The Best of Annals of Improbable Research
"Science is too human, too much fun, and too importantnotto laugh at it." TheAnnals of Improbable Research(and its predecessor, theJournal of Irreproducible Results) has been making fun of science and scientists for decades. This latest compendium includes a listing of the Ig Nobel prizes, annually awarded "for scientific achievements which cannot or should not be reproduced," and some of the prizewinning papers, such as "Failure of Electric Shock Treatment for Rattlesnake Envenomation" and "Of Mites and Man."  There are also plenty of groundbreaking original studies fromAIR: "How Dead Is a Doornail?"  "Furniture Airbags," and "The Medical Effects of Kissing Boo-Boos." As the book's warning label states, the result is a highly reactive mix: "Contents are unexpectedly educational and informative, especially in patients who suffer allergic reactions to science, technology, literature, or art. Can be highly addictive." Let the buyer beware.--Mary Ellen Curtin