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David Wallechinsky and Amy Wallace

THE BOOK OF LISTS

Contributors

A. E. Ann Elwood

A. K. Aaron Kass

A. W. Amy Wallace

A. T. Alan Tigay

B. F. Bruce Felton

B. F. G. Bryan F. Griffin

C. D. Carol Dunlap

C. F. Chris Fishel

C. O. M. Carol Orsag-Madigan

C. Ro. Christopher Rouse

C. R. M. Claude R. Mowry

C. S. Carl Sifakis

D. B. Danny Biederman

D. L. Don Lessem

D. P. M. David P. Monahan

D. W. David Wallechinsky

D. W. B. David W. Barber

E. H. C. Ernest H. Corfine

E. F. Ed Fishbein

E. N Edward Nizalowski

F. B. Fern Bryant

F. H. Frank Henry

H. A. K. H. Arthur Klein

I. W. Irving Wallace

J. Ba. James Barnett

J. Be. Jeremy Beadle

J. B. M. Joseph B. Morris

J. F. Josh Fishel

J. Hu. Jannika Hurwitt

J. R. L. James R. Longacre

K. A. Kayti Adkins

K. A. M. Kenneth A. Michaelis

K. A. R. Karla Rosenbusch

K. H. J. Kristine H. Johnson

K. P Karen Pedersen

L. B. Linda Bosson

L. C. Linda Chase

L.

L. K. S. Laurie K. Strand

L. O. Laurel Overman

M. B. T. Marguerite B. Thompson

M. J. H. Michael J. Hayes

M. J. T. Michael J. Toohey

M. W. Mike Ward

N. C. S. Nancy C. Sorel

N. R. Nicholas Rennison

P. F. Pamela Fields

P. S. H. Paul S. Hagerman

R. A. Randy Alfred

R. C. B. Richard C. Brown

R. H. Robert Hendrickson

R. J. F. Rodger J. Fadness

R. K. R. R. Kent Rasmussen

R. S. Ray Spangenburg

R. T Richard Trubo

R. W. S. Roy W. Sorrels

S. B. Sue Berkman

S. C. B. Scott Bradley

S. R. Steven Raichlen

S. S. Steven Sherman

T. C. Tim Conaway

T. D. Tom Dodds

W. A. D. William A. DeGregorio

W. D. Wendy Dreskin

Lists without initials were written by A. W. and D. W.

Introduction

As Oscar Wilde observed, the only sin is to be bored. We believe it is an equal sin to be boring, and if the great wit was correct, then the authors and millions of Book of Lists readers are quite unblemished by sin: for we place a high value on curiosity.

The original 1977 volume of the Book of Lists, and its all-new sequels, inspired nearly 200 imitation volumes. These have included books of lists about movies, rock’n’roll, Judaism, the Bible, general sports, and countless other subjects. The books spawned games, toilet paper with lists on it, CD-Roms, calendars and television shows. We had no idea that The Book of Lists would become a bestseller, let alone a phenomenon. We thought we were just having fun.

The Book of Lists rose to number 1 on the bestseller lists, and was published all over the world. Young readers wrote to tell us they’d bought our book for fun, and were using it to spice up their schoolwork. Older readers locked themselves in bathrooms, curled up in bed, took the book to parties and demanded more editions. We invited their contributions, which came pouring in, and we featured many of them in the editions that followed.

Although we are pleased to have popularised a genre that so many people enjoy, we do not pretend to have been its founders. That honour goes to the Reverend Nathaniel Wanley, author of Wonders of the Little World, a book of lists first published in 1678. We didn’t know about the Reverend Wanley when we wrote our own Book of Lists, but a glance through his table of contents shows striking similarities: ‘Of such People and Nations as have been scourged and afflicted by small and contemptible things’, ‘Of such as having been extremely Wild, and Prodigal, or Debauched in their Youth, have afterwards proved excellent Persons’, ‘Of such as have been seized with an extraordinary joy, at what hath followed there-upon’.