Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site stat-l Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:Pucc-I:Stat-L:rsk From: rsk@stat-l (Rich Kulawiec) Newsgroups: net.misc,net.books Subject: Will Cuppy (2 books) & Cecil Adams Message-ID: <270@stat-l> Date: Tue, 15-Jan-85 17:31:09 EST Article-I.D.: stat-l.270 Posted: Tue Jan 15 17:31:09 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 17-Jan-85 12:52:18 EST Organization: Purdue University Lines: 24 Xref: watmath net.misc:7289 net.books:1228 Will Cuppy's "How to Attract the Wombat" & "How to Become Extinct", published by Chicago University Press, are about 40-50 years old; but both provide whimsical looks at a number of the members of the animal kingdom, including wombats. I found both volumes delightful bedtime reading; many thanks to Gene Spafford for introducing me to this author. Both books are about $6 (softcover) in our local bookstore. Cecil Adams' "The Straight Dope", published by the Chicago Review, is a compendium of his columns of the same name; these have been published in the Chicago Reader and the L.A. Reader (alternative newspapers) as well as in other places; the cover advertises that this is the last book you'll ever need to buy--and the books certainly covers a lot of ground. Questions such as "What are the *real* lyrics to 'Louie, Louie'?", "Is it true about Catherine the Great and the horse?", "What's the best way to kill cockroaches?", and "If all the Chinese climbed up on chairs and jumped off at the same time, would the earth be thrown out of its orbit?" are all answered with the same deftness and smart-assed wit that has become a Cecil Adams trademark. There are few books that make me laugh out loud--this is one of them. The book is about $10 (softcover). -- Rich Kulawiec @ Purdue C.C. Unix Systems Group rsk@purdue-asc.arpa (decvax,ihnp4,uiucdcs)!pur-ee!rsk.uucp (decwrl,hplabs,ucbvax)!purdue!rsk.uucp Wombats are partially protected under the Wildlife Act of 1975.