tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post868696676141157790..comments2023-10-12T14:09:33.965-07:00Comments on The Biblia Hebraica Blog: Contest! Find the Most Boring Book Title Ever!Douglas Mangumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15267532075493569019noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-9363673332047000232010-10-24T14:00:37.209-07:002010-10-24T14:00:37.209-07:00I can't beat Jason's entry, or Alan Lenzi&...I can't beat Jason's entry, or Alan Lenzi's for that matter, but when the question came to Facebook, I commented that, on "academic" titles, I like to trot out Mark Smith's <i>The Origins and Development of the Waw-Consecutive: Northwest Semitic Evidence from Ugarit to Qumran.</i><br /><br />And I always point out that it turns out to be a real page-turner!<br /><br />BrookeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-2010123904937607182010-10-24T13:43:35.358-07:002010-10-24T13:43:35.358-07:00Thanks, Doug!Thanks, Doug!Jasonhttp://eisdoxan.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-3203441459928417532010-10-23T08:05:55.110-07:002010-10-23T08:05:55.110-07:00The panel of 5 judges plus myself has by nearly un...The panel of 5 judges plus myself has by nearly unanimous consensus determined the winning title to be:<br /><br /><i>Approximation and Weak Convergence Methods for Random Processes with Applications to Stochastic Systems Theory: Signal Processing, Optimization, and Control</i><br /><br />Congratulations, Jason!<br /><br />The sheer inscrutability of the title put it over the top.<br /><br />Thanks for contributing, everyone.Douglas Mangumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15267532075493569019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-33516943647570900642010-10-20T14:27:11.182-07:002010-10-20T14:27:11.182-07:00I know this is too late, but I am surprised no one...I know this is too late, but I am surprised no one nominated Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics. Both church and dogma are boring. Put them together on a cover and the book almost pushes people away literally.Alan Lenzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16361320688190031978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-52627528162368366182010-10-19T20:58:48.030-07:002010-10-19T20:58:48.030-07:00James, Cappelli is relevant to Biblical and so is ...James, Cappelli is relevant to Biblical and so is Edmonds and his philosophical alphabet.rochellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-2445552041102763182010-10-17T19:24:28.980-07:002010-10-17T19:24:28.980-07:00All entries have been received and the committee w...All entries have been received and the committee will commence selection of the winner. I'm not entirely convinced that anyone has topped mine - the exchange of goods and services in pre-sargonic lagash - but a winner will be selected nonetheless.Douglas Mangumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15267532075493569019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-67788351940294563042010-10-17T19:01:02.780-07:002010-10-17T19:01:02.780-07:00My first suggestion would be:
Document Preparation...My first suggestion would be:<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Document-Preparation-Classical-Languages-Biblical/dp/0982654898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287366983&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">Document Preparation for Classical Languages.</a><br /><br />I also second John's comments above, that is, I thought the contest was related to the larger study of humanities, but specifically biblical studies. I have found numerous soporific titles in other areas. Maybe if the contest keeps the broader suggestions as some above, I will start to adduce these titles to my cause. :-)James Tuckerhttp://www.biblicalexegesis.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-37327795177755381202010-10-17T11:03:28.836-07:002010-10-17T11:03:28.836-07:00Here's another entree -- useful book, in the r...Here's another entree -- useful book, in the right circumstances, but the title is soporific.<br /><br />Capelli, Adriano. Manuali Hoepli Lexicon Abbreviaturum Dizionario di Abbreviature Latine ed Italiane: usate nelle carte e codica specialmente del Medio-Evo riprodotte con oltre 14000 segni incisi. com l'aggiunta di uno studio sulla brachigrafia medioevale, un prontuario di Sigle Epigrafiche, l'antica numerazione romana ed arabica ed i segni indicanti monete, pesi, misure, etc. 6th Ed. Milano: Hoepli, 1967.Rochellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-59138049258721634732010-10-17T11:00:28.228-07:002010-10-17T11:00:28.228-07:00This one is on my bookshelves:
Edmonds, George, 1...This one is on my bookshelves:<br /><br />Edmonds, George, 1788-1868. The philosophic alphabet: with an explanation of its principles, and a variety of extracts, illustrating its adaptation to the sounds of the English language.. to which is added, a philosophic system of punctuation. London: Simpkin and Marshall, 1832.Rochellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-22637759077474752302010-10-17T10:55:46.587-07:002010-10-17T10:55:46.587-07:00I have photocopies of pages in this one...
