ci\u003EA Taxonomy of Office Chairs\u003C\/i\u003E by Jonathan Olivares (Phaidon) 4%\u0026nbsp;  7) \u003Ci\u003EA Century of Sand Dredging in the Bristol Channel: Volume Two\u003C\/i\u003E by Peter Gosson (Amberley) 3% \"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp; Well. I for one am disappointed. I have always looked forward to finding out every year what quirky title had been added to the list of winners of the Diagram Prize, from \u003Ci\u003EGreek postmen and their cancellation numbers\u003C\/i\u003E (I have a feeling a readers' poll once chose this one as the best of the best) to \u003Ci\u003EHow to avoid large ships\u003C\/i\u003E. I think this tendency to nominate titles which have clearly been picked by the publishers as ones which would play to the peanut gallery is betraying the distinguished origin of the prize, which was finding a way to stave off boredom at the Frankfurt Book Fair.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn case you are saying, well, have you got something better, I do have a candidate. It's a Canadian bestseller called \u003Ci\u003ESlow Death by Rubber Duck\u003C\/i\u003E, described on its \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/slowdeathbyrubberduck.com\/CAN\/\"\u003Ewebsite\u003C\/a\u003E like this: \"Provocative and groundbreaking, \u003Ci\u003ESlow Death by Rubber Duck\u003C\/i\u003E reveals how the living of daily life creates a toxic soup inside each of us\".  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf I am going to be a purist, though, I should probably admit that this title could also be put in the intentionally-clever-rather-than-unintentionally-odd basket. Luckily, I have a back-up title, spotted on the library's bestseller shelves last year. Here it is:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe bonus years diet : 7 miracle foods including chocolate, red wine, and nuts that can add 6.4 years on average to your life\u003C\/i\u003E by Ralph Felder and Carol Colman.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI love this! What kind of person writes a title like that? \"6.4 years \u003Ci\u003Eon average\u003C\/i\u003E?\" On average? Wouldn't \u003Ci\u003Eon average\u003C\/i\u003E be \"more than six\" or \"six or seven\", or maybe, \"a handful\" (five fingers on a hand!), or even \"quite a few\"?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI'm putting forward Steve Carell as the right person to play Ralph Felder if they ever decide to make a movie about the \"dramatic studies\" (I quote from the book summary) which led to the writing of this book.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn case you wanted to know, Poo means \"crab\" in Thai, and is the author's nickname. The library doesn't have a copy but when I searched the catalogue for it, I was offered \u003Ci\u003EThe ladies' loos: from plumbing to plucking, a practical guide for girls\u003C\/i\u003E as an alternative."},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/8737063569850679342\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2012\/04\/disappointed-by-diagram-prize.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/8737063569850679342"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/8737063569850679342"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2012\/04\/disappointed-by-diagram-prize.html","title":"Disappointed by the Diagram Prize for Odd Titles"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"tosca"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"28","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DKeaBNqmKUo\/VBStvJvL4cI\/AAAAAAAAR4M\/ZsfOjoSDymI\/s1600\/*"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TF_2AVtyC54\/UFQof7eV25I\/AAAAAAAAImo\/G39blfyn_YQ\/s72-c\/jonathan_olivares.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-2420174506193505251"},"published":{"$t":"2010-03-29T04:30:00.000+13:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-06T01:50:09.309+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"autobiographies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Beryl Markham"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"biographies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bruce Chatwin"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Diagram Prize"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Graham Greene"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Karen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Nicholas Shakespeare"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Oddest Title"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Diagram Prize announces year's oddest title!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Ci\u003ECrocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes\u003C\/i\u003E is the winner of the Diagram Prize for the year’s oddest title, followed by \u003Ci\u003EWhat Kind of Bean is this Chihuahua?\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003ECollectible Spoons of the Third Reich\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/h4\u003EMy vote had gone to \u003Ci\u003ECollectible spoons of the Third Reich\u003C\/i\u003E. I was disappointed to see it come in behind a kids book (shouldn’t kids  books be handicapped, like overly endowed racehorses, in a contest for  odd titles?) but Horace Bent, custodian of the prize, more than made it  up to me with these comments quoted in the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/news\/114989-crocheting-adventures-wins-diagram-2009.html\"\u003EThe Bookseller's official announcement\u003C\/a\u003E on March 26th:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes\u003C\/i\u003E proved to be the  initial front runner. It defended its poll-topping position despite  strong support for the spoon-carrying Third Reich, once again attempting to muscle in on someone else’s territory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"But the public proclivity towards non-Euclidian needlework proved  too great for the Third Reich to overcome. If only someone had let the  Poles know in ’39.