Parodies and spoofs: non-fiction Books

Book SynopsisBored of the same old dinner-party chitchat? Spice up your soirées, impress your guests and show up your brother-in-law with Dangerous Experiments for After Dinner, a book full of hilarious, and sometimes dangerous, after-dinner tricks and challenges.Twenty-one daredevil tricks are illustrated along with step-by-step instructions and explanations of the science behind them. From sabering a bottle of champagne to hammering a needle through a coin, each of these feats is guaranteed to wow your guests.

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Book SynopsisEnid Blyton's books are beloved the world over and The Famous Five have been the perennial favourite of her fans. Now, in this new series of Enid Blyton for Grown-Ups, George, Dick, Anne, Julian and Timmy are keen to show Aunt Fanny how much she means to them.Join Julian, George, Dick, Anne and Timmy the dog as they try to celebrate Mother's Day with Aunt Fanny. George has past form in forgetting - not least her mum's birthday and Christmas presents - so tensions are running high even for the charged normality of their mother/daughter bond.But things go from bad to worse when Fanny comes to stay, with relations strained almost to breaking point. Can the Five save the day, and will Uncle Quentin get involved?

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Book SynopsisEnid Blyton's books are beloved the world over and The Famous Five have been the perennial favourite of her fans. Now, in this new series of Enid Blyton for Grown-Ups, George, Dick, Anne, Julian and Timmy confront a new challenge: is it possible to get a good gluten-free cream tea?Julian, Anne, Dick, George and Timmy are all feeling really rather rum, and it's been going on for days. Nothing seems to work, and with their doctors mystified, they're driven to trying out various expedients to cure themselves. Julian goes online to self-diagnose that he's got pancreatic cancer, bird flu and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Anne decides that the old methods are the best and decides to have herself exorcised - which proves to be an awful lot of bother for everyone, and such a mess. Dick goes to a witch-doctor who calls himself a 'homeopath' ('sounds only one short of sociopath, Dick!') but it's George who discovers they need to go on an exclusion diet, so they enter a world of hard-to-find, maddeningly expensive specialist foods . . .Just perfect for anyone who likes Deliciously Ella, Amelia Freer and the Naturalista - as well as any reluctant partners who are begrudgingly spiralising courgettes for dinner.

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Book SynopsisEnid Blyton's books are beloved the world over and The Famous Five have been the perennial favourite of her fans. Now, in this new series of Enid Blyton for Grown-Ups, George, Dick, Anne, Julian and Timmy confront possibly their toughest challenge yet: parenthoodBringing up a baby would surely be kid's play for The Five. How hard could it possibly be?! When the doorbell rings one Saturday afternoon, the last thing the Five were expecting to find on their doorstep was a baby... But the Five are next of kin to Cousin Rupert and his wife, so when they find themselves in a spot of bother and are destined for a short spell behind bars, Anne, Dick, George and Anne are the first port of call. First, it's the fear and the tiredness that kicks in. They are terrified at being responsible for this new life and have no idea they're doing it right. Why is it crying? They use Dr Google constantly, who whatever the situation offers the same range of advice from 'don't worry about it' to 'rush her to the A&E'. 'Why is she crying?' they constantly ask. 'Why?' It keeps them up all night every night, until they are reduced to walking ghosts, haunted by a numb and impotent fury. Is this an adventure too far for our Five?

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Book SynopsisThe Joy of Photoshop is the long-awaited book from the social media sensation James Fridman.Have you ever taken a seemingly perfect picture only to have it ruined by one tiny detail? Photoshop master James Fridman is only too happy to help, even if he sometimes takes requests a little too literally.The Joy of Photoshop contains James's best-loved and funniest image alterations. From the woman who wished to look like a mermaid, to super-fans who want to be edited into their favourite movies, his followers never get quite what they asked for. Including plenty of never-before-seen pictures, this meme-tastic book will have you in stitches!Table of ContentsThe Joy of Photoshop contains more than 150 hilarious of images providing pure photographic pleasure, including many created specifically and exclusively for the book.

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Book SynopsisNEW FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHORS OF HOW TO POO AT WORKFrom the excretion experts who brought you the global phenomenon How to Poo at Work comes Things to Do While You Poo. Specifically written to help those pooing on the job, this book is the ultimate guide to sedentary self-improvement.Expert authors Mats and Enzo share their scientific advice crafted over a lifetime of lavatory investigations to help improve every aspect of your life. From success in your career to a satisfying sex life, from health and fitness to simply earning a bit of extra cash, this book is guaranteed to help you become a better you, eight minutes at a time.Learn how to:• Find the spirituality of your sphincter with meditation• Start a really crap YouTube cooking channel• Become a travel influencer without leaving the stall• Relax with flush-friendly yoga poses• Get a six pack in just 30 days of pooing• Find true loo-ve!With detailed diagrams, expert advice and tried-and-tested testimonials, discover how to squeeze more into your day as you squeeze one out.Table of ContentsThe authors have covered all areas with the latest addition to their infamous Poo at Work System. This includes Health and Fitness, Personal Wealth, Sex Life, Fame, Stress-Busting, Career Advancement, Self-Development, Daily Routine and Beauty Enhancement. After reading this your life, and your alone time, will never be the same again.