Walton...I have photocopies of pages in this one...<br /><br />Walton, Brian. Biblia sacra polyglotta, complectentia textus originales, Hebraicum cum Pentateuch Samaritano, Chaldaicum, Graecum, versionumque antiquarum, Samaritanae, Graecae LXXII interpretum, Chaldaicae, Syriacae, Arabicae, Aethiopicae, Persicae, Vulgatae Latinae. 1657. Facsimile: Graz, Austria: Druck, 1964.Rochellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-10729620463719357682010-10-16T04:14:45.703-07:002010-10-16T04:14:45.703-07:00Frankly, everyone of these titles, except for mine...Frankly, everyone of these titles, except for mine, makes me just exited to read them. I've may or may not have added them to my wishlist for Christmas and will be soliciting donations to buy them. I mean, everyone one of these titles, except mine, just makes my heart go pitter patter. Wow. It's like drinking a dozen cups of Community Coffee every time I read these titles. I am so wide awake. <br /><br />And then, when I cannot sleep, I go and read my title and just fall over.J. L. Wattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01000798494472742263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-65156773051100919272010-10-15T19:39:30.983-07:002010-10-15T19:39:30.983-07:00I may have found the definitive one:
Modifiers : ...I may have found the definitive one:<br /><br /><i>Modifiers : a unique, compendious collection of more than 16,000 English adjectives relating to more than 4,000 common and technical English nouns, the whole arranged in alphabetical order by noun, with a complete index of adjectives</i> by Laurence Urdang.<br /><br />Or if that doesn't win this competition, there's always this one right next to it in my search results on WorldCat: <i>Living on the Boott : historical archaeology at the Boott Mills Boardinghouses, Lowell, Massachusetts.</i><br /><br />Or how about <i>A compendious history of the cotton manufacture</i> by Richard Guest?<br /><br />It seems like there are far too many to choose from! Presumably anything that has the word <i>compendious</i> or <i>treatise</i> in the title would have a shot at the prize... :)James F. McGrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-22979632797788941282010-10-15T19:25:41.114-07:002010-10-15T19:25:41.114-07:00I'm surprised that Mike Aubrey didn't prop...I'm surprised that Mike Aubrey didn't propose this one: <i><a href="http://evepheso.wordpress.com/2010/10/15/review-the-noun-phrase-in-ancient-greek-part-ii/" rel="nofollow">The Noun Phrase in Ancient Greek: A Functional Analysis of the Order and Articulation of NP Constituent in Herodotus</a></i>.<br /><br />But I think different things interest different people. I don't think that a catalogue of Syriac Manuscripts sounds boring at all, but I've been searching those sorts of volumes for Mandaic manuscripts (which have often been micategorized as or intentionally lumped together with Syriac ones.<br /><br />Anyway, unless Mike Aubrey wants to claim the one I just proposed, I'll gladly have it count as one of my entries.James F. McGrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02561146722461747647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-33987290962599701042010-10-15T16:38:27.402-07:002010-10-15T16:38:27.402-07:00The most boring book title (that I own) is probabl...The most boring book title (that I own) is probably Goshen-Gottstein's Syriac Manuscripts in the Harvard Library: A Catalogue<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Syriac-Manuscripts-Catalog-Harvard-Semitic/dp/0891301895/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287185612&sr=1-1-fkmr1<br /><br />-John QuantJohn Quanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423121021247755439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-18726887359001324432010-10-15T16:09:08.437-07:002010-10-15T16:09:08.437-07:00The cover is amazing, but the title is the worst I...The cover is amazing, but the title is the worst I can imagine (maybe because I hate the subject?) Here it is: Basic Mathmatics.<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-10th-Bittinger-Developmental/dp/0321319060/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1287183956&sr=1-10Dorcas (aka SingingOwl)https://www.blogger.com/profile/15626748280614018533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-20301770883405781862010-10-15T14:42:29.086-07:002010-10-15T14:42:29.086-07:00I guess what bores some might interest another: ho...I guess what bores some might interest another: however there is this which is not only boring but cheap: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Affordable-tedium-Nancy-Shaw/dp/092133107X/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1287178706&sr=1-11" rel="nofollow">Affordable Tedium.</a><br />Alternatively, I would find <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enclitic-ne-Early-Latin/dp/1110803915/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1287178659&sr=1-1" rel="nofollow">On the Enclitic ne in Early Latin</a> just as boringDoug Chaplinhttp://clayboy.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-58374145945610815762010-10-15T11:34:44.570-07:002010-10-15T11:34:44.570-07:00Hawkes and Hjerting, The Potatoes of Argentina, Br...Hawkes and Hjerting, The Potatoes of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay: A Biosystematic Study. Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1969.Bonaventurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04866708505628885636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-90486998415034774672010-10-15T10:08:42.936-07:002010-10-15T10:08:42.936-07:00I am pretty disappointed that the fourth book of t...I am pretty disappointed that the fourth book of the Bible ended up being known by the incredibly boring title "Numbers" when it was originally much more compelling: "In The Wilderness." I'm sure more people would read it if it were labeled this way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-79704219306372536002010-10-15T07:04:10.743-07:002010-10-15T07:04:10.743-07:00I really think the title should be limited to bibl...I really think the title should be limited to biblical studies, or at least the field of religion (including, as your example does, archaeology, etc.). But to pull from economics and other disciplines (that are clearly far more boring than ours!) is no fun.<br /><br />Either way, just looking at my own collection, here are a few:<br /><br />Scott, A Simplified Guide to BHS<br />Williams, Hebrew Syntax: An Outline<br />Beall, et. al., Old Testament Parsing Guide (c'mon, that HAS to win!).<br />Blount, Cultural Interpretation<br />SBL Handbook of Style (that's a sure winner too!)John Andersonhttp://hesedweemet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-88290419123041125762010-10-15T06:33:20.382-07:002010-10-15T06:33:20.382-07:00Ok, I'll try this again.
