Literature
The Most Boring Books Ever
Back in 1950, Columbia University Press polled hundreds of editors, writers, booksellers, librarians, literary critics, and general readers in order to produce a list of the 10 most boring books among the great classics. The winners were:- Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan
- Faust, Goethe
- Don Quixote, Cervantes
- Ivanhoe, Scott
- Silas Marner, Eliot
- Pamela, Richardson
- Life of Samuel Johnson, Boswell
- Faerie Queene, Spenser
- Paradise Lost, Milton
- Moby Dick, Melville
Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 13, 2013 -
Comments (19)
Category: Literature, Books, 1950s
Vivacious Chicken
[Click to enlarge]
An illustration from Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables.
Maybe it's just me, but the notion of carrying a "vivacious chicken" around on one's shoulder strikes my funnybone just perfectly.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 28, 2013 -
Comments (9)
Category: Animals, Emotions, Literature, Nineteenth Century
Suicide Note Writing Workshop
Taught by Simon Critchley, who explains that he intends it partially to be "a way of mocking creative-writing workshops." Full article at the New York Times:The suicide note, which he identified as a literary genre with a unique form, is a fairly recent invention coinciding with the rise of literacy and the press, he told the class.
“In antiquity, there was no need to leave a note,” he said. "It would have been obvious why you killed yourself."
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 20, 2013 -
Comments (6)
Category: Death, Suicide, Literature
When Thief Meets Thief
One of the weirdest writers in history was Harry Stephen Keeler.His sentences were as eccentric as his plots. Viz:
"I know how to get to the inside of a chilled-steel receptacle with no more noise than a cockroach, drunk after emerging from an uncorked gin-bottle in a garbage can, would make as he sneaked back to Mrs. C., waiting up to biff him on the beezer for leaving her to mind the youngsters while he went skyhooting. "
That gem comes from When Thief Meets Thief.
You may read the first chapter here.
Or listen to it below.
Or buy the book here.
For subsequent chapters, visit here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 28, 2013 -
Comments (18)
Category: Literature, Stupid Criminals, Outsider Art, 1930s
Whitby Goths
A more recent report and video here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 30, 2012 -
Comments (2)
Category: Fashion, Horror, Literature, Subcultures, Europe
The Lottery—The Sexy Edition
If people bought this 1950 edition of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson thinking it would be a sex-filled potboiler, they were in a for a bit of a disappointment.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Mar 23, 2012 -
Comments (8)
Category: Literature, Books
Who Are You?
Edward Packard invented the "Choose Your Own Adventure" genre, which made him a good living -- and still does. According to wikipedia, he recently started a company to bring Choose Your Own Adventure apps to the iPhone and iPad. Packard may also have caused an entire generation of kids to be confused about their identity: |  |
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Posted By: Alex - Thu Mar 01, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Literature, Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Writers
Follies of the Mad Men #176
Here's my concern. Is this a human Sherlock Holmes wearing a can disguise? If so, it's not one of his masterstrokes.
Or is this a living tin can with fleshy appurtenances? In which case, the ad is the stuff of nightmares!
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Feb 26, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Body, Business, Advertising, Products, Literature, Surrealism, 1930s, Fictional Monsters
Follies of the Mad Men #167
[Click to enlarge. From Esquire for February 1958.]
1) You are using a childrens' picture-book icon to advertise an adult product. Why not employ the Grinch to sell booze?
2) Even if some parent found this ad to be cute when presented with it in some other forum, you are running it in Esquire, a magazine which, prior to the debut of Playboy, was Swinging Bachelor Hangout #1.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 23, 2011 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Literature, Children, 1950s, Europe, Cars
The Adventures of Mark Twain
We had some weird Zappa claymation not too long ago. Now we get some based on the work of Mark Twain.
Disregard the label on the clip above. It's really an excerpt from this full-length film.
Part 1 of the whole film follows:
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 16, 2011 -
Comments (3)
Category: Literature, Fantasy, Writers, Religion, 1980s
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |