Weird books that you have

[DPDarkPrimus]

"Gentle Measures in the Training of the Young" or "The Principles on which a Firm Parental Authority may be Established and Maintained, without Violence or Anger and the Right Development of the Moral and Mental Capacities be Promoted by Methods in Harmony with the Structure and the Characteristics of the Juvenile Mind", which is a book on child-rearing from 1899.

[Zixinus]

"Gentle Measures in the Training of the Young" or "The Principles on which a Firm Parental Authority may be Established and Maintained, without Violence or Anger and the Right Development of the Moral and Mental Capacities be Promoted by Methods in Harmony with the Structure and the Characteristics of the Juvenile Mind", which is a book on child-rearing from 1899.

That's a very, very long title. The book must be large or the letters small.

More seriously, does it give illustrated guide how to beat the shit out of a kid or is it actually useful?

[The Infidel]

Um... Am I doing this right? Hope so...

I have "The art of war" by Sun Zi/Sun Bin published by People's China Publishing House, 1995 (isbn 7-80065-510-5). The interesting thing is that the book is printed in three languages: The original chinese, modern chinese and in english.

An old one would be "Das Werden im Weltall" ("The development/state of Cosmos") by Felix Linke, from 1910. When you read a book about astronomy, and it's written in german gothic font, you kinda know it's outdated.

I have also printed out "Conquest" by M. Wong and bound it, so that I could read it in bed. (Maybe not so weird, but kinda unique?)

My last submission does not have a weird title, but the book itself is weirdness squared... "Der Prozess" ("The trial") by Franz Kafka (isbn 3-596-20676-6).

[LadyTevar]

Erec et Enide by Chretien De Troyes. (Trans. by Dorothy Gilbert)
One of the first Authurian romances, composed circa 1170 C.E.

All About Horses
Yeah, I was horse-crazy when I was young. This is the book I'd read constantly, to seem like I knew what I was talking about when gushing over horses.

Davy Jones' Haunted Locker
A collection of some of the spookiest tales of the haunts and perils of the Seven Seas. Some of them scared me more than Steven King.

[Samuel]

All About Horses
Yeah, I was horse-crazy when I was young. This is the book I'd read constantly, to seem like I knew what I was talking about when gushing over horses.

Why do girls love horses? I don't understand, but my judgement is... clouded. My first ride ended with me forced to come up with the emergency dismount on my own.

[The Dark]

I have:

The Six Secret Teachings on the Way of Strategy, by the T'ai Kung
Renaissance Swordsmanship and Medieval Swordsmanship by John Clements
A grammar and dictionary of Pennsylvania Dutch
A 1957 reprint of Graves' The Greek Myths, in two volumes
Cracker: The Cracker Culture in Florida History (recommended to me by one of my professors)
A signed copy of Piers Anthony's For Love of Evil
A 1958 copy of the NATO treaty, published in the Netherlands (but in English)
A 1924 translation of the Pistis Sophia

[phred]

- The Worst band In the Universe by Graeme Base It had interesting art and came with a CD copy of the concert described in the book. I still listen to the CD now and then.
- The entire Lemony Snickett series including the Unauthorized Autobiography
- That Xmen/TNG crossover that Hawkeye mentioned

I'm sure there's more, but all my books are in boxes scattered around my apartment. Why do girls love horses so much? I have nothing against them mind you , but it seems like every girl I've ever known went through a period where they were obsessed with them to some degree.

History of the World Volumes 1,2 and 3. Copyright 1890

That sounds like an interesting read. Would you consider parting with them?

[sketerpot]

Do you know what your children are reading? The first half is scaremongering about the various secular evils to be found in libraries (also it mentioned how D&D leads to satanism and suicide), and the second half is instructions on how to get books banned. It's fun to read some of the wackier passages from the book aloud. I picked it up for pennies at a library book sale.

[Broomstick]

All About Horses
Yeah, I was horse-crazy when I was young. This is the book I'd read constantly, to seem like I knew what I was talking about when gushing over horses.

Why do girls love horses? I don't understand, but my judgement is... clouded. My first ride ended with me forced to come up with the emergency dismount on my own.

Probably something to do with having a large, powerful animal obey your every whim... but then they grow up and find boyfriends and men.

[aerius]

3rd & 4th edition of the RCA Radiotron Designer's Handbook.
GET TOUGH by Captain W E Fairbairn
History of Knuckle Dusters: The Ultimate Close-Quarters Weapon by David Grant
Structured Finance & Collateralized Debt Obligations by Janet Tavakoli

[Lusankya]

I have a manga of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin in Chinese.