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Book SynopsisFrom marital bliss to man flu, husbands are jolly good fellows, and this tip-top collection of retro photos and frightfully funny captions capture everything to love about marriage.The Wit and Wisdom of... is a series of terrifically humorous books brought to you by the rip-roaringly funny folks behind the best-selling On-the-Ceiling greetings cards.Perfect as a birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day or Father's Day gift for long-suffering husbands everywhere.Also available: The Wit and Wisdom of Dad, The Wit and Wisdom of Mum and The Wit and Wisdom of the Wife.

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Book SynopsisFrom marital bliss to margaritas, wives are awfully wonderful and this tip-top collection of retro photos and frightfully funny captions capture everything to love about marriage.The Wit and Wisdom of... is a series of terrifically humorous books brought to you by the rip-roaringly funny folks behind the best-selling On-the-Ceiling greetings cards.Perfect as a birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day or Mother's Day gift for long-suffering wives everywhere.Also available: The Wit and Wisdom of Dad, The Wit and Wisdom of Mum and The Wit and Wisdom of the Husband.

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Book SynopsisFrom parenting to pints, dads are just spiffing and this tip-top collection of retro photos and frightfully funny captions capture everything to love about fatherhood.The Wit and Wisdom of... is a series of jolly humorous books brought to you by the rip-roaringly funny folks behind the best-selling On-the-Ceiling greetings cards.Perfect as a birthday, Christmas or Father's Day gift for long-suffering fathers everywhere.Also available: The Wit and Wisdom of the Husband, The Wit and Wisdom of Beer, The Wit and Wisdom of Grandad, The Wit and Wisdom of the Husband, The Wit and Wisdom of Wine and The Wit and Wisdom of the Wife.

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Book SynopsisFrom parenting to prosecco, mums are jolly smashing and this tip-top collection of retro photos and frightfully funny captions capture everything to love about motherhood.The Wit and Wisdom of... is a series of terrifically humorous books brought to you by the rip-roaringly funny folks behind the best-selling On-the-Ceiling greetings cards.Perfect as a birthday, Christmas or Mother's Day gift for long-suffering mums everywhere.Also available: The Wit and Wisdom of the Wife, The Wit and Wisdom of Grandma, The Wit and Wisdom of Wine, The Wit and Wisdom of Prosecco, The Wit and Wisdom of the Husband and The Wit and Wisdom of Grandad.

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Book SynopsisAwfully Good is a brand new puzzle and conundrum series full of witty challenges and activities to tease the brain and occupy the mind!Lady of Leisure is full of truly super challenges for the modern lady to complete at her leisure!You'll discover a miscellany of mind-bending puzzles, a collection of quirky conundrums and chortling challenges that feature a range of fascinating themes and puzzles to help you banish boredom with a smile.Perfect as a gift for mothers, grandmothers, partners and girlfriends.

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Book SynopsisFrom parties to proposals, Prosecco is just spiffing and this tip-top collection of retro photos and frightfully funny captions captures everything to love about a glass of bubbly.The Wit and Wisdom of... is a series of terrifically humorous books brought to you by the rip-roaringly funny folks behind the best-selling On-the-Ceiling greetings cards.Also available:The Wit and Wisdom of MumThe Wit and Wisdom of DadThe Wit and Wisdom of the HusbandThe Wit and Wisdom of the WifeThe Wit and Wisdom of WineThe Wit and Wisdom of Beer

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Book SynopsisFrom fun to fights, brothers are jolly spiffing and this tip-top collection of retro photos and frightfully funny captions captures everything to love about the trials and tribulations of having a brother.The Wit and Wisdom of... is a series of terrifically humorous books for adults brought to you by the rip-roaringly funny folks behind the best-selling On-the-Ceiling greetings cardsAlso available:The Wit and Wisdom of GrandmaThe Wit and Wisdom of GrandadThe Wit and Wisdom of MumThe Wit and Wisdom of DadThe Wit and Wisdom of the WifeThe Wit and Wisdom of the HusbandThe Wit and Wisdom of BeerThe Wit and Wisdom of WineThe Wit and Wisdom of ProseccoThe Wit and Wisdom of GinThe Wit and Wisdom of Sister

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Book SynopsisFrom hairstyles to heartbreak, sisters are jolly spiffing and this tip-top collection of retro photos and frightfully funny captions captures everything to love about the trials and tribulations of having a sister.The Wit and Wisdom of... is a series of terrifically humorous books for adults brought to you by the rip-roaringly funny folks behind the best-selling On-the-Ceiling greetings cardsAlso available:The Wit and Wisdom of BrotherThe Wit and Wisdom of GrandmaThe Wit and Wisdom of GrandadThe Wit and Wisdom of MumThe Wit and Wisdom of DadThe Wit and Wisdom of the WifeThe Wit and Wisdom of the HusbandThe Wit and Wisdom of BeerThe Wit and Wisdom of WineThe Wit and Wisdom of ProseccoThe Wit and Wisdom of Gin

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Book SynopsisFrom drinks with the girls to dinner for one, Gin is just glorious and this tip-top collection of retro photos and frightfully funny captions captures everything to love about a good highball of gin.The Wit and Wisdom of... is a series of terrifically humorous books brought to you by the rip-roaringly funny folks behind the best-selling On-the-Ceiling greetings cards.Also available:The Wit and Wisdom of MumThe Wit and Wisdom of DadThe Wit and Wisdom of the BrotherThe Wit and Wisdom of the SisterThe Wit and Wisdom of the HusbandThe Wit and Wisdom of the WifeThe Wit and Wisdom of GrandmaThe Wit and Wisdom of GrandadThe Wit and Wisdom of BeerThe Wit and Wisdom of ProseccoThe Wit and Wisdom of Wine

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Book SynopsisYou may take my ballsBut I will lick what remainsAnd then, dear, your faceImagine if your dog could talk to you. Better still, imagine if it could express its innermost feelings in poetic form. This hilarious, insightful book confirms what we've all long suspected - that inside every dog is the soul of a poet. From retrieving sticks to rivalry with cats; from cold winter walks to endlessly chasing tennis balls, no stone of a dog's life is left unturned.With a delightful photo alongside every haiku, this is the perfect gift for any dog lover.