The Public Order of...Ok, I'll try this again. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Public-Order-Ocean-Resources-Contemporary/dp/0262180723/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287149165&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">The Public Order of Ocean Resources: A Critique of the Contemporary Law of the Sea</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sounds-Colors-Power-Metallurgical-Technology/dp/0262082306/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287149166&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">The Sounds and Colors of Power: The Sacred Metallurgical Technology of Ancient West Mexico</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Approximation-Convergence-Applications-Stochastic-Optimization/dp/0262512181/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287149169&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">Approximation and Weak Convergence Methods for Random Processes with Applications to Stochastic Systems Theory: Signal Processing, Optimization, and Control</a>Jasonhttp://eisdoxan.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-28666552405457621132010-10-15T05:39:07.895-07:002010-10-15T05:39:07.895-07:00Here are some of my favorites:
Jacqulyn Anderson,...Here are some of my favorites:<br /><br />Jacqulyn Anderson, 200 (Religion) Class: Reprinted from Edition 19 Unabridged Dewey Decimal Classification by Melvil Dewey (Nashville: Broadman, 1980).<br /><br />D. A. Carson, Greek Accents: A Student's Manual (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995). <br /><br />Pierce Furlong, Aspects of Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (c. 1600–700 BC) (Piscataway NJ: Gorgias, 2010). <br /><br />Philomen Probert, Ancient Greek Accentuation: Synchronic Patterns, Frequency Effects, and Prehistory (New York: Oxford University Press USA, 2006).Darrell Pursifulhttp://pursiful.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-16287510797164963992010-10-15T04:07:12.961-07:002010-10-15T04:07:12.961-07:00Some wee gems:
Our new West; records of travel be...Some wee gems:<br /><br /><em>Our new West; records of travel between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean…with details of the wonderful natural scenery, agriculture, mines, business, social life, progress and prospects of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, including a full description of the Pacific railroad and of the life of the Mormons, Indians and Chinese</em><br />(by Samuel Bowles, 1869)<br /><br /><br />Aborigines Protection Society, London.<br /><em>The Bechuanas, the Cape Colony, and the Transvaal. Proceedings of the public meeting held at the Mansion House, London.</em><br />(London, 1884)<br /><br />Adams, William Bridges.<br /><em>Practical remarks on railways and permanent way; as adapted to the various requirements of transit.</em><br />(London, 1854)<br /><br />Samuelson, James.<br /><em>Labour-saving machinery an essay on the effect of mechanical appliances in the displacement of manual labour</em><br />(London, 1893)<br /><br />Scott, Francis.<br /><em>Colonial inquiry: Speech of the Honorable Francis Scott, M.P., on moving the appointment of a select committee</em><br />(London, 1849)<br /><br />I'll stop there - for now.Glennhttp://www.beretta-online.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-50621428447628215532010-10-15T03:55:07.277-07:002010-10-15T03:55:07.277-07:00Well, seeing that I have arrived late and most of ...Well, seeing that I have arrived late and most of the titles have been taken I decided to limit my choice to my own bookshelf and seeing that I am at home and not work the choice is even easier.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Edward-Schweizer/dp/0804203318/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287138366&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">Jesus by Eduard Schweizer</a><br /><br />Now I am not saying it is the most boring book but the title is unimaginative and boring!Mark Stevenshttp://revdmarkstevens.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-71357180460535587242010-10-15T03:11:24.240-07:002010-10-15T03:11:24.240-07:00I submit the following entries:
Encyclopedia of F...I submit the following entries:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/1972-filled--tax-forms-encyclopedia/dp/B0006VUIXM/ref=sr_1_64?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1287136884&sr=1-64" rel="nofollow"><i>Encyclopedia of Filled-in Tax Forms from 1972</i></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scattered-Hegemonies-Postmodernity-Transnational-Practices/dp/0816621381/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287137196&sr=1-1-spell" rel="nofollow"><i>Scattered Hegemonies: Postmodernity and Transnational Feminist Practices</i></a>Madeleinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00377823497040412237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3613525030683671127.post-21573505822965047062010-10-15T02:45:38.620-07:002010-10-15T02:45:38.620-07:00The Meaning of the Word "is" in Plato...<i>The Meaning of the Word "is" in Plato's Republic</i>Matthttp://www.mandm.org.nznoreply@blogger.com