# Most unfortunate book title ever. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 8, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782 "2003-02-08T23:34:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/21 "2003-02-09T21:16:56Z")
“The Queer Litte Eskimo.” Published back in the 20’s. Got it in a box of books at an auction. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/22 "2003-02-09T22:00:17Z")
The anus book-wasn’t there a big topic about this here a while back? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/23 "2003-02-09T23:52:17Z")
[hijack]People can also be pretty unthinking about naming their children. I worked with a guy named Peter (not Peters) whose parents named him Richard. So he fought his way through grade school as Dick Peter. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/24 "2003-02-10T00:48:56Z")
“Scouting for Boys” **Lord Baden-Powell** , 1908 ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/25 "2003-02-10T00:53:42Z")
Oh, and unfortunate as in the “most likely to be defaced in the school library” category : **"Biggles Works it Out"** , Capt. W.E. Johns. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/26 "2003-02-10T01:54:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Scouting for Boys" Lord Baden-Powell, 1908 Fairly appropriate, from what I hear. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/27 "2003-02-10T02:24:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David Simmons \* > \*\*[hijack]People can also be pretty unthinking about naming their children. I worked with a guy named Peter (not Peters) whose parents named him Richard. So he fought his way through grade school as Dick Peter. [/hijack] \*\* There was a whacko, wanna-be evangelist in the late 70/early 80s who was named Peter Beter! I think it’s pretty obvious what scrambled his circuits. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/28 "2003-02-10T02:52:00Z")
I guess no one needs to tell the actor who plays Giles in Buffy what not to name his children. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/29 "2003-02-10T03:03:44Z")
[hijack] Let’s visit some of those, shall we? For boys; Peter Head Bob Head Richard (Dick) Head Harry Head Jack Head(?) For Girls; Wanda Head Shirley Head Constance Head Tina Head Eudora Head Lita Head [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/30 "2003-02-10T03:18:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chimera \* > \*\*[hijack] > > Let’s visit some of those, shall we? > > For boys; > > Peter Head > Bob Head > Richard (Dick) Head > Harry Head > Jack Head(?) > > For Girls; > > Wanda Head > Shirley Head > Constance Head > Tina Head > Eudora Head > Lita Head > > [/hijack] \*\* For the girls, you forgot Anita Head and Anita Dick. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/31 "2003-02-10T03:44:25Z")
One of the gems in my collection is **Pissing in the Snow & Other Ozark Folktales** which is basically a bunch of dirty jokes classed up with footnotes and such into folklore by the simple method of having been recorded in the 1930s-1950s. Boy, did I make a goof not getting a degree in folklore! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/32 "2003-02-10T03:53:43Z")
A friend of mine has a book called ‘Boy’s Own’ which he’s had since he was a child. We took the piss out of him saying he has a boyzone (the boy band) book, which would be an embarrasing thing to own for a lad of 17. (given that boyzone’s main fan-base is probably female and between the ages of 10 and 15) (‘Boy’s Own’ sounds exactly like ‘boyzone’ verbally) ---
**Author:** ![1kBR\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/dc4da7/32.png) [@1kBR\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1kBR_Kid)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/33 "2003-02-10T05:02:37Z")
I once saw a book on inflight refueling called “Passing Gas”. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/34 "2003-02-10T05:06:28Z")
P.S. got to congratulate the OP on giving me a damn good laugh! ‘Cooking with Poo’ Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/35 "2003-02-10T05:39:50Z")
I believe that “Boy’s Own” was a newspaper at one time? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/36 "2003-02-10T05:58:46Z")
That woulld make sense. the book my friend had seemed like an annual (where they put lot’s of newspapers or comics into a book) ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_Jerkwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@Harvey\_Jerkwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_Jerkwater)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/37 "2003-02-11T21:29:23Z")
I worked in a bookstore for a time and found the best damn book title ever. It was part of the **Complete Idiot’s Guide To** series. The book meant to help people cultivate self-image. Yes, it’s the **Complete Idiot’s Guide to Improving Self-Esteem.** “It’s true! I have low self-esteem! Because I’m so stupid! Stupid! Stupid!!” Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Alto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Alto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alto)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/38 "2003-02-11T21:48:47Z")
I worked on a series of books about a little boy who, to maintain anonymity, I will call Bobby Smith. In one book, he gets a puppy that he names Lucky. The original title proposed for the book, which I am not making up, was _Bobby Smith Gets Lucky_. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/39 "2003-02-11T22:19:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > \*\*Heh, have you folks never heard of [How to Good-Bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday. Malarkey? or Effective Way?](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0595094724/qid=1042498859/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-7600248-7723069) Not only a whacked out title, but a whacked out book as well! \*\* People who bought this title also bought “Walter, the Farting Dog”, “The Gallery of Regrettable Food” and “Knitting with Dog Hair.” ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782/40 "2003-02-11T22:39:04Z")
I used to have a kids book about horned toads called “Horny”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unfortunate-book-title-ever/153782.md?page=3)