Satyryczna

In Japan, Kenji Kawakami is famous for his tireless promotion of Chindogu: the art of the unuseless idea. Kawakami has developed an entire philosophy around these bizarre and logic-defying gadgets and gizmos, which must work but are actually entirely impractical. Created in the spirit of anarchy, unuseless inventions are not allowed to be patented or sold.

Fans of the unuseless will love this completely absorbing collection of 200 Chindogu, including:

• the Drymobile (your laundry dries as you drive)
• the Solar-Powered Torch (never runs low on...

No one in the twentieth century used language with the same precision and wit as Noel Coward. In his plays, his verse, his song lyrics, stories and in everyday life, he chose his words to uniquely stylish and truthful effect.

This affectionate portrait of Coward's life includes not only his best-loved witticisms and lyrics, but also excerpts from private papers and hidden gems from unpublished material. Barry Day Delves into the whole range of Coward's talents, as well as his thoughts on a wide variety of subjects - including the theatre, England, the Arts, religion, love and death -...

What do you get when you give two hopeful singles fashion consultants and interior designers, allow them four days to perk up each other's homes and get a total style overhaul, then let their single friends celebrate the results at a fabulous party? You get Swap/Meet, the newest reality show on the network block, where major changes are either embraced or embarrassing--and Lily Allen's dream job turned nightmare.

At first, Lily was thrilled to appear...

Take a hilarious, healing journey with Stuart Smalley as he careens down the road to Recovery. For one entire year Stuart recorded an affirmation a day...except when he had taken to his bed (but that's Okay)...and the result is the most entertaining and indispensable meditation book ever.

From program wisdom (Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt December 1) to survival tips (When I Go Home to Visit My Family I Will Stay in a Motel September 26) to some good sound practical advice (I am entitled to file for an Extension on my Income...

One president and one vice president died with their mistresses at their side. 32nd president Franklin Roosevelt's mistress had to be whisked away from his deathbed before his wife, Eleanor, arrived, and VP Nelson Rockefeller expired during an intimate moment with his inamorata.

When 29th president Warren G. Harding was short of funds during his twice-a-week poker games, he routinely anted up with pieces of White House china.

As a joke, 7th president Andrew Jackson sent a...

Lea DeLaria has been breaking rules all her life. Now she offers some of her own....

Cross Howard Stern with Sandra Bernhardt, add a one-two punch, and you have stand-up comic Lea DeLaria, who plays to rave reviews on and off the Broadway stage. Now, in this uproarious collection of essays, DeLaria shares her Modern Day Ten Commandments and X-Rated Rules for the World with anyone bold enough to read them.

From fashion advice "Never point at anything beige and call it cool"(Rule #4) to the five myths of ex-girlfriends and the facts...