I read a book in High School with the title “The Diaries of the Late, Great God” or something very similar… I’d like to re-read it, as it was hilarious! But I don’t know who the author was, and can’t seem to find any mention of this book anywhere! (Amazon doesn’t have it, and a search of the web turns up nothing useful).
I’m sure it is probably out of print, but I’d still like to see if I can get a copy of it somewhere…
Anyone know who the Author was and where I might get a copy?
Sorry, can’t help, I’m afraid. But since you don’t know the author, and are not certain of the title, the only further clue you could give is some vague suggestion as to the plot, and the characters. That really would help, as such thing s might strike a chord in other people who have read the book some time ago.
Anyway, if your guess about the title is correct, a good librarian wil be able to identify it for you. Then you can find out whether it is in print or not. Of course, you may be able to borrow the book even if it is not in print and available to buy, as your librarian will, I imagine, be able to arrange to borrow it from another library for you.
D’oh!!! (Astro slaps his forehead!)
You’re right, Celyn!!!
The plot was something about God’s diary falling to Earth and being discovered by a journalist who then publishes it… many anecdotes about Biblical stories and mishaps (Jesus steps onto the back of his pet whale [same one that he sent to eat Jonah…Jesus was a crack-up!], and rides out to the boat when the other guys won’t come to the shore to get him. Giving rise to the walking on water legend… the Holy Ghost goes down to NYC and gets caught up in a race riot…)
Very funny book!
As for the author, I think it may have been the same guy who wrote an article in the late 60’s/early 70’s about God being dead (maybe in the New York Times?)…
That’s all the info I can recall about the book…
Your suggestion about visiting a library is a good one, but not practical for me, as I’m living in Korea… no Enlish libraries here…
Astro, as a bookseller, I get questions like this all the time. If the customer told me that they had done some research on the web and hadn’t come up with anything, like you did, my first instinct is that you probably have the title incorrect. Amazon has the best book database of anyone, period. Naturally, I don’t recommend buying from them, but they are an excellent resource for searching. I did a quick search just now and didn’t find anything close, even in their list of out of print books. I double-checked Books in Print, and again, couldn’t find anything.
If you were my customer, I would probably ask if you know anyone else who has read the book to make sure you have the title correct. A good bet might be your local used bookseller or librarian*, as the people there are probably quite knowledgeable about obscure or old books. Definitely go there before trying Amazon’s out-of-print booksearch - your local bookseller can search more cheaply and efficiently.
*Obfus and I had a discussion on the difference between a bookseller and a librarian. Obfus’ excellent point was that a librarian is trained to find information, while a bookseller is trained to find specific books. So you might have better luck at the bookshop.
Thanks Kyla!
I was 99% sure about that the title was “The Diaries of the Late, Great God” or something very close to that… but now I’m starting to wonder! I did searches with the keywords “God,” "Diaries, “Diary,” and various combinations thereof… with no luck!
I’m starting to wonder now if “The Diaries of the Late, Great God” might have been the subtitle, and just stuck in my mind while the real title slipped away…
The only other person who I know of that read this book was a high school English teacher, who gave it to me. But I haven’t spoken to her in years!
Mr. 14, I spent so much time trying to reply,and failing (olde worlde computers being the work of the devil), but I see that Kyla has replied also. So, it sounds like bad news for you. Still, it’s worth asking anyone you know, and also your nearest U.S.Cultural Exchange agency thingy. (I’m not from the U.S and don’t don’t its correct name, I’m afraid.) But, really, anyone who likes books will end up seeing it as a bit of a personal quest to help you find it.
And if you do not find it, for goodness’s sake, write a version of it, because it sounds fun.
On the other hand, there’s always “Letters from the Earth” by Mark Twain. Same sort of plot, different characters. 
Searching the Barnes and Noble site, I found that there’s a book called Excerpts from the Diaries of the Late God by Anthony Towne, apparently originally published in 1968. Is that the book you want?
There is one used copy available for $6.00 at http://www.bibliofind.com [I posted a response similar to Wendell’s about the same time he did- don’t know why it hasn’t shown up, but if it somehow does show up after this message, I don’t want you to think I’m lossing my mind and repeating myself]
Wendell! Nebuli!!! I love you!!!
That’s the book!!!
Huzzah!!
BTW: if you can find a copy of this, I recommend it… very funny!
Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!
Yeah, way to go, guys. I’d just like to add a postscript here - judging by the description, anyone who’d like that sort of thing REALLY ought to check out James Morrow’s stuff - “Towing Jehovah”, “Only Begotten Daughter”, “Blameless in Abaddon” … I’d apply the superlatives you used to these - start with “Towing Jehovah” in which God is, literally, dead, leaving behind a two mile long corpse.
You may also want to check out God The Ultimate Autobiography.
It’s pretty funny too.
Ironically, I used the bibliophile link, above, to look for books by George Mikes, an extremely funny English-Hungarian humourist poorly known here. One of his books I ordered was called “How to be God”. Much obliged for the link.
Well, as it happens, I’ve read one of George Mikes’s books. Pretty good stuff, but not as good as Stephen Potter, my favorite humorous writer.
Here’s another funny book about religion: Gore Vidal’s Live From Golgotha.