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETitles have been on my mind recently. I finally got around to reading Nicholas Shakespeare’s biography of Bruce Chatwin, one of my favourite  literary personalities since the times of \u003Ci\u003EIn Patagonia\u003C\/i\u003E, considered one of the great travel books, which it is, but not only. \u003Ci\u003EIn Patagonia \u003C\/i\u003Eis the reason why, when we had to clear out my childhood home after my  parents died, I put at the top of the list of the things I wanted the  fragment of dinosaur egg which a student of my father’s had sent him  from some dig somewhere in France, and which resided ever after on the  dining room bookshelves amid H Rider Haggard books, family snapshots and rock samples. Those of you who have read \u003Ci\u003EIn Patagonia \u003C\/i\u003Ewill get it: it's my brontosaurus skin. If you haven't read it, do.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen I saw how thick\u0026nbsp;Nicholas Shakespeare's\u0026nbsp;book\u0026nbsp;was, I was afraid  that it might be one of those biographies like Norman Sherry’s magnum  opus on Graham Greene, in which for every day of Mr.  Greene’s life we are given such details as where he had tea and what kinds of cakes he had, or the postcard he sent to his colleague at \u003Ci\u003EThe Times\u003C\/i\u003E, and what room that colleague's office was in. But it wasn’t. In fact, 600 pages seemed the only  length one could possibly use to close in – a bit – on someone as  complicated, contradictory, elusive and talented as Bruce Chatwin.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI kept it on my bedside table and every night for about a month I’d  pick it up and read ten or twenty pages wherever the book opened to, and every time there’d be a different -- how does Yeats put it, \"the  careless planets in their courses”. Loulou de la Falaise, Werner Herzog, Robert Mapplethorpe, Gregor von Rezzori, and so on and so on, and… a  British film maker named Peter Adam, who wrote an autobiography with the fantastic title \u003Ci\u003ENot drowning but waving\u003C\/i\u003E. Maybe it’s because  I’m not English (I was told, as I went around the library enthusing,  that it’s a common phrase in Britain) but for me this went right up on  there on the best-ever autobiography titles list.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWho out there has played the game of\u0026nbsp; 'What would be the title of your  autobiography'?\u0026nbsp; Back in my twenties I found this jewel in an old  phrasebook for travellers and thought it could be mine: \u003Ci\u003EThe lady wants hers with cream\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd now I’ve found a new one,\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;my prime.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDanger vehicle exit lane\u003C\/i\u003E.  Driving\u0026nbsp;into the Civic Car Park the other day I caught sight of this  trenchant, punctuation free warning on a sign posted alongside the  carriageway opposite mine.\u0026nbsp; My first thought\u0026nbsp; - I swear this is true -  was that it was indicating an exit lane reserved for “danger vehicles”  eg giant diggers and such. And it flashed through my mind\u0026nbsp;that if they  only knew, they’d be making me use that lane. This was a few days after  I’d knocked off a hubcap on the approach to the Hopetown bridge. I had  an image of my little white Vitz with its missing hubcap, like a tomcat  with a torn ear, bursting out of the Danger vehicle exit lane into the  night.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhich is my favourite autobiography title? Probably this one from the  great adventurer Beryl Markham, the first person to fly solo over the  Atlantic from east to west:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWest with the night\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAt the library:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandcitylibraries.com\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/acl-iii%7Cb1310935\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBruce Chatwin\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E by Nicholas Shakespeare\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandcitylibraries.com\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/acl-iii%7Cb1607742\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EIn Patagonia\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E by Bruce Chatwin\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandcitylibraries.com\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/acl-iii%7Cb1546923\"\u003EWest with the night\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Eby Beryl Markham"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2420174506193505251\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2010\/03\/oddest-title-announced.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2420174506193505251"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2420174506193505251"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2010\/03\/oddest-title-announced.html","title":"Diagram Prize announces year's oddest title!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"tosca"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"28","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DKeaBNqmKUo\/VBStvJvL4cI\/AAAAAAAAR4M\/ZsfOjoSDymI\/s1600\/*"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-6882342499856625634"},"published":{"$t":"2010-03-01T05:30:00.000+13:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-06T07:48:41.896+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Diagram Prize"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Karen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"The Bookseller"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Diagram Prize: Cast your vote!