Without question the literary phenomenon of the last two decades has been the tendency amongst publishers to issue books with titles far more intriguing than their [often quite ordinary] contents. Whereas once the promotion of a second rate novel relied mainly on the skills of the graphic designer [see for example Charles and Maurice MacPro [2005] All Fur coat and No Knickers: Selling the Novel in the 20th Century [Threadbone Press]*] , now, an ill-written account of a terminally dull childhood which would otherwise sink without trace, can rise to the top of the bestsellers based on its absurd[ist] [and usually wholly misleading] title. That this is the brainchild of the publisher rather than the author - take for example Dulas Fuchs's Airfix Modelling on K2 [originally titled My Exciting World of Weekend DIY] - is perhaps even more worrying; not least now that Ai can do all the necessary invention.
* Originally entitled Cover Story: The Growing Importance of Art Work in the Promotion of Fiction and Non-Fiction Sales in Great Britain 1950-1999
Perhaps the most egregious example of this regrettable trend is the new account of life in domestic service by Mrs Amanda J Threadbone's former head of housekeeping Madam Andeld Bex-Bissell. With chapter titles ranging from Paying the Bucher's Boy, Spit and Polish, Tuesday's Checklist, An Orderly Larder, Replenished Upholstery and Stacking Tureens, the folks at the Threadbone Press clearly felt a little pimping was in order. Now available from all branches of Threadstone's [and staff non-fiction Book of the Month] it has been titled Enriqué's Boxers and features a funky cover design by Fancé Rappa of the much admired Throop Associates studio. With neither title nor cover mapping appropriately to the book's contents, Enriqué's Boxers looks nailed on to be the must-buy book of the summer and an ideal last minute stocking-filler during the Yuletide buying panic. Expect to find your copy in a nearby charity shop come the Resurrection.
Recent candidates for Threadbone Title of the Year Award include:
Prince Albert's Lunchbox
Combine Harvesting in the Dardenelles
The Lilliput Conspiracy
Vespasian's Saxophone
St Augustine and the Magic Trouser Press
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