Bondage for Beginners vies with Origin of Faeces as contenders line up for oddest title prize

From Bacon: A Love Story to An Intellectual History of Cannibalism, Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich and The Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin, the Bookseller magazine has announced the longest ever longlist for its annual Diagram prize for the oddest book title of the year. A strong leaning towards the scatological characterises many of the 49 longlisted books, with Peek-a-poo: What's in Your Diaper?, Father Christmas Needs a Wee, Is the Rectum a Grave? and The Origin of Faeces all vying for a place on the shortlist. The prize's custodian, Horace Bent, said he received a total of 90 submissions for this year's prize, almost three times as many as last year, but was forced to reject many of them for either being too old – Sketches of a Few Jellyfish was published in 1880, and On Sledge and Horseback to Outcast Siberian Lepers in 1895 – or for failing to meet his "properly published" criteria. "The adage that everyone has a book in them may well be true, but that doesn't mean every Tom, Dick and Harry out there can bash a few words out on a keyboard and then upload it to Scribd with a humorous title like The Historic Adventures of the Purple Waffle Iron on His Horse Made of Asparagus, and then think they have a chance at winning my prestigious award. I refuse to acknowledge such submissions," Bent said. Titles with a strong chance of making the shortlist – which will be announced on 19 February – include Dental Management of Sleep Disorders, Mickey Mouse, Hitler and Nazi Germany and Advances in Potato Chemistry and Technology, Bent added. Once the shortlist is revealed, the public will then be asked to vote for their favourite, with the winner to be announced on 26 March. The prize, set up in 1978 during a particularly dull day at the Frankfurt book fair, has been won in the past by titles including American Bottom Archaeology and Greek Rural Postmen and their Cancellation Numbers. Last year's award was controversially taken by The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-Milligram Containers of Fromage Frais, which was written by a computer. The longlist in full 100 Girls on Cheap Paper A Tortilla is Like Life Advances in Potato Chemistry and Technology Afterthoughts of a Worm Hunter An Intellectual History of Cannibalism Bacon: A Love Story Baptist Autographs in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester 1741-1845 Bondage for Beginners Briefs for the Reading Room Budgeting for Infertility Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes Curbside Consultation in Cornea and External Disease Cute Yummy Time Dental Management of Sleep Disorders Father Christmas Needs a Wee Fluffy Little Kitten in Fluffy's Brother Food Digestion and Thermal Preference of Toad Governing Lethal Behaviour in Autonomous Robots How YOU Are Like Shampoo: For Job Seekers I Stopped Sucking My Thumb…Why Can't You Stop Drinking? I'm Not Hanging Noodles on Your Ears Is the Rectum a Grave? Jokes by the Not So Famous Redneck Map-based Comparative Genomics in Legumes Mickey Mouse, Hitler and Nazi Germany My Hare Line Meets the Brown Rabbit Obama Guilty of Being President While Black Peek-a-poo: What's in Your Diaper? Planet Asthma: Art and Activity Book Plough Music Plug-in Electric Vehicles: What Role for Washington? Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Bean Conference Schoolgirl Milky Crisis Soft Drink & Fruit Juice Problems Solved Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches from Growing The Changing World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease The First Home-Built Aeroplanes The Great Dog Bottom Swap The Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin The Origin of Faeces The Quotable Douchebag The True History of Tea The Wild World of Girly Men and Masculine Women - And Why Americans Suffer from So Many Other Idiotic Syndromes! Venus Does Adonis While Apollo Shags a Tree What Horses Do For Us What Kind of Bean is this Chihuahua?