Uncle John's Bathroom Reader
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Uncle John's Bathroom Readers are a series of books containing trivia and short essays on miscellaneous topics, ostensibly for reading in the bathroom. The books are credited to the Bathroom Readers' Institute, though Uncle John is a real person. The introductions in the books, as well as brief notes in some articles, provide small pieces of information about Uncle John. The first book was published in 1988, and this year, the series reached its 20th annual release.
Volumes dedicated to a single topic have been released, under the title Uncle John Plunges Into..., for example: history, presidents, and the universe. There are also books on the weather, numbers, quotes, the year 2000, a special book for mothers, cat lovers, love, Uncle John's Book of the Dumb, and several Bathroom Readers for Kids. Though most of the books were written by the Bathroom Readers' Institute, some of the ones that are based around a specific subject are written by a lone author, who is not in the Institute. Additionally, the Institute will often publish articles and other contributions sent in from readers. Recurring articles such as "Flubbed Headlines", "Oops", and "Classifieds" often depend on these contributions.
Their volumes contain information on subjects such as quotes, dumb criminals, palindromes, anagrams, urban legends and hoaxes, failed inventions, the history of everyday things, and accidental discoveries, as well as articles on pop culture and 'celebrities' such as Emperor Norton (see Features). Throughout the books, there are what the BRI calls "running feet" - short fun facts on the bottom of each page. A typical example is "An object on Jupiter would weigh 144,000 times more than it would on Pluto." Some books have one running foot that simply says "Hi, mom.", being the dedication.
The series has sold 4.5 million copies.
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[edit] History
[edit] The Beginning (1988-1992)
The Bathroom Readers' Institute began in 1988, with the publishing of the original Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, by St. Martin's Press Publishers. After the book's success, Uncle John's 2nd Bathroom Reader was published in 1989, with a third and a fourth book being added to the series in the subsequent years. These earlier books are distinct from the rest not only due to their short length, but because of the writing style: Short articles starting with a brief history of the subject, followed by several tidbits on the subject.
[edit] 1992-1995
After the initial four, successful books, the BRI decided that it would publish its own books, and Uncle John's 5th Bathroom Reader was released in October 1992. It sold well. Preoccupied with the writing of book 6, no more print runs were made. The same thing happened with 1993's 6th Bathroom Reader, and 1994's 7th Bathroom Reader. (The books later became available in omnibus format when Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader was printed.) In 1995, the millionth copy of the series was sold, and in commemoration, The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, the 8th in the series, was printed. Books 5-8 are noted because they are the first to contain in-depth articles.
[edit] A New Attitude (1996-2002)
In 1996, the BRI got what was later described in the "Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader" as "A New Attitude:" The 9th book in the series was much larger. The group had begun to change their writing style and so books 9-14, published from 1996-2002, contain long articles that are spread out throughout the book, and use a more encyclopedic writing style.
[edit] Branching Out (2003-2006)
In 2003 a spin-off series was introduced, and the books were selling better than ever. For the first 15 years, "Bathroom Readers" referred to just one series. Now, there were several competitors, (none quite as successful) and quite a few series within the BRI. Books 15-18 began to move away from the format seen in previous books, using 2 and 3 part articles, and often not using features that had been popular from the beginning. Despite the changes, the most recent books are often considered the best in the series.
[edit] Books
[edit] Bathroom Reader series (in order)
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's Second Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's Third Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's Fourth Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's Fifth Bathroom Reader-Out of Print Separately
- Uncle John's Sixth Bathroom Reader-Out of Print Separately
- Uncle John's Seventh Bathroom Reader-Out of Print Separately
- The BEST of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader - a collection of selected material from the first to seventh books, plus 150 pages of new material
- Uncle John's ULTIMATE Bathroom Reader (Marked as the 8th Book, actually the 9th)
- Uncle John's GIANT 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's GREAT BIG Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's ABSOLUTELY ABSORBING Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's ALL-PURPOSE EXTRA STRENGTH Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's SUPREMELY SATISFYING Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's AHH-INSPIRING Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's UNSTOPPABLE Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's SLIGHTLY IRREGULAR Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's FAST-ACTING, LONG-LASTING Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's CURIOUSLY COMPELLING Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's Triumphant 20th Bathroom Reader
[edit] Plunges Into series
Presented by the BATHROOM READERS' HYSTERICAL SOCIETY
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into the PRESIDENCY
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into TEXAS
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into GREAT LIVES
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into the UNIVERSE
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into HISTORY
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into HISTORY AGAIN
