Abbott's Encyclopedia of Rope Tricks by Stewart James, Colon, Mich: Abbott's Magic Novelty Co., 1945.   498 pages of rope tricks including LeRoy's Hindoo Yarn Mystery, Scotty Lang's Sucker Rope Trick, and Burling Hull's Miracle Restoration.

Manuale Di Conversazione: Italiano-Groenlandese by Ciro Sozio and Mario Fantin, Bologna, Italy: Tamari Editori, 1962.  One of the least used dictionaries in the world, this translates Italian into the language of the Greenland Eskimos.

The Ants of Colorado by Robert E. Gregg, Boulder, Colo., Univ. of Colorado Press, 1963. The author traveled 15,500 mi. over a 16-year period in his search for the 165 forms of ants which can be found within the borders of the state of Colorado.  The book is 792 pages long and contains a locator map for each species and subspecies.

The Evoked Vocal Response of the Bullfrog: A Study of Communication by Sound by Robert R. Capranica, Cambridge, Mass., The MIT Press, 1965.  This details the responses of caged bullfrogs to the recorded sound of the mating calls of 34 kinds of frogs and toads. The author's academic career was funded by a fellowship awarded by Bell Telephone Laboratories. {My suspicion is that the bullfrog's response was something like LET ME OUT OF THIS CAGE YOU SOB!!}

A Study of Splashes by A. M. Worthington, London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1908.  This pioneering classic makes use of 200 photographs to help answer the question: What actually happens when a drop falls and splashes?  It was considered so valuable to students of physics that it was reissued as recently as 1963.

Why Bring That Up? by Dr. J. F. Montague, New York: Home Health Library, 1936.  A guide to and from seasickness by the medical director of the New York Intestinal Sanitarium.

The Direction of Hair in Animals and Man by Walter Kidd, London: Adam and Charles Black, 1903.  In his preface, Dr. Kidd states: "No doubt many of the phenomena here described are intrinsically uninteresting and unimportant."  However, if you have ever yearned for a book that analyzes the direction in which hair grows on lions, oxen, dogs, apes, tapirs, humans, asses, anteaters, sloths, and other animals, you won't be disappointed.

Early United States Barbed Wire Patents by Jesse S. James, Maywood, Calif., 1966.  A definitive listing of 401 barbed wire patents filed between the years 1867 and 1897.

Cluck! The True Story of Chickens in the Cinema by Jon-Stephen Fink, London: Virgin Books, 1981.  At last, a fully illustrated filmography of every movie in which a chicken--living, dead, or cooked--appears.  Films in which the words "chicken," "hen," or "rooster" are mentioned are also included.

Manhole Covers of Los Angeles by Robert and Mimi Melnick, Los Angeles: Dawson's Book Shop, 1974.  {Now here's a couple that really needed to get a life.}

English Picnics by Georgina Battiscombe, London: The Harvill Press, 1949.  A history of picnicking in England, with a chapter on picnics in fiction and another on picnics in children's literature.  {A marketing genius might pair this with The Ants of Colorado in a 2 for 1 deal.}

Use of Human Skulls and Bones in Tibet by Berthold Laufer, Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1923. 

from The Book of Lists #3

Comments:

An interesting reminder of human diversity, thanks. but...You forgot, "Golden Rain," by I. P. Standing.and "Baby's Revenge" by Norah Titsoff.

comment by clovis on May 12, 2008 8:12 PM ()

The list could be endless...

reply by looserobes on May 13, 2008 7:15 AM ()

comment by troutbend on May 12, 2008 2:58 PM ()

Keep good notes...you could publish Cluck II.

reply by looserobes on May 13, 2008 7:13 AM ()