Category: Humor

The Game is Afoot!

“Pell’s satire doesn’t lack for sharp edges. His twisted humor is sure to appeal to crime-fiction lovers.” —THE RAP SHEET

Black Scat proudly presents Derek Pell’s  MISSING MYSTERIES — the most baffling and hilarious reference book ever published. This  special collector’s edition features a complete history of nonexistent mysteries (1840 – 2015) in one deluxe, large format paperback.

Packed with pulp, crimes, dicks, dames, thugs, puns, gumshoes and stoolies. Loaded with laughs, maps, gaffs, noir, conundrums, puzzles & quizzes. 196 pages crammed with over 100 full-color cover reproductions, plus startling excerpts, scathing reviews, outlandish blurbs and mysterious synopses.

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In the words of Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Lawrence Block: “Derek Pell is quite mad, in rather a brilliant way.”

Novelist Robert Coover has called Pell “…a wordplay master and a parodist of great wit and cunning,”  and MISSING MYSTERIES offers further evidence.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER DIRECT FROM OUR PRINTER  / CLICK HERE TO ORDER ON AMAZON

Alphonse Allais’s Absurd “Affair”!

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Adapted to film four times, “L’Affaire Blaireau” has remained popular and in print in France since its original appearance in 1899. This is its first publication in English. It is humorist Alphonse Allais’s only novel and, in the words of translator Doug Skinner: “It isn’t quite as wild or cruel as his early stories, but I find it delicious anyway. Summer in the provinces, the shrewd but impressionable Blaireau, futile political squabbles, a ridiculous but charming love story, what more could one want? And innocence is rewarded!”

Here’s a taste from Chapter I:

excerpt

THE BLAIREAU AFFAIR is a rare find to be savored by the author’s growing circle of fans in America.

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About the author:
ALPHONSE ALLAIS (1854 – 1905) began his career in Paris during the Belle Epoque. He was particularly active at the legendary cabaret Le Chat Noir, where he wrote for and edited the weekly paper. He quickly became known for his deadpan wit and inexhaustible imagination. Among other things, he also exhibited some of the first monochromatic pictures (such as his all-white “First Communion of Chlorotic Girls in the Snow” in 1883) and composed the first silent piece of music: “Funeral March for the Obsequies of a Deaf Man” (1884).

He was a crucial influence on Alfred Jarry, as well as on the Surrealists: Breton included him in his ANTHOLOGY OF BLACK HUMOR, and Duchamp was reading him on the day he died. Allais’s fascination with wordplay, puns, and holorhymes led Oulipo to call him an “anticipatory plagiarist”; the Pataphysical College dubbed him their “Patacessor.” His books have remained in print in France, and the Académie Alphonse Allais has awarded a literary prize in his honor since 1954.

A Grand Buffet!

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In this sublime bilingual edition, master chef and avant-garde gourmet Richard Kostelanetz serves up a classic feast guaranteed to spark one’s mental taste buds. From the main course of a carefully carved guinea pig in the form of Gustave Flaubert’s “Dictionnaire des idées reçus,” Kostelanetz carves delicious English morsels seasoned with artificial intelligence (aka Google Translate) and his own sympathies.

GUSTAVE’S POCKET DICTIONARY is a 21st Century classic.

Trade paperback, 190 pages, 5.06″ x 7.81″
$10.95

Click here to order your copy on Amazon

Surprise!

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Alphonse Allais (1854-1905) was France’s greatest humorist. His elegance, scientific curiosity, preoccupation with language and logic, wordplay and flashes of cruelty inspired Alfred Jarry, as well as succeeding generations of Surrealists, Pataphysicians, and Oulipians. Celebrate the master’s birthday with mirth, mischief, and cocktails!

And one of his sublime books translated by Doug Skinner, from Black Scat, of course.

The Blaireau Affair

Captain Cap: His Adventures, His Ideas, His Drinks

Selected Plays of Alphonse Allais

Masks

The Squadron’s Umbrella

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“To leave is to die a little, but to die is to leave a lot.” –-Alphonse Allais

Cheers!

Finally…Haiku for the John!

We’re thrilled to announce the eighth in our unique
series of Black Scat Broadsides:

LIMERICKSHAW: HAIKU FOR THE JOHN
by Doug Skinner

Sixteen ribald limericks translated into hilarious haiku. Skinner artfully disinfects the original hackneyed rhymes and reveals the laconic essence of each poem.

Alas, we can only show you a low resolution fragment of the lovely (and explicit) full color poster, which makes an ideal addition to one’s boudoir or bath.

12 x 18 inches; printed on prime 80# UV-coated,acid-free stock.

OUT OF PRINT

In the wings, some special things (eighth edition)…

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On the 4th of July, Black Scat Books celebrated three years of publishing. In that short span of time we’ve released nearly 100 titles, which may make us seem bigger than we are. We’re still a small, independent press that barely scrapes by each month. Word of mouth is very important to us as that’s how most of our readers discover us, i.e., a friend whispers in their ear. We invite you to pass the good word along. And if you aren’t following this blog, please enter your email address on this page and subscribe— that way you’ll always know what’s waiting in the wings.

Remember, good lit happens here.

Go off the beaten path this summer…

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These hot new releases are ideal summer reading. Alain Arias-Misson‘s experimental novel COMIC BOOK subverts the comic book formula and turns it inside-out. Indeed, the sex & violence spins off the page and into your head—right where it belongs. Talk about fun!

THE DOUG SKINNER DOSSIER is a biblical picnic—complete with ants in your pants. This lavish (imitation leather) compendium is loaded with black humor, absurdism, and sheer nonsense—a delightful divertissement for the beach or hammock.

Come on,  dive in and READ DIFFERENT!

Kiss that Gideon goodbye!

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Holy cow!—it’s the gospel according to Doug Skinner—featuring articles, short stories, verses, columns, literary essays, alphabets, metrical translations, monologues, talks, cartoons, rounds, lipogrammatic smut, a puppet show, a ventriloquism routine, and a one-act play!

THE DOUG SKINNER DOSSIER is destined to be in every motel room across the land. This divine illustrated edition features over 240 pages of wit, wisdom, and profundity. It fairly overflows with inspirational black humor and some rather dangerous (albeit gloomy) ideas that might not be suitable for nuclear family get-togethers. But — swear to god — it’s a hell of a good book!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY ON AMAZON

Here’s a peek at the contents:

DOSSIER-CONTENTS

Want to try before you buy? Download a FREE excerpt here.

Scat for Your Wall

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Just in time for June Gloom, we proudly present the first in our series of Black Scat Broadsides: Alphonse Allais’s “A Curious Physiological Industry,” translated by Doug Skinner. In the spirit of Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” this rare text is the master absurdist at his devilish best — a full-color, poster-sized (12 x 18 inches) collector’s broadsheet edition. Printed on acid-free paper and suitable for framing. $10

CLICK HERE TO ORDER