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003EAfterthoughts of a Worm Hunter \u003C\/i\u003Eby David Crompton\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ECollectible Spoons of the Third Reich \u003C\/i\u003Eby James A Yannes \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ECrocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes\u003C\/i\u003E by Daina Taimina\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EGoverning Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots\u003C\/i\u003E by Ronald C Arkin\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Changing World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease \u003C\/i\u003Eby Ellen Scherl and Maria Dubinsky\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWhat Kind of Bean is This Chihuahua\u003C\/i\u003E? By Tara Jansen-Meyer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENot the reading list for a very serious Book Club, but the short list  for the 2009 edition of everyone's favourite quirky literary award, the  Diagram Prize for the year's oddest book title. The Diagram Prize is  run by the British trade magazine \u003Ci\u003EThe Bookseller\u003C\/i\u003E, in the sense  that they organize the voting, but it is the magazine’s diarist Horace  Bent who is its guiding spirit and custodian.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMr. Bent used to select the winner, but since about 2000 (the Diagram  Prize, which began as a way of beating boredom at the Frankfurt Book  Fair, is over 30 years old) he only creates the short list from titles  submitted by the public, who then get to vote their favourites. I  haven’t seen it stated but I don’t think the change was his idea. He has  been known to grumble over some of the public’s choices, mostly  the “rude” titles they have a tendency to pick, such as \u003Ci\u003EIf you want closure in your relationship, start with your legs \u003C\/i\u003Ewhich went on to win a few years ago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHe also scoffs at the intentionally odd. \"The adage that everyone has  a book in them may well be true,\" he is quoted as saying, \"but that  doesn't mean every Tom, Dick and Harry out there can bash a few words  out on a keyboard and then upload it to Scribd with a humorous title  like: The Historic Adventures of the Purple Waffle Iron on His Horse  Made of Asparagus, and then think they have a chance at winning my  prestigious award. I refuse to acknowledge such submissions.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou can see on \u003Ci\u003EThe Bookseller\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Ewebsite Bent's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/news\/111542-page.html\"\u003Elong list\u003C\/a\u003E of the titles he felt passed muster. I was curious to see if I had read  any of them. I hadn’t, but I feel I did come within a couple of  degrees. Just a few weeks ago my eye was caught by a book on a shelving  trolley with the odd title \u003Ci\u003ETuna: a love story,\u003C\/i\u003E and I now see its close relative \u003Ci\u003EBacon: a love story \u003C\/i\u003Eon the longlist. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOkay, I didn't read it all, but I did read the start and other good bits  here and there. I was expecting a jokey, David Sedaris-type book  about growing up with a Tuna casserole-making Mom. Actually, although it  began very funnily (perhaps, in a sort of Diagram moment, without the  author even realizing it) by mentioning that the fifteenth century  British printer who produced the first treatise about fishing was named  Wynkyn de\u0026nbsp;Worde, the book really was a love story to the fish alive and  free in the ocean -- when it manages to be, which is scarily always less  often, because of the enormous amounts of raw  tuna being consumed, in Asia but now also in the western world, where sesame-encrusted slivers now gaze down from the Mt. Olympus of taste on those sad, unlucky  melts and casseroles.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EVisit the website \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/\u003C\/a\u003E to vote for your favourite shortlisted title.\u0026nbsp; The voting closes March 21 and the winner will be announced on March 26.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E*****************\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandcitylibraries.com\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/acl-iii%7Cb2304431\"\u003ETuna: a love story\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eby  Richard\u0026nbsp;Ellis, if you're interested in knowing more about this  magnificent animal, one of the most highly evolved of the fishes - maybe  the most highly evolved, I can't remember now. But I do remember that  it makes the longest journey of them all: across the Pacific from  California to Japan, where it turns right around and heads back, all of  this at 55 mph.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003Eand a book\u0026nbsp;which is not an odd title but a fascinating story, at once nostalgic and unconventional, that I'd like to recommend: \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/search.aucklandcitylibraries.com\/?itemid=%7Clibrary\/marc\/acl-iii%7Cb1513225\"\u003EMattanza: love and death in the\u0026nbsp;Sea of Sicily\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E,  Theresa Maggio's eye-witness description of the 4000 year old ritual of  the Sicilian tuna slaughter (what\u0026nbsp;\"mattanza\" means). Once a year, in  Spring, when the tuna arrive in the Mediterranean to spawn, for one hour  the sea turns red. There's a bit of a love story with a fisherman,\u0026nbsp;but the people I've given the book to read ignore that part, just as I did. The sea is the real romance here."