Ha Ha Ha? Archives - Awful Library Books

Take my wife!

June 15, 2022 Mary Kelly Ha Ha Ha? 6 comments

Male Husbandry
or Conditioning Your Man to Marriage
Ketchum
1956

If you are in the mood for some throwback humor from the 1950s, here is your opportunity to joke with those poor henpecked husbands. The premise is how to train your husband, since he is nothing but a barely civilized dolt. The author offers wives some helpful “training” tips to get your man in line-mostly through emotional manipulation and subterfuge. Hilarity at its finest. (Insert rim shot)

Since this was plucked from a university collection, I won’t say automatically weed. It might fill some research needs. I am old enough to remember this kind of humor, but this is a poor example and it goes on way too long.

Time to freak with your geek!

March 15, 2022 Mary Kelly Ha Ha Ha?, Life, Death, Love, and Marriage 6 comments

The Geek’s Guide to Dating
Smith
2013

I am just going to assume that librarians fall into the definition of “geek”. This little book uses a gaming metaphor for the entire book while dispensing some relationship advice. It is cute and more about the metaphor than any meaningful special advice for those with a geeky outlook on life.

This is also sitting in the 800s rather than 646.77 or any other Dewey. So even though it is dating/relationships, it is really a humor book. It went out a bunch of times when it was new, but has been languishing in the collection for the last couple of years. I also want to point out that as technology has evolved, I would imagine so has the technology based humor.

Be a Working Woman!

November 9, 2021 Mary Kelly Ha Ha Ha? 10 comments

Working Woman
Barbara and Jim Dale
1985

For a hot minute, I thought this Jim Dale was the actor who read the Harry Potter series on audio books. I was wrong. This Jim Dale partnered with his then wife Barbara Dale and made a few of these humor/cartoon books about working, marriage, and parenting, etc. They also started a cartoon strip in the 1990s that tried to capitalize on the parenting, marriage, family thing. It didn’t really go anywhere and was probably a bit too edgy for the newspaper. The Dales were also involved with creating greeting cards. The Dales divorced and Barbara bought Jim out of the greeting card business. These cartoons are dated, but they are also on point and probably a bit edgy for the time.

Clowns, the Fun Makers

September 27, 2021 Holly Fine and Not So Fine Arts, Ha Ha Ha? 11 comments

Clowns: The Fun Makers
Boring
1980

Submitter: This book has not circulated since 1999, and I can see why. The photos are pretty boring. Plus being a history book on the topic of clowns that is now over 40 years old – it’s time to replace and update.

Holly: Or, as Mary says, “Clowns: The Nightmare Makers.” I guess if your last name is Boring and you’re a writer, you find something fun to write about. It’s basically just a history of clowns and circus entertainers (ending at 1980, obviously). Not the worst thing I’ve ever seen, but definitely old and…well, boring.

Why Did the Computer Cross the Road?

September 16, 2021 Holly Ha Ha Ha? 7 comments

Hello, Mr. Chips! Computer Jokes and Riddles
By Ann Bishop
Published 1982

Submitter: Turns out computer joke books age about as well as any other kind of computer book. The content starts before the title page, with a picture of a computer carved from a literal apple, though I’d be hard pressed to identify it as a carving of a computer if it wasn’t captioned. There’s a nice Red Scare Era joke on page one, and later on a joke about computers driving cars that reads a little differently now that computers are driving cars. Also a joke about humans turning computers on—is that supposed to be literal, or did we put innuendo jokes in books for children 40 years ago? Shockingly, this book circulated as recently as 2016, which is also about when I became responsible for this collection. Honestly, I’m a little embarrassed it took that long for this book to come to my attention.

Come to See the Clowns

May 6, 2021 Holly For the Kids, Ha Ha Ha? 13 comments

Come to See the Clowns
Tensen
1963

Submitter: I am submitting this sad clown book – more for its condition than anything else. – Come To See The Clowns – Leave with nightmares….

Holly: Kinda cute, actually, as clown books go, but yeah – it’s seen better days!

Mary: I need to reiterate that clowns are evil. That said, this might be the least obnoxious of our clown book inventory.

Can I Be a Feminist and Still Like Men?

August 17, 2020 Holly Ha Ha Ha?, Ladies only! 8 comments

Ma, can I be a feminist and still like men?: Lyrics From Life
Hollander
1980

Submitter: I work in a small academic library and I can’t figure out how this supports coursework at all. We regularly review the collection and have undergone a couple of major weeds in the last few years and yet this one is still around?

From another staff member: I think it’s safe to say it didn’t age well. While it’s trying to point out ironies of gender roles, it really does revert to sweeping ideas that “All men are one way” and “All women are trying to conform.” Plus, the idea that exposure to Sandra Dee and taking up motherhood is synonymous with throwing your life away.

In short, this book does not fit the mission of our library or the current century, so it must go!

Holly: It also looks a little old and stickered up…and don’t even get me started on barcodes that cover titles!

A-Diskette A-Daskette

October 7, 2019 Holly Ha Ha Ha? 24 comments

Hello, Mr. Chips!
Bishop
1982

Submitter: I think this was probably a fantastic middle school book in 1982. What makes it awful now is that my students have never even heard of the terms that make up the punchlines. Also, the illustrations of computers with massive CPUs and pin-feed printers are unrecognizable to our students. My favorite joke requires knowledge of both old pop culture and obsolete technology: “What’s a computer’s favorite Ella Fitzgerald number? A-Diskette, A-Daskette.” I just read it to a group of 8th grade boys and received only blank stares.