Beautiful Browsers, Boring Covers

Stories of the Supernatural, Edited by Dorothy L. Sayers A very battered old book, but hey, it was only $0.50, and, you know, Sayers. Most of the good stories I have elsewhere, so… Ranking: Dispensable File Code: Short Stories. Anthology. Paperback.

Without Feathers; Getting Even; and Side Effects, by Woody Allen. Three collections of his short, humorous pieces. Say what you will about Allen personally, the guy writes funny. His parodies of intellectual pretension, his absurd and fantastic pricking of pomposity. I started reading these in high school, and something of their anarchic stance entered my pose … mostly internally. “More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.” Ranking: Keepers. File Code: Anthology. Humor. Paperbacks.

What Was Hot! By Julian Biddle. A year by year listing of the important events, movies, music, news and sports, from 1950 to 1993, when it was published. Not only a valuable resource if you are writing historical stories, but a fascinating chronology that gives you an idea of developing trends. Ranking: Wonderfully Essential. File Code: Trivia. History. Paperback.

The Dictionary of Misinformation and More Misinformation, by Tom Burnam. “What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so.” – Mark Twain. These books clear up common misconceptions and misremembered facts. I got them when I was in high school and particularly used them as a source of smarty-pants facts. The cover of volume one is made of that soft crumbly cardboard and is showing considerable disintegration. I remember using it as a source to prove to Nanny (to her incredulity) that she couldn’t catch some disease by swimming, but by human contact. Score! Ranking: Jeepers Keepers. File Code: Trivia. Paperback.

The 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said and The Other 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, Chosen and Arranged by Robert Byrne. Quips, one-liners, and wise sayings illustrated by old copy-right free line art. Hilarious browsers. I used to have 2 other sequels, one hardbacked and the other a softcover, but I sold them. These are the best. Ranking: Keepers. File Code: Quotations. Humor. Paperbacks.

Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words, by Josefa Heifetz Byrne. What it says on the label. I’ve had this since high school, and it’s just plain fun for a wordmonger. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Reference. Dictionary. Paperback.

Dictionary of Foreign Terms, Edited by Mario Pei and Salvatore Ramondino. What it says on the label. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Reference. Dictionary. Paperback.

Anguished English, by Richard Lederer. “An anthology of accidental assaults upon our language.” Mistranslations, malapropisms, children’s darndest sayings, bloopers, and grammar gaffes. An amusing browser. Illustrated with cartoons. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Anthology. Humor. Paperback.

Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Times, by Dr. Laurence J. Peter An anthology of quotations, with the best and the worst that has been said about a subject, both pro and con, and often most pithily. A browser that both amuses and provokes thought. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Anthology. Quotations. Paperback.

Gallimaufry to Go, by J. Bryan, III “Trivia, nostalgia, curiosa, exotica – A delightful collection of all things fascinating.” A personal scrapbook by the author – gallimaufry means ‘a confused jumble or medley of things’ – illustrated with old line drawings re-applied to the subject. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Anthology. Trivia. Paperback.