Friday, January 4, 2013

Weird Books or a Killer idea



Have a few minutes to kill? It may change your life.  Many if not most of you are familiar with Abe's Books, the ubiquitous internet cataloger of available stock hidden within the world's independent bookstores.  Scratch the surface a bit and you'll uncover The Weird Book Room a compendium of the greatest hits in publishing.

I've been composing imaginary shopping lists from the available titles.  For instance what young man's library wouldn't benefit from such works as:
C is for Chafing 
All About Pockets
Lumber Jack songs with yodel arrangements
How to Avoid Huge Ships
Wood Nymph seeks Centaur
How to Date a White Woman 
Dating for Under a Dollar ?

Or perhaps:
Liberace, your personal fashion consultant 
Crafting with Cat Hair
How to make your own shoes  

I'd build bookshelves if necessary to include:
How to be Happy Though Married
A New Look at Wife Swapping
Teach your wife to be a Widow
How to Disappear
How to start your own country

Imagine what a copy of Electricity in Gynecology on the nightstand might do for a flagging relationship.

TV shows have been created using less fodder for inspiration than Abe provides on a few short pages. Create your own book list, invent a concept, or better a reality series, sell to Merv, remember you heard it here first.

Toad

PS I actually own several books shown on Abe's Weird Book page.  I didn't find that weird until now.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Suburban Princess said...

I might be interested in How to Start Your Own Country...seems like quality, practical information!

Toad said...

I'm guessing travel may be involved

Anonymous said...

Taking in your topic for the day, sir, imagine my surprise as I reach the conclusion of David Brooks' NYT piece today:

“An obvious instance is that of ordinary and happy marriage. A man and a woman cannot live together without having against each other a kind of everlasting joke. Each has discovered that the other is a fool, but a great fool. This largeness, this grossness and gorgeousness of folly is the thing which we all find about those with whom we are in intimate contact; and it is the one enduring basis of affection, and even of respect.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/opinion/brooks-suffering-fools-gladly.html?hp&_r=0

-F