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into NEW JERSEY
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into HOLLYWOOD
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into MICHIGAN
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into MINNESOTA
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into NATIONAL PARKS
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into OHIO
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into MUSIC
[edit] Presents series
Presented by PORTABLE PRESS
- Uncle John's Presents... BOOK OF THE DUMB
- Uncle John's Presents... BOOK OF THE DUMB 2
- Uncle John's Presents... MOM'S BATHTUB READER
- Uncle John's Presents... Blame It on the WEATHER
- Uncle John's Presents... Necessary NUMBERS
- Uncle John's Presents... PUZZLE Book
- Uncle John's Presents... Reader Puzzle Book #2
- Uncle John's Presents... Reader Puzzle Book #3
- Uncle John's Presents... Reader Puzzle Book #4
- Uncle John's Presents... The Ultimate Challenge Trivia Quiz
[edit] For Kids series
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader FOR KIDS ONLY
- Uncle John's ELECTRIFYING Bathroom Reader For Kids Only
- Uncle John's TOP SECRET Bathroom Reader For Kids Only
- Uncle John's BOOK OF FUN
- Uncle John's WILD AND WOOLY Bathroom Reader for Kids Only
- Uncle John's STRANGE AND SCARY Bathroom Reader For Kids Only
- Uncle John's "DID YOU KNOW" Bathroom Reader for Kids Only
- Uncle John's UNDER THE SLIMY SEA Bathroom Reader for Kids Only
[edit] Miscellaneous
- Uncle John's 4-Ply Bathroom Reader - the first, second, third, and fourth Bathroom Readers in one volume
- Uncle John's LEGENDARY LOST Bathroom Reader - the fifth, sixth, and seventh Bathroom Readers in one volume, which are out of Print Separately
- Uncle John's Indispensable Guide to the Year 2000 - a pocket-sized book with trivia about millennium changes
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Tees Off on Golf - an all-golf book
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Shoots and Scores - an all-hockey book
- Uncle John's Biggest Ever Bathroom Reader - Great Big and Ultimate in one book
- Uncle John's Deluxe Casebound Edition Of Ahh-Inspiring Bathroom Reader - Uncle John's Ahh-Inspiring Bathroom Reader in a leatherbound cover and gold lettering
- Uncle John's Great Big Australian Bathroom Reader - Edition of Uncle John's Great Big Bathroom Reader available only in Australia; contains extra information about Australia
- Uncle John's COLOSSAL COLLECTION OF QUOTABLE QUOTES - Consists of nothing but quotes
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Treasury - Contains articles from other books
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader (The Audio) - Audio version of books
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader's Mother's Day Display
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader's Extraordinary Book of Facts and Bizarre Information
- Uncle John's Slightly Irregular Bathroom Reader (The Audio) - Audio version of Slightly Irregular Bathroom Reader
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Cat Lover's Companion
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Dog Lover's Companion
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Book of Sudoku
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Wonderful World of Love
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Wonderful World of Odd
- Uncle John's Page-a-Day Calendar (Available for 2004, 2005, 2006; and 2007)
- Uncle John's GIGANTIC Bathroom Reader omnibus edition of Absolutely Absorbing and 10th Anniversary
- Uncle John's MONUMENTAL Bathroom Reader omnibus edition of All-Purpose Extra-Strength and Supremely Satisfying
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Tales to Inspire
- Uncle John's Journal
- Uncle John's Christmas Collection
[edit] Other Products
The Bathroom Reader's Institute has made other products, among them toilet shaped soap bars, t-shirts, tote bags, and audio recordings of the books. According to the Bathroom Institute homepage, 50 different products, including books, have been released.
[edit] Features
Among the regular articles in the books are:
- Origins of Words and Phrases- the "Familiar Phrases" feature, though having changed names several times throughout the series, has been featured in some form in 16 of the "Classic" books. It is often seen many times in each book, usually thrice or four times. The "Word Origins" has also had its name changed over the years, and has been seen in every book of the series since its introduction in Uncle John's Second Bathroom Reader
- Rumors and Urban Legends The "Rumors" article was first seen in the very first book, but has been replaced, starting with the 10th Anniversary Reader with the similar, and very popular "Urban Legends" section.
- Famous for 15 Minutes- Also originating in the series' first book, "Famous for 15 Minutes" is based on Andy Warhol's famous quote that everybody will someday be famous for a short period. The feature describes the stories of those who fit this description, often in a style reminiscent of the Darwin Awards (ie, those mentioned often act in a very unbecoming fashion). Also very popular, it has been seen in 15 Bathroom Readers.
- Strange Lawsuits: Bizarre, actual lawsuits. For example, a woman sues Bill Clinton because aliens have told her that he will enslave all black women. [1]
- Oops! First seen in Uncle John's Sixth Bathroom Reader, "Oops!" is a set of newspaper article excerpts describing humorous mistakes in the previous year.
- Q&A: Ask the Experts: Considerably more popular in the Kids Bathroom Reader series, "Ask the Experts" answers questions (e.g. "Do fish drown?"). It was first seen in the 6th Bathroom Reader.
- Court Transquips Originally called "Order in the Court," the feature was introduced in the 5th Bathroom Reader, and pokes fun at things said in court cases (such as 'Were you alone or by yourself?' and 'Was that the same nose you broke as a child?'
- They Went That-a-Way Accounts of unusual deaths, typically of celebrities--for example, the ironic passing of Redd Foxx. This first appears in the 2nd bathroom reader under epitaphs.
