Lethal Robots, Inflammatory Bowels, Intellectual Cannibalism Head Titles for Odd Book Award
- by Michael Stillman
Winner of the oddest book title award.
By Michael Stillman
The Bookseller, the British book magazine, has announced the winner of its annual Oddest Book Title of the Year award. The books selected for this award may be serious, but their titles are strange, even if unintentionally so. Generally, they come from some niche field where the title may sound normal, but to outsiders, they sound odd. In some cases, they sound like strange combinations of ideas; in others, there may be unintended double entendres.
This year there was an unusually large number of nominees, which was whittled down to six finalists from which readers could vote. Some of the losers may well be odder than the winner, but this is a democratically chosen award. Now, here are some of those titles not deemed odd enough to make the cut, though I have no idea why: Advances in Potato Chemistry and Technology, An Intellectual History of Cannibalism, Bacon: A Love Story, Father Christmas Needs a Wee, Food Digestion and Thermal Preference of Toad, How YOU Are Like Shampoo, I'm Not Hanging Noodles on Your Ears, Is the Rectum a Grave?, Peek-a-poo: What's in Your Diaper, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Great Dog Bottom Swap, The Origin of Faeces, The Quotable Douchebag, Venus Does Adonis While Apollo Shags a Tree, and Mickey Mouse, Hitler and Nazi Germany. However, swapping dog bottoms, hanging noodles on your ears, or a zombie version of Jane Austen's title were not deemed weird enough by the judges to rate as finalists. Here is what did.
Afterthoughts of a Worm Hunter by David Crompton.
Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots, by Ronald C. Arkin.
The Changing World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, by Ellen Scherl and Marla Dubinsky.
That takes us to the third place finisher: Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich, by James A. Yannes, receiving 11% of the vote.
Second place, with 30% of the vote, went to What Kind of Bean is this Chihuahua? by Tara Jansen-Meyer.
And first place, receiving 42% of the votes, went to a title that bizarrely combines advanced mathematics with Grandma's favorite pastime: Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes, by Dr. Daina Taimina. I will admit to never quite being able to understand the nature of hyperbolas back when I was taking math in college, but it wasn't necessary. I never learned how to crochet either.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
