1) The document discusses potential unusual Christmas gift ideas by referencing past winners of the Diagram Prize for the oddest book title from the Frankfurt Book Fair.
2) It mentions several past winners, including books about nude mice, avoiding large ships, the history of concrete, and toilet etiquette for dates.
3) The author suggests buying multiple copies of past winners to give as gifts, addressing the risk that recipients may already own the books.
From a New York Times bestselling author and a rising-star illustrator comes a humorous tale based on an amazing-but-true story about the summer a city fountain was used as a goldfish pond.H, Little O, and Baby Em are stuck in the city for the summer with only their pet goldfish--Barracuda, Patch, and Fiss--for company. It's looking like it might be a pretty boring vacation, but one day, something exciting happens. Someone starts fixing up the old fountain down the street--the one Grandpa says horses used to drink from before everyone had cars--and a sign appears: Calling All Goldfish Looking for a Summer Home. H, Little O, and Baby Em can't wait to send their goldfish on vacation, and the fish, well, they seem pretty excited too. Based on the true story of Hamilton Fountain in New York City, this charming tale of one special summer will delight readers young and old. Author's Note included.Praise for How to Be a Baby . . . by Me, the Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones: This book is adorable, original, well-illustrated and fabulous. --The New York TimesPraise for Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph, illustrated by Leo Espinosa: Espinosa creates colorful, dynamic images that burst from the page. --Booklist
From a New York Times bestselling author and a rising-star illustrator comes a humorous tale based on an amazing-but-true story about the summer a city fountain was used as a goldfish pond.H, Little O, and Baby Em are stuck in the city for the summer with only their pet goldfish--Barracuda, Patch, and Fiss--for company. It's looking like it might be a pretty boring vacation, but one day, something exciting happens. Someone starts fixing up the old fountain down the street--the one Grandpa says horses used to drink from before everyone had cars--and a sign appears: Calling All Goldfish Looking for a Summer Home. H, Little O, and Baby Em can't wait to send their goldfish on vacation, and the fish, well, they seem pretty excited too. Based on the true story of Hamilton Fountain in New York City, this charming tale of one special summer will delight readers young and old. Author's Note included.Praise for How to Be a Baby . . . by Me, the Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones: This book is adorable, original, well-illustrated and fabulous. --The New York TimesPraise for Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph, illustrated by Leo Espinosa: Espinosa creates colorful, dynamic images that burst from the page. --Booklist
The Ape, the Adman, and the Astronaut: Rediscovering the power of storytellin...NOEMÍ MEDINA
In The Ape, the Adman, and the Astronaut: Rediscovering the power of storytelling, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Tham Khai Meng posits that the way to move people is through telling a great story. In the advertising world, there’s forever been a struggle between the right brained and the left brained, the creative types and their reason-seeking counterparts. Despite longstanding evidence that humans are emotional and irrational creatures, creatives—the storytellers—have long been fighting for relevance. Khai says the battle has been won; the rise of social media has helped changed the landscape for good. People gravitate to great stories, and they share them with others. Thus, advertisers can’t look at storytelling as merely an option. It’s a must.
The Ape, the Adman, and the Astronaut: Rediscovering the power of storytellin...Ogilvy
In The Ape, the Adman, and the Astronaut: Rediscovering the power of storytelling, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Tham Khai Meng posits that the way to move people is through telling a great story. In the advertising world, there’s forever been a struggle between the right brained and the left brained, the creative types and their reason-seeking counterparts. Despite longstanding evidence that humans are emotional and irrational creatures, creatives—the storytellers—have long been fighting for relevance. Khai says the battle has been won; the rise of social media has helped changed the landscape for good. People gravitate to great stories, and they share them with others. Thus, advertisers can’t look at storytelling as merely an option. It’s a must.
The Ape, the Adman, and the Astronaut: Rediscovering the power of storytellin...NOEMÍ MEDINA
In The Ape, the Adman, and the Astronaut: Rediscovering the power of storytelling, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Tham Khai Meng posits that the way to move people is through telling a great story. In the advertising world, there’s forever been a struggle between the right brained and the left brained, the creative types and their reason-seeking counterparts. Despite longstanding evidence that humans are emotional and irrational creatures, creatives—the storytellers—have long been fighting for relevance. Khai says the battle has been won; the rise of social media has helped changed the landscape for good. People gravitate to great stories, and they share them with others. Thus, advertisers can’t look at storytelling as merely an option. It’s a must.
The Ape, the Adman, and the Astronaut: Rediscovering the power of storytellin...Ogilvy
In The Ape, the Adman, and the Astronaut: Rediscovering the power of storytelling, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Tham Khai Meng posits that the way to move people is through telling a great story. In the advertising world, there’s forever been a struggle between the right brained and the left brained, the creative types and their reason-seeking counterparts. Despite longstanding evidence that humans are emotional and irrational creatures, creatives—the storytellers—have long been fighting for relevance. Khai says the battle has been won; the rise of social media has helped changed the landscape for good. People gravitate to great stories, and they share them with others. Thus, advertisers can’t look at storytelling as merely an option. It’s a must.
