This is Definitely 1 of the "Oddest of the Odd" Over the Last 30 Years

I am refering to a vote to determine which of the past 30 year's winners of The Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year was the "oddest of the odd". The winner's title sounds a lot more interesting than its contents. The winner was Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers.(shown at right) The book is a comprehensive record of Greek postal routes & was edited by Derek Willan. It won with 13% of the votes cast. Gary Leon Hill's People Who Don't Know They're Dead came in 2nd with 11% and How To Avoid Huge Ships came in 3rd with 10% of the vote. they all ended up beating out the early favorite Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice. That title was a double winner, being the 1st winner & the 15th anniversary winner. It & another early favorite, How To Bombproof Your Horse, ended up further back.

The Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year is sponsored by The Bookseller. As you can see from the titles I have already mentioned, the field for "oddest of the odd" was quite formidable. A complete list of the past winners eligible for the 30th Anniversary prize can be found here. I will admit a few of the books sounded like their subject might be interesting. Several had interesting titles, but rank up there in boring potential with the Greek Postmen.

The annual award is given each year based on a public vote for those titles nominated from the previous year. In March they announced the 2007 winner. It was If You Want Closure In Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs beating out Cheese Problems Solved & I Was Tortured By A Pygmy Love Queen.

According to the prize website: "The titles are spotted and submitted by publishers, booksellers and librarians around the world." From these submissions a short list is culled & the public is invited to vote. "The spotter of the winning book receives a magnum of champagne. The authors and publishers benefit from the publicity, prestige and sales boost that always accompanies the Diagram Prize."

I don't know if prestige is quite the term I would use. Infamy might be a better term.

Source: Greek postmen beat zombies to win oddest book title