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Book SynopsisIncluding such gems as Why Are You in The Shower With Me? Our Love is Tested in Traffic and What Time Should We Leave for the Airport? John Kenney's poems are packed with funny, wry observations about the reality of life once the initial shine of a relationship has dulled. From parental gripes to dwindling sex lives; from less-than-romantic gifts to irritating personal habits, it's all covered.____________________Are you in the mood?I am.Let's put the kids down.Have a light dinner.Shower.Maybe not drink so much.And do that thing I would rather do with you than with anyone else.Lie in bed and look at our iPhones.

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of What I Lick Before Your Face comes this hilarious companion, Please Stop Touching Me ... and Other Haikus by Cats.Jamie Coleman returns with this brilliant collection of feline flights of fancy. His hilarious haikus take us inside the minds of our most popular pets revealing their inner-most secrets, their disdain for their owners and the poetry that is common to all cats.Featuring over 50 haikus complete with glorious images, this is a hysterical gift for cat lovers, cat haters, and poetry enthusiasts alike.

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Book Synopsis'Game changing. Juche is to shape the cultural zeitgeist just as The Little Book of Hygge did.' Fern Brady'A book to bring shame upon our depraved morals and our wilted-spinach governments.' Ivo GrahamHow did North Korea become the top-rated destination on Tripadvisor? The answer is Juche ...'In this earth-quaking lifestyle manifesto, I, Comrade Hyun-gi, will share with you the blueprint to a healthier, happier way of life. Juche will teach you westerners how sleeping under your desk yields a better work/life balance; why food rationing promotes a greater generosity of spirit; how sealed borders prevent the agony of long-distance relationships and why pensions prevent people from living in the moment. So come, dear Comrade, and step free from the landmines and tripwires of capitalism and march with me towards the socialist dawn that awaits us all.''As dry as it is daft - I loved it.' Jordan BrookesTrade ReviewGame changing. Juche is to shape the cultural zeitgeist just as The Little Book of Hygge did. * Fern Brady *A book to bring shame upon our depraved morals and our wilted-spinach governments. * Ivo Graham *As dry as it is daft, I loved it. * Jordan Brookes *

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Book SynopsisThis collection of imagined book covers will have you scratching your head and laughing out loud with every page turn. Though Pranks with Sausages and Holy Bible II don't actually exist, Rejected Books offers up a professionally produced catalogue of the worst books imaginable, and what these tomes (and plenty more) could look like.Rejected Books includes delightfully weird covers of imagined books like:The Sculptors Who Couldn't Do HandsCooking with Breast MilkPossessed Toys: A Buying GuideUnfortunate Gluing AccidentsCamel Toes Through HistoryEnjoy the worst book pitches of all time and rest assured that anyone can have a future in publishing ... even if your ideas are totally horrible.

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Book SynopsisHave you ever been ensnared by a Scorpio? Ghosted by a Gemini? Catfished by a Cancer? Well dear reader, this is the book for you. Strap in as Astrologer B.J. Lovegood takes you on a journey through the galaxy where you'll learn how to dodge red flags and avoid dating disasters.Never Shag a Scorpio is an amorous adventure through the zodiac. Funny, smutty and embarrassingly accurate, it will teach you how to lure a Leo, turn on a Taurus and impress a Pisces' parents.Complete with full romantic profiles for each star sign and hilarious and handy listicles such as 'Top 5 places to have sex with a Sagittarius' and 'A Taurus's top 5 breakup songs', this book is your go-to guide to navigating the steamy side of astrology.

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Book SynopsisBrextorians had long suspected that at the time of the Brexit negotiations, a series of audio recordings were made by and of government officials. In the year 3563, their suspicions were confirmed with the discovery of the first cache of tapes: conversations in the halls of Westminster and in private residences, secretly recorded in direct contravention of privacy laws.In The Brexit Tapes, the transcripts of these recordings are published for the very first time. Compiled by leading Brextorian John Bull, they offer a remarkable insight into the lost years from the Referendum to the Second Dark Age, and a clear picture of the events leading up to the civil war that followed.Directly challenging the accounts of Brexit provided in The Book of Mogg and Lord Johnson’s Res Brexitica, these transcripts are our first concrete record of history as it happened and, for the modern reader, a way to finally understand one of the most tumultuous periods of British history.