I also have the 1st through 4th grade summer homework textbooks for Chinese students. They have weird stories in them. One of their favourites is about some brave young trooper leading the Japanese into the 8th army's ambush and then getting killed by the Japanese (but being a hero and a trooper, dammit!).

[DPDarkPrimus]

"Gentle Measures in the Training of the Young" or "The Principles on which a Firm Parental Authority may be Established and Maintained, without Violence or Anger and the Right Development of the Moral and Mental Capacities be Promoted by Methods in Harmony with the Structure and the Characteristics of the Juvenile Mind", which is a book on child-rearing from 1899.

That's a very, very long title. The book must be large or the letters small.

More seriously, does it give illustrated guide how to beat the shit out of a kid or is it actually useful?

Dude did you even read the title? It's about how to raise your kid WITHOUT beating the shit out of them.

I should actually sit down and read some of it some time.

[Samuel]

That sounds like an interesting read. Would you consider parting with them?

Probably not- it wouldn't survive transit anyway. The bindings are already mostly disentigrated. I can give you some idea of the contents...


Within the present century the motives or writing History have been greatly intensified. First of all, the vision of the historian has been considerably widened by the enlargement of geographical knowledge and the establishment of the hitherto uncertain limits of cities and states.
...

It has come to pass that the average citizen, who, in the United States at least is expected to have accurate general views on historical questions, may reasonably plead in bar that the historians, by not considering the limits of his time and opportunity, have put the required knowledge beyond his reach.

Be it far from me to say aught in disparagement of the learned labors of our great historians. They have fairly deserved the plaudits of mankind. It can not be denied however that the best of our historical works are by excess of learning and that dissertive dispositions of the writters quite incommensorate with the demands and I may say the needs of the common reader.

It has been my purpose, in the preparation of these volumes, to popularize the subject without losing sight of the dignity and importance of the historian's office. The People are as much entitled to accurate inormation, concisely and graphically conveyed, as scholars are entitled to elaborate discussion. It is a most pernicious error to admit that a true epitome of History can be hastily and easily prepared. Such a work, when conscientiously undertaken, requires the greatest care and the highest skill in execution.

In preparing the present work, I have reely availed mysel of the best and most recent authorities. The names of Wilkinson, Brugsch, Bunsen, Ebers, Dunker, Rawlinson, Smith, Curtis, Grote, Niebuhr, Falke, Mommsen, and Von Ranke will suggest the secondary sources which have been relied upon; and these names are the guarentees for the undamental accuracy o this narrative.

[Hawkwings]

I also have the 1st through 4th grade summer homework textbooks for Chinese students. They have weird stories in them. One of their favourites is about some brave young trooper leading the Japanese into the 8th army's ambush and then getting killed by the Japanese (but being a hero and a trooper, dammit!).

I've read that story! Or a variant of it anyways. Always the 8th army in those stories.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Hey, I got a book on goetic evocation! (That's "how to raise demons" for you mundanes) If you ever want to lose the angels and demons part of your bookshelf let me know, it would like the company.

Thanks, but I try not to participate in dark evocations, even in jest. That's how horror movies start.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Hey, I got a book on goetic evocation! (That's "how to raise demons" for you mundanes) If you ever want to lose the angels and demons part of your bookshelf let me know, it would like the company.

Thanks, but I try not to participate in dark evocations, even in jest. That's how horror movies start.

Funnily enough, the beginning of the film Ghoulies actually features the actors reading from the Goetia, or something very similar to it. I sure hope Broomstick checks her toilet for Ghoulies before going.

[Broomstick]

Hey, I got a book on goetic evocation! (That's "how to raise demons" for you mundanes) If you ever want to lose the angels and demons part of your bookshelf let me know, it would like the company.

Thanks, but I try not to participate in dark evocations, even in jest. That's how horror movies start.

Funnily enough, the beginning of the film Ghoulies actually features the actors reading from the Goetia, or something very similar to it. I sure hope Broomstick checks her toilet for Ghoulies before going.

But of course - and there's the added benefit of never being caught with the toilet seat in the wrong position and getting my ass dunked!

[LadyTevar]

All About Horses
Yeah, I was horse-crazy when I was young. This is the book I'd read constantly, to seem like I knew what I was talking about when gushing over horses.

Why do girls love horses? I don't understand, but my judgement is... clouded. My first ride ended with me forced to come up with the emergency dismount on my own.

