Oddest Book Title Awarded to Greek Hellenic Philatelic Society

Posted on September 6, 2008

Congratulations to Greek Hellenic Philatelic Society of Great Britain, which has won the prize for Oddest Book Title. The winning title, selected by the readers of The Bookseller magazine, is Greek Rural Postmen and their Cancellation Numbers. The Guardian has more about this victory for Greek postmen.

The impenetrable-sounding book, a comprehensive record of Greece's postal routes, is published by the Greek Hellenic Philatelic Society of Great Britain, which "exists to encourage the collection of Greek stamps and to promote their study".

The Diagram prize is The Bookseller magazine's award for oddly named publications, and this 72-page book has won the Diagram of Diagrams, for the weirdest title in the past three decades. It nipped in ahead of People Who Don't Know They're Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It, and How to Avoid Huge Ships.

The Bookseller's charts editor Philip Stone told The Guardian, "I think the voters wanted a feelgood story about rural postmen because of all the news of post offices closing around the country. There's no prize but the boost in sales is surely prize enough. When we announced our last shortlist, sales increased by 1,000%, from one copy sold in the two weeks previously to ten afterwards."

We have such fond memories of the many happy hours spent perusing our copy of How to Avoid Huge Ships. Clearly, we must put Greek Rural Postmen and their Cancellation Numbers at the top of our To Be Read list immediately.