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Book Synopsis'This book is funny, clever and, at times, heartbreaking. In other words, Jewish' David Baddiel '[Baum is] intellectually luminous, psychologically penetrating, existentially anxious, and wonderfully funny' Zadie Smith 'Hilarious and thought-provoking' David Schneider The Jewish joke is as old as Abraham, and like the Jews themselves it has wandered over the world, learned countless new languages, worked with a range of different materials, been performed in front of some pretty hostile crowds, but still retained its own distinctive identity. So what is it that animates the Jewish joke? Why are Jews so often thought of as 'funny'? And how old can a joke get? The Jewish Joke is a brilliant - and very funny - riff on Jewish jokes, about what marks them apart from other jokes, why they are important to Jewish identity and how they work. Ranging from self-deprecation to anti-Semitism, politics to sex, it looks at the past of Jewish joking and asks whether the Jewish joke has a future. With jokes from Amy Schumer, Lena Dunham and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as Freud and Marx (Groucho mostly), this is both a compendium and a commentary, light-hearted and deeply insightful.Trade ReviewThis book is funny, clever and, at times, heartbreaking. In other words, Jewish -- David Baddiel[Baum is] intellectually luminous, psychologically penetrating, existentially anxious, and wonderfully funny -- Zadie SmithA Jew and a non-Jew read Devorah Baum's The Jewish Joke. They both found it hilarious and thought-provoking. Because it is -- David SchneiderHers is the book to turn to if you're looking to amuse your friends and has something in common with the joke books we used to pass around as kids ... [Shows] the sorrow that is the dark underside of laughter - sorrow that belongs to everyone -- Erica Wagner * New Statesman *A breezy, accessible meditation on how [Jewish] humour works, and why it is so integral to Jewish identity... There is much for the scholar to enjoy in Baum's erudite but lightly sketched analysis of how humour helps us to deal with ageing, dislocation, impossible families and sexual confusion. Alternatively, you could just read it for the gags -- Matthew Reisz * Times Higher Education *

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Book SynopsisMany musical and theatrical traditions walk the very narrow path between the sublime and the ridiculous, but perhaps none more so than opera, which, while maintaining an elegant reputation, makes a show out of princes making romantic speeches to soft fruit, noses being accidentally cut off and woodpeckers performing wedding ceremonies. Opera Obscura is a beautifully illustrated collection that contributes twenty-five brand new impossibly madcap operas to the canon of magnificent absurdities, along with the intricate blueprints for several incredible opera houses and information on of a whole range of almost unbelievably incredible instruments.

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Book SynopsisThis collection pulls together the teenage Austen's short writings about couples', which show off the biting wit and satire which are now so associated with her name.

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Book SynopsisA WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2022: HUMOURWant to be a rocket-riding tech titan? You've come to the right school. Elon Musk's Billionaire School makes it simple to follow in Elon's footsteps and accumulate the wealth and power of a medium-sized nation in just 30 days. Capitalise on these easy lessons drawn from the lives, philosophies and business practices of the alpha billionaires who are shaping humanity's future, including Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and, of course, Elon himself. It's the complete, foolproof resource for your billionaire's journey - from founding your first startup through to becoming High-God-Emperor of Mars. Elon Musk's Billionaire School. Enrol today. Escape the planet tomorrow.Trade ReviewI don't ever give up. I'd have to be dead or completely incapacitated. * * ELON MUSK * *Praise for The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump: A triumph * * TELEGRAPH * *Hilarious * * Stewart Lee * *A triumph * * Daily Telegraph * *This is great * * Peter Serafinowicz * *

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Book SynopsisInspired by the wit and wisdom of the Right Honourable John Bercow MP, arguably the only MP to come out of Westminster's handling of Brexit with a shred of dignity, Be More Bercow will help you declare orr-derrr in your life.Every day we are faced with a multitude of polarized views: at home, at work and on social media. But how should we navigate these choppy and socially precarious waters? Who is going to put some order and structure to this crazy upside-down world we have found ourselves in? The answer is YOU!Comprising witty quotes from the man himself ('I don't want to crawl over the entrails of past disputes'), fun self-improving activities (sort elements of your life into the 'noes' and 'ayes' lobbies, unlock and declare a winner) and inspiring stories from the Speaker (in 1996 to enable himself to attend selection meetings for two safe Conservative seats almost simultaneously, he chartered a helicopter and duly won the nomination for Buckingham). Be More Bercow is the only companion you need for your journey through the Brexit process and beyond.

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Book SynopsisSportsman. Lover. Bon viviant. Cad. Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is many things to many people. But ten years after he lifted the Leinster Schools Senior Cup, Ireland's most beloved rogue remains one of its most misunderstood figures. His accomplishments on the rugby field - and in the bedroom - remain the stuff of legend, but the truth about him remains hidden by the accretion of myth.Now, for the first time, the lid is lifted on the enigma that is South Dublin's most eligible married man. In more than a hundred interviews with his family and friends - those who've loved him, hated him and slept with him - the first ever composite portrait of the Celtic Tiger's most famous cub emerges.From the mother who didn't want him to the father who wanted him too much, from the friends who shared his misadventures to the women who shared his bed - or, failing that, a back alley or bus shelter - this searingly honest biography fills in all the blanks in the life of the self-styled Cock of Foxrock.'One-liners are as sharp as ever' Irish Independent'You'll look at Ross O'Carroll-Kelly in a whole new light ... highly enjoyable' Sunday Tribune'Always a funny, sharp and humane writer' Irish TimesTrade ReviewSome day there will be a university course explaining the appeal of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly... Rarely has a character so despicable, so selfish, so self-obsessed and so utterly thick been so loved * Sunday Independent *Consistently laugh-out-loud funny * Irish Independent *Essential reading * Irish Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisWhen you like, live forever, what's there to live for?'About three things I was absolutely certain. First, Edwart was most likely my soul mate, maybe. Second, there was a vampire part of him - which I assumed was wildly out of his control - that wanted me dead. And third, I unconditionally, irrevocably, impenetrably, heterogeneously, gynecologically, and disreputably wished he had kissed me.'And thus Belle Goose falls in love with the mysterious and sparkly Edwart Mullen in this hilarious send-up of Twilight. Pale and klutzy, Belle arrives in Switchblade, Oregon looking for adventure, or at least an undead classmate. She soon discovers Edwart, a super-hot computer nerd with zero interest in girls. After witnessing a number of strange events - Edwart leaves his hash browns untouched at lunch! - he saves her from a flying snowball and Belle has a dramatic revelation: Edwart is a vampire. But how can she convince Edwart to bite her and transform her into his eternal bride, especially when he seems to find girls so repulsive?Complete with romance, danger, insufficient parental guardianship, creepy stalker-like behaviour, and a vampire prom, Nightlight is the hysterical tale of a vampire-obsessed girl, looking for love in all the wrong places.Trade ReviewLaugh-out-loud funny * The Book Bag *