},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6882342499856625634\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2010\/02\/diagram-prize-cast-your-vote.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/6882342499856625634"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/6882342499856625634"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2010\/02\/diagram-prize-cast-your-vote.html","title":"Diagram Prize: Cast your vote!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"tosca"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"28","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DKeaBNqmKUo\/VBStvJvL4cI\/AAAAAAAAR4M\/ZsfOjoSDymI\/s1600\/*"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-2230340244560287769"},"published":{"$t":"2009-07-01T03:30:00.003+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-12-27T22:08:11.491+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Diagram Prize"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"The Diagram of Diagrams"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Spunge or sieve? Types of readers"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\"I like the idea of the Diagram Prize\" began the comment from Moocho, who read up on it after my Kafka post in which I made a quip about this award for Oddest Title of the Year. He went on, \"My favourite was How to avoid huge ships, something that keeps me up at night.\" At first glance, the lack of formatting made it seem as though the entire sentence was the title, a very good one at that. Or maybe \"How to avoid huge ships, something that keeps me up at night\" is really better for a song title, along the lines of \"I've got the you don't know the half of it, dearie blues\" (the great Gershwin).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers\" is the metaphysical-sounding winner of last year's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thebookseller.com\/news\/66454-diagram-victory-for-greek-postmen.html\"\u003EThe Diagram of Diagrams\u003C\/a\u003E, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the prize and inspired by the Booker of Bookers. Or was that the Best of Booker? Anyway, more people voted for the Diagram of Diagrams than the Booker maxima, as it turns out, 8000 something to 7000 something.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI also liked last year's shortlisted \"The large sieve and its applications\", described as a 350 pg book with many tables and exercises. It's already a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/books.google.co.nz\/books?id=ZK8Tt-vlVFAC\u0026amp;pg=PA36\u0026amp;lpg=PA36\u0026amp;dq=large+sieve+diagram5D\u0026amp;source=bl\u0026amp;ots=Jx6PhHFlrh\u0026amp;sig=dERF07ecFfcIN6UIOp74Jpo44KY\u0026amp;hl=enei=5DBTSo-RJYj8tAPK5738Bg\u0026amp;sa=X\u0026amp;oi=book_result\u0026amp;ct=result\u0026amp;resnum=7\"\u003EGoogle book\u003C\/a\u003E (they work fast!) so you can further enjoy such gems among its chapters as \"Explicit bounds\" and \"Random Walks in Discrete Groups\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAmong applications for the sieve, we might remember Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who was not only the great romantic poet of the dreamy, druggy \"Kubla Khan\" and the demented and terrifying \"The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner\" but an astute social and political commentator as well, who applied it to reading, or rather, to a type of reader.  In all he identified four kinds of readers, beginning with the spunge, which I'm pretty sure would be me:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"1. Spunges that suck up every thing and, when pressed give it out in the same state, only perhaps somewhat dirtier. \u003Cbr \/\u003E2. Sand Glasses -- or rather the upper Half of the Sand Glass which in a brief hour assurdely lets out what it has received -- \u0026amp; whose reading is only a profitless measurement and dozeing away of Time. \u003Cbr \/\u003E3. Straining Bags, who get rid of whatever is good \u0026amp; pure, and retain the Dregs \u003Cbr \/\u003E4. and lastly, the Great-Moguls Diamond Sieve -- which is perhaps going farther for a Simile than its superior Dignity can repay, inasmuch as a common Cullender whould have ben equally  symbolic. But Imperial or culinary, these are the only good, \u0026amp; I fear the least numerous, who assuredly retain the good while the superfluous or impure passes away and leaves no trace.\"\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E(From his 1808 lecture series on Poetry and the principles of taste)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETry Coleridge's \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.elgar.govt.nz\/record=b1544596~S2\"\u003EBiographia Literaria or Biographical sketches of my literary life and opinions\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E in two volumes from the Central City Library basement stacks.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2230340244560287769\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/spunge-or-sieve-types-of-readers.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2230340244560287769"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/2230340244560287769"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/spunge-or-sieve-types-of-readers.html","title":"Spunge or sieve? Types of readers"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"tosca"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"28","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DKeaBNqmKUo\/VBStvJvL4cI\/AAAAAAAAR4M\/ZsfOjoSDymI\/s1600\/*"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});