Probably something to do with having a large, powerful animal obey your every whim... but then they grow up and find boyfriends and men.

There's probably been a study done on it somewhere... but that's as good a reason as I've heard, since the fixation does usually end about the time you get your first boyfriend

[Jade Falcon]

Two books that I can't remember where I got them.

One is a thin hardback book from about 1875. It's called "The Kingdom of Fife" and seems like an almanac/trade directory/mini history of the area known as the Kingdom of Fife (obviously).

Another book is one from 1943 called "Aircraft of the Fighting Powers". Its a directory of fighting aircraft from the major powers and includes territories like Vichy France and aircraft that had been built pre-war by nations like Holland. Each description also has a technical drawing as well. I think its a sourcebook for making flying models.

[Master of Ossus]

So many books its not even funny;

[...]
Secrets of the Vatican
Necronomicon

Fun stuff.

Wait, wait, the Necronomicon is actually a book? I thought it was just something that HP Lovecroft made up.

[Darth Tanner]

'Jack the Ripper a psychic investigation' despite every single concept inside being absolute Shiite this book turned out to be very useful in writing a dissertation on the subject due to the incredible amount of photocopyable images and newspaper exerts it contained.

'The Klingon Dictionary' nuq Daq 'oH Qe' QaQ'e' ~ where is a good restaurant. Nuff said.

'Ted Smart Children's Illustrated Atlas' hey the countries are all still where they were then, and those cartoon lions offer informative facts. That and Im too cheap to buy an 'adult' atlas just to remove the word children's from the title.

[CaptainChewbacca]

So many books its not even funny;

[...]
Secrets of the Vatican
Necronomicon

Fun stuff.

Wait, wait, the Necronomicon is actually a book? I thought it was just something that HP Lovecroft made up.

The egyptian funeary text The Book of the Dead exists, but doesn't speak to the Lovecraftian mythos. The Necronomicon was compiled by Lovecraft's students using all the hints dropped in his various works and written in the same vein. The actual other is unknown, and it bases a good chunk of its mythos on sumerian mythology. It was first published in 1977.

Its a fun read, and has good diagrams.

[weemadando]

UTas library had a huge ancient (looked very early 20th Century at the latest) leatherbound copy of "The Book of the Dead". I always felt like there should be lightning and thunder every time I looked at it.

As for the weirdest books in my library

A Time For Decision by Sumner Welles

Joe Clark: A Portrait - Canadians should know who this is (probably). I have no idea how or where I got this book.

Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section - a little pocket sized (almost) book of colour plates for microscopic identification of rocks and minerals.

Position A Day: Sex every day in a naughty, naughty way - A very fun little picture book.

Sex Lives of the Roman Emperors by Nigel Cawthorne - one of my most recent additions, in my "to read" pile, but looks fun.

I've got all the staples like Sun Tzu, Musashi and also stuff like all 8 hardcover volumes of Gibbon's "Decline and Fall".

I'm missing one volume of Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples, I've got a 1st ed of Len Deighton's "Bomber" without dust jacket (boo hiss).

And to my shame (though I bought it merely for the purposes of reading for mocking I have a David Irving book Trial of the Fox.

I think there's plenty more (haven't gone into my RPG collections or other obscurities), but that's a not entirely complete list of the weird.

[SylasGaunt]

Do you know what your children are reading? The first half is scaremongering about the various secular evils to be found in libraries (also it mentioned how D&D leads to satanism and suicide), and the second half is instructions on how to get books banned. It's fun to read some of the wackier passages from the book aloud. I picked it up for pennies at a library book sale.

Am I the only one who finds these two facts here oddly hilarious?

[loomer]

Just had a glance around, and I also have that book Froud did - the Goblins of the Labyrinth. Something like 5,000 printed in the original run, if I recall, and of course, that's when mine dates to. It's just a really fun book to crack open when you're planning a DnD game with a lot of Goblin enemies, and the Games Workshop guys cracked it open for Ogre Kingdoms - the Gnoblars.

I also have a book called The Flight of Dragons, which is all about trying to work out how the common representation of a dragon could fly using SCIENCE! Seriously. It's not entirely accurate, but it does provide an interesting viewpoint as to why dragons can, a, fly, b, breathe fire, and c, have acidic blood.

I have a high school guide to nuclear chemistry from the 1950s for some reason, and in storage elsewhere a collection of newspapers from the 1800s, along with maps of British shipping routes in the 1800s.