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Book SynopsisThe horror of the First World War brought out a characteristic response in a group of English artists, who resorted to black humour. Among these, John Hassall, a pioneering British illustrator and creator of the influential 'Skegness is so bracing' poster, holds a special place. Early in the war, he hit on the idea of drawing a parody of the Bayeux Tapestry to satirize German aggression and add to the growing genre of war propaganda. Taking the scheme of the famous tapestry which celebrates William the Conqueror’s invasion of England, Hassall uses thirty pictorial panels to tell the story of Kaiser Wilhem II’s invasion of Luxembourg and Belgium. In mock-archaic language he narrates the progress of the German army, never missing an opportunity to lampoon ‘bad’ behaviour: ‘Wilhelm giveth orders for frightfulness.’ The caricatured Germans loot homes, make gas from Limburg cheese and sauerkraut, drink copious amounts of wine and shamefully march through Luxembourg with ‘women and children in front.’ With comic inventiveness Hassall adapts the borders of the original to illustrate the stereotypical objects with which the English then associated their enemy: they are decorated with schnitzel, sausages, pilsner, wine corks and wild boar. Drawn with Hassall’s distinctive flat colour and striking outlines, Ye Berlyn Tapestrie is a fascinating historical example of war-induced farce, produced by a highly talented artist who could not then have known that the war was set to last for another two years. Together with an introduction which sets out the historical background of its creation, every page of this rarely seen publication is reproduced here in a fold-out concertina, just like the original, to resemble the style of the Bayeux Tapestry.

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Book SynopsisWhat makes a perfect husband? In this tongue-in-cheek guide, illustrated by Heath Robinson’s inimitable cartoons and contraptions, there are many charmingly old-fashioned tips for how to succeed in almost all aspects of married life. First published in 1937, this delightful book gives an insight into how the roles of both wife and husband were viewed at the time and pokes gentle fun at them both. The perfect husband presses his own trousers; he can tend the lawn and entertain the baby simultaneously by means of two simple attachments to the garden roller; he can peel onions behind his back, with the help of a mirror, and thus avoid tears; he can make a vacuum cleaner and he even has a device to help him climb the stairs silently after a late night out with the boys. When offered the choice of a glass of milk or a Manhattan, he will choose the former. With chapters on courtship and proposal, the wedding, early married life, bringing up children, sports and hobbies, domestic difficulties and middle age, this book makes a highly amusing gift for those who are considering tying the knot or wish to celebrate wedded bliss.

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Book SynopsisDIPLOMACY, n. The patriotic art of lying for one's country In 1881 Ambrose Bierce, journalist and former soldier for the Union army in the Civil War, began writing satirical definitions for the San Francisco Wasp, and then for William Randolph Hearst's San Francisco Examiner. Bierce was launched on a journalistic career that would see him liked and loathed in equal measure – and earn him the title of ‘the wickedest man in San Francisco’. In his column, Bierce, a contemporary of Mark Twain, brought his biting black humour to bear on spoof definitions of everyday words, writing deliberate mistranslations of the vocabulary of the establishment, the Church and the politics of his day, and shining a sardonic light on hypocrisy and deception. These columns formed the beginnings of a dictionary, first published in 1906 as The Cynic’s Word Book. Over 100 years later, Bierce’s redefinitions still give us pause for thought – REPORTER, n. A writer who guesses his way to the truth and dispels it with a tempest of words; UN-AMERICAN, adj. Wicked, intolerable, heathenish; POLITICS, n. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage – making for a timely new edition of this irreverent and provocative satire.

