NVDT RANDOM – The Gobbledygook Series

Unlike my posts of re-titled and misappropriated children’s books, today I delve into honest to God book titles. Without venturing into a huge gray area and engaging in debate about copyright, performance and patent, let’s keep it simple and agree that most book titles, along with song titles, can’t be copyrighted. If that weren’t true there wouldn’t be so many different Joyland and The Outsider, both Stephen KIng titles. Maybe. We might want to rethink that rule in certain instances. I’m not sure how, but maybe an AI assistant at the Library of Congress that decides, like social media bots, what makes it through as acceptable, and as such, repeatable. There could also be discussion on titling trends that might need a throttle. Oh well, on topic, I say we start with why Hippies Need Not Apply going back waaaaaay before the 60s.

The Loathsomenesse of Long Haire … with the Concurrent Judgement of Divines both Old and New Against It. With an Appendix Against Painting, Spots, Naked Breasts, etc. – Rev. Thomas Hall (1654)

The First Blast of The Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women – John Knox (1558)

The Lull Before Dorking – Sir Baldwyn Leighton (1871) As if Dorking wasn’t dull enough

Drummer Dick’s Discharge – Beatrix M. De Burgh (1902)

Thrilling Experiences of the First British Woman Relieved by Lord Roberts – Mrs. J Robb (1900) I was expecting something entirely different from I got.

Three Weeks in Wet Sheets: Being the Diary and Doings of a Moist Visitor to Malvern – Joseph Leech (1851)

An Irishman’s Difficulties with the Dutch Language – J. Irwin Brown (1912)

Land Snails and Slugs of Russia and Adjacent Countries, How to Train Goldfish Using Dolphin Training Techniques, Natural History of Vacant Lots all fit right in with Highlights in the History of Concrete – C.C. Stanley

If you’re not sold yet…

Helping the Retarded to Know God – H.R. Hahn (1969)

What Would Christ Do About Syphilis? – Dr Ira D. Cardiff (1930)

Mrs. Rasmussen’s Book of One-Arm Cookery – Surprisingly not written by Mrs. Rasmussen (probably too busy stirring) but by Mary Laswells (1946)

And, in honor of Rainbow Month

Natural Harvest: A collection of Semen Based Recipes – Paul “Fotie” Photenhauer

Holy shit. I guess there’s books about everything. But do we really need dupes of any of the above?