1. What to buy for Christmas gifts?
Russell Grenning
The Three Wise Men boughtthe infantJesusgold,frankincense andmyrrh andinventedthe ideaof
givinggiftsatChristmas.The Bible doesn’ttellustheirnamesbuttraditionhasitthat theywere
calledGaspar,Balthasarand Melchiorand itis a wonderthattheyhaven’tbeencanonizedasthe
PatronSaintsof Retail Shopping.
You alwaysrunrisks withchoosinggifts – one yearI gave a chum whoeverybodycalledDickalovely
box of Irishlinenhankiesbeautifullymonogrammedwithablue “D”and he got all huffyaboutit,
sayinghisname wasRichard. Bloodyingrate,Ithoughtafterall of the thought,expense andtroubleI
had gone to.I hope hisnose is runnyto thisveryday.
Anyhow,I’ve decidedthatbooksmake excellentgiftsalthough,again,thereare risks. Lotsof people
I knowhave lotsof booksandit wouldbe justawful togive themone theyalreadyhadnotthat I
much care really.
If people tell me thattheyhadalreadyhave thatbook I smile mysweetestsmile andsay, “Isn’tit
remarkable,uncanny really,howwellI understand yourexcellenttaste?” Mind you,I make sure that
I scrawl “HAPPY CHRISTMASFROMRUSSELL”inverylarge lettersonthe title page sotheycan’t be
cheapand offloadittosomebodyelse.
Nowhere ismy secret.
I regularlyconsultthe site whichawardsthe annual DiagramPrizefor the oddestbooktitle atthe
Frankfurt(Germany) BookFair.Thisprestigiousawardwasinstitutedin1978 and nowadaysitis
judgedbythe publicbyan on-line poll atTheBooksellers website.
The inaugural winnerwas“Proceedingsof theSecond InternationalWorkshop on NudeMice” and I
understandthatScorsese andSpielberghave beenlockedinaviciousbiddingwarforthe filmrights
for the past thirty-six years.
I boughtlotsof copiesof the 1992 winner, “How to Avoid HugeShips” whichprobablyaccountsfor
whyit wentintoa secondedition.Yes,opinionissomewhatvaried –the “New YorkDaily News”
calledit“the bestbookever” while “Publishers Weekly”condemneditas “the worstbookever”.
Mind youif the author – describedasa “mastermariner”– had done some tighteditingitwould be
much,much shorter,perhapsone sentence, “Stay outof theirway you idiot”.
I wouldn’tbe one bitsurprisedif the 1994 winner –“Highlights in the History of Concrete” – isa
majorstocking-fillerthisyear,the 25th
anniversaryof the fall of the BerlinWall.Ido hope thatthe
publishershave hadthe foresighttoissue aGermanedition. Thenagain,Iguessthat the fall of the
wall wasmore a lowlightthanahighlight,concrete-wise.
The winnerthisyearwas “Howto Poo on a Date” whichissubtitled “TheLovers’Guide to Toilette
Etiquette” whichisa subjectI hadn’tgivenmuchthoughtto.It seemsthatsaying, “Hang on a sec
while I go to the dunny”isnota winninglineonthe firstdate.Thisbookshouldnotbe confusedwith
the 2011 winner– “Cooking withPoo”– which,of course,isa recipe bookbyThai chef,KhunPoo.
2. There are veryfew,if any,chumsI couldgive a copyof the 1990 winner – “Lesbian Sadomasochism
SafetyManual”– if anymen were interestedthentheywouldbe dirtyoldpervsandnotworthyof
my acquaintance letalone friendshipwhilethe womenIknow wouldjustbe offendedandinsulted.
The author of thisauthoritative journal PatrickCalifiadescribeshimself/herselfasa “bisexual
transgenderman”.Itisan expensive booksoif youare interestedperhapsyoushouldhave awhip-
aroundto raise the necessarydosh.
Everyfifteenyears,aspecial “Diagramof Diagrams”awardisjudged.The firstin 1993 was givento
the inaugural winner,the one aboutnude mice,asthe oddesttitle forthe previousfifteenyears.In
2008, the secondwinnerforthe oddesttitle overthe previousthirtyyearswentto “GreekRural
Postmen and theirCancellation Numbers” whichwasthe 1996 winner,narrowlybeating, “People
Who Don’tKnowThey AreDead”.
As yet,Ihaven’tfoundthe time inmybusylife toread thisnodoubt engrossinghistoryof Greek
rural postmeninthe 20th
centurybutI betit wouldmake a fabulousfilm.A pityreallythatAnthony
Quinnisdead;he did sowell inthe title role of “Zorba theGreek”.
You are spoiltforchoice withthislistbutthisyearI’mgoingfor the 2002 winner “Living With Crazy
Buttocks” because itis the onlywinnerbyan Australianauthor,MsKaz Cook.
WouldI give youa bum steer?