Jeri Smith-Ready: Worst Book Titles

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Worst Book Titles

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Book Page (yes, most newspapers allow exactly one page to discuss books these days) held a contest to see who could find the worst title of a real book.

The Winner:

Cooking with Pooh

an actual book published by Disney, who apparently employed a disgruntled marketing peon who decided to name one final book on his way out the door. If you're looking for a good immature laugh, click on the above link and read some of the reviews.

Runners up:

Letting It Go: A History of American Incontinence
The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification*
Everything You'll Need to Remember about Alzheimer's

What's the worst title on your bookshelf? I'll go check mine out and report back, as soon as I get this cat off my lap.

UPDATE 2:13 PM: OK, if we disqualify The Tao of Pooh because of the above results, and give a break to Descartes' Discourse on Method and Meditation on First Philosophy, Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, and Husserl's Introduction to Eye-Gouging Boredom, we're left with one obvious answer:

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. Not that it's not a fantastic book. Hardy was emo when emo wasn't cool (not that it is now--if it were, emos would have nothing to sigh about). But the title doesn't exactly grab you by the shirt collar and scream, "Buy me! Curl up with me! Me love you long time!"

I think we can safely put "Obscure" on the no-no list of title words. Right above "Pooh."

*this is now on my Amazon wishlist, and no, I'm not kidding

Labels: reading

posted by Jeri @ 1:53 PM
4 comments

4 Comments:

Out of what I can see from my desk, I'd pick W. Somerset Maugham's Cakes and Ale. I liked the book, but the title somehow doesn't even manage to make two of my favorite things (cakes, ale) seem enticing.

Posted by: Rob S. at 11/21/2007 4:56 PM

I'd have to say "Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984". That just makes it sound too important. Actually, just about any title by Wittgenstein.

Jim Young

Posted by: Anonymous at 11/21/2007 8:51 PM

Oddly enough, perhaps, I saw Cooking with Pooh and just automatically assumed it meant Winnie the, although my second reaction was a laugh. :)

-Catie

Posted by: Catie at 11/22/2007 12:29 PM

Introduction to Eye-Gouging Boredom. Love it! For a better take on philosophy, try Plato and a Pylatypus Walk into a Bar.

Cecilia

Posted by: Anonymous at 11/27/2007 10:01 AM