'Greek Postmen' tops 'oddest book title' list
6 Sep 2008, 1234 Hrs

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London, Sept 6 (ANI): "Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers" has been named as the oddest book title of the past 30 years.

The book by Derek Willan, a comprehensive record of Greek postal routes, topped the list with 13 percent of the 1,000 international public votes.

The title was chosen from the winners of the annual competition that began in 1978, according to the Bookseller magazine.

Greek postmen trounced over "People Who Don't Know They're Dead" and "How To Avoid Huge Ships" into second and third place with 11 and 10 percent votes respectively.

"The posties pulled off a real shock here. The pre-tournament favourite was the prize's first ever recipient - "'Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice,"' the Mirror quoted Horace Bent, custodian of the annual Diagram Prize, as saying. "Right from the off, it was Gary Leon Hill's "People Who Don't Know They're Dead" that set the pace. It topped the polls for over three weeks," he added.

The prize was dreamed up initially at the 1978 Frankfurt Book Fair as a way of avoiding boredom. It has since become an annual star.

This year's winner was "If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs." (ANI)