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Book SynopsisA lot of leather has 'plunk-plicked' against willow since cricket was first played on the village greens of Olde England, but this doughty little book heroically manages to capture the true essence of the noble ball game in just 100 run-grabbing moments (plus a few extras for overthrows). This is the story of cricket as it has never been told before: a well tossed-up compilation of surreal match reports, spoof correspondence and quirky cartoons. From a Great Victorian refusing to walk (even though his bails have been knocked off by the bowler) to modern-day sledgers playing floodlit pyjama cricket, the game's towering achievements, hilarious happenings and ludicrous coincidences are entertainingly recalled. The book's title says it all: which other sport would have Silly positions in the field? For those who don't know, silly mid-off (facing the batsman) & silly mid-on (behind him) field within a couple of metres of the man at the crease as he flails at the ball, delivered at 140kmh, using a 1kg wooden bat. Table of ContentsWG Grace • The Bodyline Tour • Wars of the Roses • Don Bradman • Denis Compton • Neil Harvey • Lord Ted • Monkeys in the gully • Jim Laker • Lillian Thomson • Gillette Cup • Dolly and Apartheid • Deadly Derek • Chuckers and pie-throwers • 'Sir Geoff' • Kerry Packer's Circus • Big Bird • Ian Botham • Windies 'Blackwash' • Mike Gatting • The Headingley Comeback • Lara's 501 • Hansie Cronje • Shane Warne • Freddie Flintoff • Kevin Pietersen • Players Walkout • DRS.

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Book SynopsisLots of pomp and circumstance have gone on since Julius Caesar first came, saw and conquered. This title heroically captures the true essence of this green and pleasant land in just 106 episodes. It is the story of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales: a red-white-and-blue compilation of surreal news reports, spoof correspondence and cartoons.

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of golf as it's never been told before. A dog-legged compilation of sports reports, spoof correspondence and reminiscences from pros, caddies, playing partners and armchair pundits: Mary Queen of Scots cheers herself up at the links at Leith following the murder of her husband Lord Darnley; Dwight D. Eisenhower's valet shoots the breeze as he clears up the Oval Office following a particularly gruelling Presidential putting practice session; Bob Hope's chauffeur experiments with some one-liners whilst waiting for his boss in the clubhouse car park; and John Daly's local bartender describes the unique skills of his best customer. The albatrosses, the Big Berthas, the yips and the holes-in-one that have provided the perfect excuse to linger at the nineteenth hole are amusingly recalled for the delectation of the Fair Isle sweater brigade.Table of ContentsMary Queen of Scots * James IV of Scotland * Rembrandt * Tarby * President Eisenhower * Bing Crosby * Nick Faldo * Lee Trevino * The R&A * Sun City crocodiles * St Andrews * Anika Sorenstam * Augusta, Georgia * Golf on the Moon * Tony Jacklin * The Pro-Am circuit * Frenchman in the water * Golf buggies * Big Bertha and Mashie Niblick * Knickerbockers * P.G. Wodehouse * Tiger * The Golden Bear * Seve * Arnie's Army * Greg Norman * Nick Faldo * How a Chicago Cop won the Ryder Cup for Europe * Ollie's tears * Rory McIlroy.

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Book SynopsisJoin certified Ig-master Vaguen on the road to bliss. You might think that ignorance comes naturally, but on the contrary, the world conspires to cram our heads full of useless and dangerous know-ledge every day. Fall off this know-ledge into the safe and comforting world of oblivio(n/ousness) by discovering The Power of Ignorance. In his seminars, Vaguen has helped successful people, wealthy people, good-looking people, and people just like you to attain the heights/depths of ignorance. For the first time, his secrets are revealed between the covers of a book. Purchase this reasonably-priced volume and join the ranks of those who understand that a lack of understanding is unimportant. Based on original material and characters by Jeff Sumerel and Sam Reynolds.

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Book SynopsisYour brain cells are prison cells! Break free with The Power of Ignorance, the smash Fringe play! Join certified Ig-master Vaguen on the road to bliss. You might think that ignorance comes naturally, but on the contrary, the world conspires to cram our heads full of useless and dangerous know-ledge every day. Fall off this knowledge into the safe and comforting world of oblivio(n/ousness) by discovering The Power of Ignorance. In this playscript Vaguen is featured at one of his seminars where he helps successful people, wealthy people, good-looking people, and people just like you to attain the heights/depths of ignorance.

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Book SynopsisThe world of Westminster laid bare in cool, understated prose brimming with irony and complemented by Martin Rowson's sharp, satirical drawings.A brief guide to how democracy works, or fails to work. The big answers to all the questions you should have asked, but never did-but here it is: your guide to democracy, elections, referendums and what lurks in cyber space. The hilarious joint creation of Bob Marshall Andrews, author, barrister, former Labour MP for Medway, thorn in Tony Blair's side and multi award winning cartoonist Martin Rowson.

