''Uncle John's Bathroom Readers'' are a series of books containing
trivia and short
essays on miscellaneous topics, ostensibly for
reading in the bathroom. The books are credited to the Bathroom Readers' Institute, though Uncle John is a real person named John Javna, who created the series along with his brother Gordon, as well as a team of assistants.
The books are published by Portable Press, an imprint of
Printer's Row Publishing Group. The introductions in the books, as well as brief notes in some articles, provide small pieces of information about Uncle John. The first book was published in 1988, and in 2012, the series reached its 25th release, The ''Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader''.
Volumes dedicated to a single topic have been released, under the title ''Uncle John Plunges Into...'', for example:
history,
presidents, and the
universe. There are also books on individual
U.S. states, the
weather,
numbers, quotes, the year 2000, a special book for mothers,
cat lovers, dog lovers, horse lovers, love, ''Uncle John's Book of the Dumb'', and several ''Bathroom Readers for Kids Only!''. Though most of the books were written by the Bathroom Readers' Institute, some of the ones that are based around a specific subject are written by a lone author, who is not in the Institute. Additionally, the Institute will often publish articles and other contributions sent in from readers. Recurring articles such as "Flubbed Headlines", "Oops", and "Classifieds" often depend on these contributions. Currently, the institute publishes three books a year; a "classic" reader, and two "plunges into" editions, one for a location such as a U.S. state, and another of a specific topic.
Their volumes contain information on subjects such as quotes, dumb criminals,
palindrome
A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the words ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date and time ''11/11/11 11:11,'' and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panam ...
s,
anagram
An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...
s,
urban legends and
hoax
A hoax is a widely publicized falsehood so fashioned as to invite reflexive, unthinking acceptance by the greatest number of people of the most varied social identities and of the highest possible social pretensions to gull its victims into pu ...
es, failed
invention
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...
s, the history of everyday things, and accidental discoveries, as well as articles on
pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* Pop (Gas al ...
and '
celebrities' such as
Emperor Norton
Joshua Abraham Norton (February 4, 1818January 8, 1880), known as Emperor Norton, was a resident of San Francisco, California who, in 1859, proclaimed himself "Norton I., Emperor of the United States". In 1863, after Napoleon III invaded Mexi ...
(see
Features
Feature may refer to:
Computing
* Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch
* Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob
* Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing characteristic of a software item ...
). Throughout the books, there are what the BRI calls "running feet"—short fun facts on the bottom of each page. A typical example is "An object on
Jupiter would weigh 144,000 times more than it would on
Pluto." Some books have one running foot that simply says "Hi, mom."
Uncle John's also publishes Page-a-Day calendars with
Workman Publishing Company.
The series has sold 15 million copies.
Features
Among the regular articles in the books are:
* Origins of Words and Phrases- the "Familiar Phrases" feature, though having changed names several times throughout the series, has been featured in some form in 16 of the "Classic" books. It is often seen many times in each book, usually three or four times. The "Word Origins" has also had its name changed over the years, and has been seen in every book of the series since its introduction in ''Uncle John's Second Bathroom Reader''
* Rumors and Urban Legends The "Rumors" article was first seen in the very first book, but has been replaced, starting with the ''10th Anniversary Reader'' with the similar, and very popular "Urban Legends" section.
* Famous for 15 Minutes- Also originating in the series' first book, "Famous for 15 Minutes" is based on
Andy Warhol's famous quote that everybody will someday be famous for a short period. The feature describes the stories of those who fit this description, often in a style reminiscent of the
Darwin Awards (i.e., those mentioned often act in a very unbecoming fashion). Also very popular, it has been seen in 15 Bathroom Readers.
* Strange Lawsuits: Bizarre, actual lawsuits. For example, a woman sues
Bill Clinton because aliens have told her that he will enslave all black women.
* Oops! First seen in ''Uncle John's Sixth Bathroom Reader,'' "Oops!" is a set of newspaper article excerpts describing humorous mistakes in the previous year.
* Q&A: Ask the Experts: Considerably more popular in the Kids Bathroom Reader series, "Ask the Experts" answers questions (e.g. "Do fish drown?"). It was first seen in the 6th Bathroom Reader.
