# Invent book titles and appropriately-named authors **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 6, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943 "2014-08-06T12:31:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/1 "2014-08-06T12:31:31Z")
Sorry about the awkward title but it was the best way I could think of to describe this game. I did a search and couldn’t see it has been done on the board before (which surprises me slightly, sorry if I missed it). Anyway, I thought after the runaway success of the Tom Swifties thread, this one may amuse. Here are a few examples of what I mean to get us started, most of which are my own and a couple of which are old ones I read years ago. Try to make the names “realistic” if you can (for example, I would say at least one of the first name and surname should be fairly common). _Sing High Soprano_ by Topsy Sharp _Safety in Construction_ by Eva Brick _A Guide to Seeds_ by Cara Way _How to Feed Your Monkey_ by P. Nutt _The Wisdom of Having Insurance_ by Justin Case _Nearby Galaxies_ by Ann Dromeda _On the Set of “Eastenders”_ by Albert Square _70 Years of Hosting “The Proms”_ by Albert Hall _Selling Off a Theatre Award_ by Tony Hawk ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/2 "2014-08-06T12:45:35Z")
This sounds like fun! \*Extreme Body Sculpting \*by Barb E. Dole _Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner_ by Ima Howell ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/3 "2014-08-06T13:13:59Z")
_What Every NASCAR Driver Needs To Know About Urology_ by Dick Trickle. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/4 "2014-08-06T13:16:50Z")
The classic in this field: _Run to the Outhouse_, by Willy Makit, illustrated by Betty Wont. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/5 "2014-08-06T13:19:26Z")
_Storm the Beaches!_ by Cindy Trupesin _Canning and Preserving Peaches_ by Mason Jarr _Raising Healthy Farm Animals_ by Bill E. Ghote ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/6 "2014-08-06T13:44:23Z")
Great stuff guys, I see you didn’t need much encouragement. I need an explanation of this one though despite trying to pronounce it various ways: > [@CheshireKat](#): > > _Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner_ by Ima Howell I think my favourites so far are those that use an existing celebrity and then come up with a book title to match. To that end (which sounds more like an academic paper than a book, but why not?): _The merits of quenching thirst at the pub as opposed to a public water hole in Victorian England_ by George Orwell ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/7 "2014-08-06T13:58:07Z")
_It’s OK to Smoke_ by Ellen Nim \* How to Avoid the Draf\*t by Chloe Zedore _Great Men I Have Known_ by Leah Deland _Identifying Tinnitus_ by Isabel Rhengin ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/8 "2014-08-06T14:08:26Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > I need an explanation of this one though despite trying to pronounce it various ways: \*Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner \*by Ima Howell Guess WHO… by I’m a owl Yeah, a little sloppy. :o ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/9 "2014-08-06T14:26:03Z")
_My Fear of Christmas_ by Noel Coward _Why I Fell_ by Eileen Dover _Lost at Sea_ by Rip Tide ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/10 "2014-08-06T14:39:27Z")
_How To Put A Spin On Your Baseball_ by Rollie “Rolling” Fingers ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/11 "2014-08-06T15:03:17Z")
A real example of this: [_Inside the Olympics_ by Dick Pound](http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Olympics-Behind---Scenes-Politics/dp/0470834544/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407337302&sr=1-1&keywords=inside+the+olympics). ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/12 "2014-08-06T15:46:17Z")
_The Jerry Sandusky Story_ by Ben Dover _The Missing Barrel_ by Rob Brewer _The Broken Motor_ by Rowan Home ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/13 "2014-08-06T16:15:25Z")
_The Mystery of the Missing Parrot_ by Polly N. Katz _The Depths of Despai_r by Alice Laust _Cultivating Weeds_ by Dan D. Lyons ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/14 "2014-08-06T16:56:24Z")
> [@CheshireKat](#): > > Guess WHO… by I’m a owl > > Yeah, a little sloppy. :o Actually, I like it now I know what it is! _Star Wars_ by Ronald Reagan “Ray Gun” - not sure it quite works but thought I’d throw it out there. _Cheap Gemstones_ by Bob Diamond _Birds of the Crow Family_ by Jack Dawe _Operating a Lie Detector_ by Polly Graf ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/15 "2014-08-06T17:03:22Z")
_No Pussy For Me_ by Jack Doff _The Can At CBGB’s_ by John Dirtyseat _Can’t Stand Twisted Song Titles_ by Mel & Bab Ecollar ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/16 "2014-08-06T17:07:22Z")
_Offensive Public Sculptures_ by Art Draper _In For a Pound_ by Penny Sterling ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/17 "2014-08-06T17:31:33Z")
_The Great Copenhagen Fire_ by Chris P. Daines _Caring for Your Jaw_ by Mandy Bulle _Vacation Day_ by Colin Sikke ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/18 "2014-08-06T17:41:27Z")
_Tourist Guide to Mini Cabs In Chinatown_ by Heidi Ho ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/19 "2014-08-06T18:59:08Z")
_Bedwetting_ by I.P. Freely. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943/20 "2014-08-06T19:15:29Z")
I always heard these things referred to as “Books Never Written”. Along etv78’s line, an oldie: _Yellow River_ by I.P. Daley [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invent-book-titles-and-appropriately-named-authors/694943.md?page=2)