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Book SynopsisA New York Times bestselling feminist author’s sparkling memoir of gender transition (among many other things). Reasons for Transitioning: Want to impress good-looking ex; Want to upset good-looking ex; Bored of existing wardrobe, looking for excuse to buy all-new clothes that don’t fit in a new way; Younger siblings getting too much attention; Neoliberalism??; Want to sing both parts of a duet at karaoke; Something about upper-body strength; Excited to reinforce a different set of sexist stereotypes; Cheaper haircuts; Just love layering shirts ... From the beloved writer behind The Toast and Slate’s ‘Dear Prudence’ column comes a personal essay collection exploring popular culture, literature, religion, and sexuality. With wit and compassion, Daniel Mallory Ortberg revisits beloved cultural and literary figures in the light of his transition.Trade Review‘Ortberg’s playful takes on pop culture as he explores everything from House Hunters to Golden Girls to Lord Byron, Lacan, and Rilke … Ortberg’s writing is vulnerable but confident, specific but never narrow, literal and lyrical. The author is refreshingly unafraid of his own uncertainty, but he’s always definitive where it counts … You'll laugh, you'll cry, often both at once. Everyone should read this extraordinary book.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews *‘At last, we have the work of transgender bathos we didn’t know we needed, but very much do … Ortberg’s narrative is anything but linear: It skips back in time to mythic Greece, traipses across the landscape of contemporary pop culture and, in one wonderfully fabulist entry that would make Carmen Maria Machado proud, slips outside of time altogether … One of our smartest, most inventive humour writers, Ortberg combines bathos and the devotional into a revelation … By broadening what transgender memoir can do, the author is in good company with Viviane Namaste, who decades ago diagnosed autobiography as ‘the only discourse in which transsexuals are permitted to speak.’ Ortberg partakes of neither the damaging trope of tragic transness nor the sentimental sanctimony that we are “permitted,” offering instead the comic and the transcendent.’ -- Jordy Rosenberg * The New York Times *‘A wonderfully weird book from one of America’s most original young humourists.’ -- Tristram Fane Saunders * The Telegraph *‘Ortberg does not simply narrate his experience of transition; he also grapples with the challenge of doing so, toggling skillfully between criticism, personal essay, and literary pastiche … Animated by Ortberg’s Christian faith and eclectic cultural enthusiasms, the book is a syllabus of sorts — a road map for navigating one remarkable writer’s mind.’ * The New Yorker *‘Deeply honest and often sidesplittingly funny.’ -- Michelle Hart * O: The Oprah Magazine *‘Daniel Mallory Ortberg’s Something That May Shock And Discredit You is three eloquent books in one: memoir, essay collection, and treasure trove of cultural analysis, all coming in under 250 pages. Ortberg is as nimble a storyteller as they come, so the shifts from painful personal revelations to pithy observations about Lord Byron turn on a dime while still mostly feeling part of the same whole … The details are all Ortberg, as is the ability to turn eschatology into something more accessible and less judgmental.’ -- Danette Chavez * The A.V Club *‘[A] memoir comprised of the humorous essays that have become his trademark … Some are essays and some are scripts or imagined conversations; at first the chapters and interludes are distinct, but at a certain point they start to blend together. All are hilarious, infused with the type of magical thinking Lavery excels at. They weave Lavery’s life experiences together with his historical and pop-cultural obsessions.’ -- Claire Landsbaum * Vanity Fair *‘A moving and insightful account of a complex emotional and physical journey, Something That May Shock and Discredit You is told with humour and takes shapeshifting form, leaping easily from pop culture references to biblical analysis, finely-tuned argument to satirical listicle, then back again.’ -- Cal Flyn * Five Books *‘This book is clever and strange and lovely and sad and hysterical and poignant. These are the qualities that make up most of my favourite people and all of my favourite books. You really need to read this now.’ -- Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy‘Slate advice columnist Ortberg (Texts from Jane Eyre) brings the full force of his wit and literary depth to this genre-bending essay collection. Describing it as ‘memoir-adjacent,’ Ortberg intersperses searingly honest passages about his journey as a transgender man with laugh-out-loud funny literary pastiche ... Ortberg provides an often hilarious, sometimes discomfiting, but invariably honest account of one man’s becoming.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘Like all of his work, Something That May Shock and Discredit You is a stand-alone pillar in Ortberg’s remarkable canon, one in which the lines typically drawn around topic and genre are obliterated, resulting in a wide-open field of possibility.’ * Electric Literature *‘[A] hybrid of incisive cultural criticism and heartfelt rumination on transitioning and queer identity.’ -- Erin Keane, Ashlie D. Stevens, and Hanh Nguyen * Salon *‘With this collection of essays, he will make you laugh and cry with stories of transition, family, culture and William Shatner.’ -- Karla Strand * Ms. *‘[Ortberg] puts his dazzling wit and humour on display in a ‘memoir-adjacent’ collection of essays that touches on topics as wide-ranging as Lord Byron, the Bible and House Hunters in his exploration of self as a transgender man.’ -- Barbara VanDenburgh * USA Today *‘The ‘Dear Prudence’ columnist and expert culture commentator returns with his sharpest, wittiest collection yet, a survey of pop culture ranging from scathing to plain weird.’ -- David Canfield * Entertainment Weekly *‘[A] fusion of old and new Ortberg work. It’s a collection of chapters and fragments, pieces that refuse single identities … The intensity of emotion and self-centredness are stripped of their high language, and become vividly queer, utterly recognisable, and essential to the gender mode that Ortberg himself is learning to express throughout this collection … Ortberg is perhaps closer than any other writer to functioning as the voice of progressive millennials … Every movement of Ortberg’s writing as he considers gender is hesitant, and his use of upspeak inflection both satirises the femininity associated with that questioning tone and engages with it genuinely. There must be a space between being prepared to mock gender norms and being deeply uncertain about them. The sincerity beneath the humour is new in Ortberg’s work, and powerful and well as disconcerting … The book is emotionally effective, but not always entirely accessible. In many ways, Ortberg’s transition is likely to be less alien to many readers than his deep Biblical knowledge … Ortberg’s least accessible book, but also his most important. Unlike his earlier work, Shock and Discredit must be read slowly, and with reflection. It’s not always easy. The breezy humour sometimes dives deep into New Testament referentiality without actually gesturing to deep faith. Read slowly to keep from flailing. Ortberg’s writing will wait for you to catch up.’ -- Annette Lapointe * The New York Journal of Books *‘A bundle of short, eclectic and wonderfully funny essays.’ * The Telegraph *‘A … kind of glee animates Ortberg’s writing, and it rushes all the way through this thoughtful, joyous book. Even when Something That May Shock and Discredit You delves into difficult material … Ortberg always writes with a sense of profound and honest delight: What luck, it’s another day where he gets to be a man. And reading, you can’t help but be delighted with him … This book is odd and self-satisfied and bizarrely specific, in all the best possible ways. Consistently, it’s funny … But Something That May Shock and Discredit You is also tenderly, gently thoughtful about gender and about what it means to transition, especially for someone like Ortberg, who built a public reputation as a feminist running a women’s website before coming out … Something That May Shock and Discredit You is not precisely an explanation for everyone who was wondering why the person they first knew as Mallory Ortberg is now Daniel M. Lavery. It is neither apologetic nor self-justifying, and Ortberg remains very clear on the fact that he does not owe an explanation about himself or his gender to anyone … Instead, this book reads like an exploration — a funny, gentle, thoughtful exploration — of how Ortberg sees the world, and how transitioning affected the lens through which he sees it. Reading it feels like reading the Toast felt in 2013, which is to say it feels like coming into contact with a restless and smart mind of profound and specific hyperfixations. It’s a joy.’ -- Constance Grady * Vox *‘Something That May Shock and Discredit You offers a vital account of transition and gender identity … [It] allows space for confusion and uncertainty, while also offering the wisdom of hindsight … [It] is funny while remaining sincere, and is inventive in its use of different forms to explore various aspects of his experiences.’ -- Erin Stewart * ArtsHub *‘Daniel Lavery ... has penned a book ostensibly about the experience of transition, but effortlessly traverses religion, philosophy… and William Shatner? In Something That May Shock and Discredit You Lavery’s innermost expressions of vulnerability are rendered with remarkable candour in some passages. Other passages are flat-out hilarious. All, however, are poignant.’ -- Dan Shaw * Happy Magazine *‘Inimitably witty.’ -- Nicole Elphick * The Age *‘Ortberg gracefully slips between the memoirist’s lucid personal narrative and the essayist’s more topical ruminations. Passage after passage sees him refining a riveting intertextual portrait of his life and transness fit for the pages of an illuminated manuscript … Discarding any distinction between high and low cultures, Ortberg’s Something that May Shock and Discredit You most certainly astonishes and amazes — it may even be transformative.’ -- Dave Wheeler * Shelf Awareness *‘Written almost as a stream of consciousness, this genre-bending work by Slate columnist Ortberg blends memoir, social commentary, and biblical exegesis in a series of essays that reflect an evolving sense of identity. Similar to his work as co-founder of The Toast, Ortberg’s brief chapters here expand on topics serious and challenging, humorous and trivial … This account of a vulnerable life makes for contemplative reading.’ -- Stephanie Sendaula * Library Journal *‘For those who have no firsthand experience of gender transitioning, this book is an education in empathy, solidarity and compassion, and an ode to the courage and resilience of transgender people. It’ll make you think, laugh and maybe reconsider some of your preconceptions about gender. If nothing else, you’ll never look at the Bible the same way again.’ -- Zoya Patel * The Canberra Times *‘Part satire, part confessional and all utterly original, Lavery’s third book is a wild rollercoaster of a read that defies definition. It’s a riotous stew of diarist self-examination, taut comic sketches, and queer readings … At a moment of renewed global transphobia, when Leslie Feinberg’s tragic Stone Butch Blues remains the touchstone of transmasculine literature, Lavery’s kaleidoscopic memoir is a refreshing reminder of the possibility of trans irreverence, trans peace — even trans joy.’ -- Yves Rees * Inside Story *Praise for The Merry Spinster: ‘A wholly satisfying blend of silliness, feminist critique, and deft prose makes this a collection of bedtime stories that will keep you up at night for all the right reasons.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews *Praise for The Merry Spinster: ‘Unlike most modern versions of fairy tales, Ortberg's sly, scathing renditions avoid clichés and self-referential edginess, and instead strike directly at the heart … The book brings the shock of the new and the shock of recognition into play at the same time; it's a tour de force of skill, daring, and hard-earned bravura.’ * Publishers Weekly *A New York Times bestselling author’s sparkling memoir of changing genders whilst remaining a feminist.Praise for Texts from Jane Eyre: ‘Humourist Ortberg offers a side-splitting take on famous literary characters from Gilgamesh to Hermione Granger by peeking into their imagined text messages … Ortberg charmingly captures, in short, palatable bytes, what is most memorable about famous books and their indelible characters.’ * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisLife isn't easy when you have to learn all the ins and outs of joining the royal family. From brushes with the law to disastrous shooting outings, discover all the things that probably didn't happen when Harry met Meghan but would have been funny if they had. What were they doing behind those closed royal doors that caused so much confusion and how did Meghan try to impress the Royal family and adopt British behaviour? Could you really blame her when things didn't work out as planned and she wore the wrong clothes for the occasion and was confused about strange eating habits, driving rules, speaking manners and the importance of personalized toilet seats. No doubt Meghan will shine and prove her shooting skills during her first Christmas at Sandringham . . . well, maybe.Table of ContentsThe Blind Date; The Dogs; Wellygate; The roast Chicken; The Baptism; at Buckingham Palace; Dinner for More Than one; The screw-up; The Driving lesson; The riding out; The Bootcamp; The Kidnap Training; The Kid's Birthday Party; Shooting at Sandringham

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