The Hypochondriac's Handbook [Hardcover]

Wendy Marston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

Feeling good? Are you sure? This hilarious guide -- a sequel to the best-selling Paranoid's Pocket Guide -- is guaranteed to make you wonder. With hundreds of symptoms to watch for and in-depth information on the latest germ mutations, this compendium offers compelling proof that there is always something to worry about, even if you seem to be in perfect shape. A must-have for today's health-conscious individual, it also reveals worrisome facts about doctors and insurance companies. It's packed with black-and-white photos documenting everyday items that can menace your health -- often seemingly "harmless" items such as a pencil or a water fountain. Fortunately, this book will make you laugh, which releases endorphins and promotes health -- for the moment. For soundness of body and mind, read the Hypochondriac's Handbook. Better safe than sorry!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wendy Marston is obsessed with health. She has written on health for the New York Times Magazine , Newsweek , and the Washington Post , and is a former contributing editor at Health . She lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Printing edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811821927
• ISBN-13: 978-0811821926
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,262,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect gift for that special paranoiac in your life, November 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hypochondriac's Handbook (Hardcover)

This book is a wonderful way to torture anyone who has ever thought twice about touching that doorknob. Lots of fun and chilling information about the germs, microbes, and other agents of death that are everywhere around us, invading us insidiously, hastening disease. Do not read this book on the toilet, for example. Written with humor and a sly sadism, this is a user-friendly manual that, if studied and heeded, could add years to your life, provided you spend them in a plastic bubble. A perfect stocking-stuffer for anyone who thinks it's safe to shake hands--and for those who know that it isn't.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A funny gift or read for your favorite hypochondriac, July 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hypochondriac's Handbook (Hardcover)

I bought this as a gift for a good friend who always thinks she has some illness and worries about getting every illness. The book is hilarious and I found myself staying up to read it before I gave it to her. It has assorted funny facts that will gross you out about bacteria on toilets, showers, etc. and allkinds of things you can worry about. My friend loved it and i though it was so funny I bought another copy for myself. I really recommend it, it is filled with facts, there are 2-3 on every page.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun Factoids, March 25, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Hypochondriac's Handbook (Hardcover)

This book is a fun little trivia book that you can breeze through in a couple of hours. It lists various unlikely things in the environment that can potentially cause illness. I would like to see something that fleshes the entries out a bit more though. A bit more about these odd dangers and what to do about them would be more interesting.