8.6 /10 1 Votes8.6
4/5 Barnes & Noble Language English Originally published 1993 | 4.5/5 Goodreads Country United States Media type Paperback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Publisher First edition: National Writers PressSecond edition: Cornell Maritime Press /Tidewater Publication date First edition: 1982Second edition: 1993 Pages First edition: 97Second edition: 112 Awards Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year Similar Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year winners, Other books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to avoid huge ships
How to Avoid Huge Ships is a 1982 book by Captain John W. Trimmer, a Master Mariner and Seattle harbor pilot. The first edition was self-published from Trimmer's home in Seattle, and carried the subtitle Or: I Never Met a Ship I Liked. It is a maritime operations guidance book, but also attracted some attention due to its title, which some found to be unusual, incongruous, and humorous.
Contents
- How to avoid huge ships
- Jabbib how to avoid huge ships ls01e02
- BooksellerDiagram Prize and subsequent attention
- References
Intended for a specialized audience (the captains or operators of small private boats, such as yachts and trawlers), the book gives advice on appropriate avoidance actions when confronted by the near presence of a large ship such as a freighter, along with anecdotes and background information such as the capabilities and operating procedures of the large ships.
Jabbib how to avoid huge ships ls01e02
Bookseller/Diagram Prize and subsequent attention
The book won the 1992 Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year and was used to title the first compilation of prize winners, How to Avoid Huge Ships and Other Implausibly Titled Books (2008). The book finished third in The Bookseller's 2008 competition for the oddest book title of all time (behind Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers and People Who Don't Know They're Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It).
Beginning in 2000, the book attracted humorous reader reviews on its Amazon.com entry. The book, its prize-winning status, and sometimes its accompanying constellation of odd reviews, was commented on by publications ranging from Cracked to the New York Times. The New York Daily News called it "the best book ever" while Publishers Weekly conversely called it "the worst book ever".
Jimmy Fallon covered the book on his "Do Not Read List" segment of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Alex Horne's first appearance (at the 2000 Edinburgh festival) was with a show titled "How To Avoid Huge Ships".