* Court Transquips Originally called "Disorder in the Court," the feature was introduced in the 5th Bathroom Reader, and pokes fun at things said in court cases (such as 'Were you alone or by yourself?' 'Was that the same nose you broke as a child?'), and unintentionally-humorous exchanges between judges and lawyers, defendants or witnesses ('You've been accused of stealing 15 chickens. Are you the defendant?' 'No, sir, I'm the guy that stole the chickens.').
* They Went That-a-Way Accounts of unusual deaths, typically of celebrities—for example, the ironic passing of
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...
. This first appears in the 2nd bathroom reader under epitaphs.
* Uncle John's Stall of Fame- Accounts of bathrooms and toilets being used in a positive way.
* Uncle John's Stall of Shame -- Accounts of bathrooms and toilets being used in a negative way.
History
1988–1991
The Bathroom Readers' Institute began in 1988, with the publishing of the original ''Uncle John's Bathroom Reader'', by St. Martin's Press Publishers. After the book's success, ''Uncle John's 2nd Bathroom Reader'' was published in 1989, with a third and a fourth book being added to the series in the subsequent years. These earlier books are distinct from the rest not only due to their short length, but because of the writing style: Short articles starting with a brief history of the subject, followed by several tidbits on the subject.
1992–1995
After the initial four books, the BRI decided that it would publish further volumes under its own label, and ''Uncle John's 5th Bathroom Reader'' was released in October 1992; notable for a revised writing style, more and longer articles, and the introduction of new recurring features, ''Uncle John's 5th'' set what would become the standard design for every book going forward. The Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Bathroom Reader went out of print in 1994, and would later be re-released as a single volume, ''Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader''. In 1995, the millionth copy of the series was sold, and to celebrate the milestone, the BRI released an eighth volume, ''The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader''.
1996–2002
In 1996, the Bathroom Readers' Institute revised its writing style yet again, adopting a more 'encyclopedic' style, as well as spreading longer articles throughout the book.
2003–present
For the first 15 years, "Bathroom Readers" referred to just one series. Now, there were several competitors (none quite as successful) and quite a few series ''within'' the BRI. Books 15–18 began to move away from the format seen in previous books, using two- and three-part articles, and sometimes removing popular recurring features in favor of the longer format. In 2012, ''Uncle John's Bathroom Reader'' celebrated its 25th anniversary with the publication of "Fully Loaded 25th Anniversary Bathroom Reader". With the 28th edition of the series, the cover was completely overhauled, with a new plastic cover, instead of the old paper. With the 30th anniversary of the series in 2017, the books were updated to feature a new interior design.
List of Uncle John's Books
List of Omnibuses
Plunges Into...
Besides the annual editions and omnibuses, many topic specific editions were also published. These editions focused on such things like individual U.S. states, history, national parks,
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
, television, the U.S. Armed Forces, the environment, etc. These have ceased publishing since 2013.
* Uncle John's Plunges into History 2001 ()
* Uncle John's Plunges into National Parks, First Printing 2007
* Uncle John's Plunges into Great Lives, First Printing
* Uncle John's Plunges into Canada
* Uncle John's Plunges into the Universe
* Uncle John's Plunges into New Jersey
* Uncle John's Plunges into Minnesota ()
* Uncle John's Plunges into California ()
* Uncle John's Plunges into Texas ()
* Uncle John's Plunges into New York ()
Other Titles
* Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Shoots and Scores
* Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Shoots and Scores, Updated & Expanded
* Uncle John Takes a Swing at Baseball
* Uncle Johns Strange & Scarey (kids)
* Uncle Johns Book of the Dumb
* Uncle John's Quintessential Collection of Quotable Non Quotables
* Uncle John's Briefs: Quick Bits of Fascinating Facts and Amazing Trivia
* Uncle John's New & Improved Briefs: Fast Facts, Terse Trivia & Astute Articles
References
{{Reflist
External links
Bathroom Readers' InstituteBathroom Readers' Institute calendars Series of books
Trivia books