The Oddest Book Title Award

The Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year is presented annually by The Bookseller magazine. The award was first presented in 1978, when the prize went to the superbly named "Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice" written by various authors. The 2007 prize was awarded to a book entitled "If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs". Librarians, teachers and bookstore workers can all submit suggestions for the award. A list of finalists is compiled by Bookseller magazine, and released for public voting. The Diagram is unique in that spotters and judges alike do not actually have to read the books in question. Indeed, they are actively discouraged from doing so, in case a close knowledge of the subject makes them realise the book is less odd than it first appears. The imagination should be allowed to run wild. Winning the Diagram brings no immediate monetary reward for the author; instead it is the spotter of the title who receives a bottle of champagne. But most winning authors have been delighted at winning the award and at the ensuing publicity their book receives. Such publicity can transform the profile of a title, lifting it from academic obscurity to the front of bookshops. The 2006 winner, "The Stray Shopping Carts Of Eastern North America: A Guide To Field Identification", was displayed in stores across the world. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year, a special Diagram of Diagrams prize was awarded to "Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers" – the 1996 winner. A book covering the Diagram Prize called "How to Avoid Huge Ships and Other Implausibly Titled Books" was published earlier this month.