As the first piece of text a potential reader sees, your book’s title is an essential marketing tool. But choosing a winning book title can be a long and frustrating process.
Not only does your title need to encapsulate what the book is about, but it must also be thought-provoking and memorable.
As such, authors and publishers put a lot of work into brainstorming the perfect title. But sometimes the pursuit leads to a title that is strange and often hilarious, whether intentionally or not.
Weird Book Titles
They say to never judge a book by its cover, but when there’s something bizarre printed on it, it’s hard not to. Below are some of the funniest, most ridiculous, and weirdest book titles ever printed.
1. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
This book is a collection of nonfiction stories about people who are afflicted with neurological disorders, including visual agnosia, or the inability to recognize faces and objects (hence the title).
2. An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting; with Proper Rules for the Exercise of that Pleasant Art by Jane Collier
Modeled after Jonathan Swift’s satirical essays, this conduct book instructs you on how to master the art of nagging people and teaching your kids to do the same.
3. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Imagine eating a piece of lemon cake and finding it tastes of sadness. That’s exactly what happens to Rose Edelstein whose newfound abilities give her insight into the emotional lives of others.
4. Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi
If your toddler has a fear of going to the toilet, maybe it’s time to introduce them to this potty-training book. Take them on a journey with a valuable lesson: everyone eats, so of course, everyone poops!
5. How to Good-bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday. Malarkey? or Effective Way? by Hiroyuki Nishigaki
I don’t even know where to start with this absolute bonkers of a book. Suffice it to say that if you do read this, read it for the laughs, not for the health tips.
6. Everything I Know About Women I Learned from My Tractor by Roger Welsch
This is a surprisingly deep book about relationships, romance, and love which is written from the perspective of a guy who’s really into tractors.
7. Collectible Spoons of the 3rd Reich by James Yannes
When you think of the Third Reich, spoons are the last things that come to mind. And yet here is a book that talks about exactly that.
8. The Origin of Feces by David Waltner-Toews
From an evolutionary to an ecological standpoint, the author explains how much information poop contains about animals (yes, including humans).
9. How to Date Buildings: An Easy Reference Guide by Trevor Yorke
No, it’s not about asking a building out. Rather, it’s a reference guide on how you can determine a building’s age based on its “dateable” features.
10. Open Wide for the Handsome Sabertooth Dentist Who Is Also a Ghost by Chuck Tingle
Be warned, Chuck’s a writer known for his satirical and erotic writing. If that’s not your cup of tea, maybe skip this one.
11. Don’t Pee on my Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining by Judy Cheindiin and Josh Getlin
From Judge Judy herself, read all the anecdotes, insights, and experiences she’s stockpiled in her years as a family court judge.
12. Games You Can Play With Your Pussy by Ira Alterman
Every cat lover will probably love this slightly perverted book about all the things they should know about taking care of cats. It has no advice about teaching them how to play chess as depicted on the cover, though.
13. How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack by Chuck Sambuchino
There’s danger on your doorstep, in the last place you think of—garden gnomes. The pesky little things are out to get you! Fortunately, Chuck knows how you can defend yourself from any gnome attack.
14. God’s Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis by Tom Hickman
God’s doodle is perhaps the most creative way to call the male sex organ. And though this book’s categorized under humor, there’s actually a lot of information about how the penis is regarded through the ages, whether it’s from a cultural, religious, sociological, or linguistic standpoint.
15. Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop: And Other Practical Advice In Our Campaign Against The Fairy Kingdom by Reginald Bakeley
Having a fairy infestation sucks. If you’re tackling such a menace, here’s a practical guide to banishing them from your home forever.
16. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City: A Memoir by Nick Flynn
There are a lot of drunk, addicted, and homeless men out on the streets. Many of them are fathers. This is a book written by one of their sons.
17. Manifold Destiny: The One! The Only! Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine! by Chris Maynard and William G. Scheller
Ever wondered how many miles it will take to cook a pork chop on your engine? Learn this and other dishes here.
18. Teach Your Wife to Be a Widow by Donald Rogers
In a world where you can die without warning, it is best to have your wife already prepared.
19. Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality by Glenn C. Ellenbogen
This is a collection of satirical articles taken from the “Journal of Polymorphous Perversity.” Inside, you’ll read about facts such as “One hundred percent of all dead patients showed a marked reluctance to pay their bills.”
20. Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus by Allison Hawn
Some people live very bizarre lives. Here’s a collection of anecdotes about odd situations that the author has found herself in.
21. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You by Matthew Inman and The Oatmeal
Have a cat? Then you need to read this book because it might save your life when it finally comes for you.
22. How to Raise Your I.Q. by Eating Gifted Children by Lewis Frumkes
No, it’s not a recipe book on how to roast, fricassee, or stew the smartest kids you know. This is a collection of satirical essays about the absurdities of everyday life.
23. Extreme Ironing by How Expert and Marie Claire Medina
Extreme Ironing is a sport you never knew about but must absolutely try.
24. You’re the Reason Mommy Drinks by Brandon Rhiness
There are a lot of things mothers think about their children, but they also have the good sense not to say them out loud. This book is definitely not for kids.
25. Still Stripping after 25 Years by Eleanor Burns
Not that kind of stripping. Here, author Eleanor Burns tells all about the techniques, development, and revival of quilt making.
Why Authors Use Weird Book Titles
Some books have simple but powerful titles, ones that are easily memorable because of the imagery they bring to mind. Other books, though, have memorable titles just because they’re downright weird.
Now weird doesn’t mean bad, just different. It’s this eccentricity that makes them powerful. They’ll make you laugh out loud, twitch in mild horror, or scratch your head in confusion. One thing’s for certain though—they’ll make it hard for you to forget them.
Notice how almost all of the titles above have double meanings. They’re worded that way to instantly catch your attention and make you curious. And really, that’s one of the core purposes of a book title, aside from identifying a particular work and putting some context into it.
What’s the weirdest book title you’ve encountered? Share them in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 15 Books with Very Long Titles
- 12 Funny Book Titles That Will Grab Your Attention
- Book Title Generators: Tools for Coming Up With New Title Ideas
- Banned Books: Why And How Titles Get Blacklisted
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
