As anyone who has spent time on the road knows, you often have to depend on signs...to navigate through a town, locate your hotel, even obey the law a scary thought if you've ever come across any of the publicly posted absurdities that appear in this book. Signs about as easy to understand as a Swahili auctioneer (to a non-Swahili speaker) or as well-planned as the dance steps in a mosh pit with the help of signspotters around the globe, we've assembled a collection of some of the most unintentionally entertaining postings on the planet - we hope they confuse and amuse you!
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Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
Washington Post, December 25, 2005 'Giggle without leaving home with this album of the most ridiculous street signs from around the globe.'
From the Publisher
Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.
What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.
What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I didn't have many expectations for a sign book, but actually, this is one of the funniest books I've ever encountered. I don't understand the previous writer's negative comments, who says it wasn't funny and that he had already seen most of them on the web. Well, I don't have friends sending me funny emails about signs all the time, so most of these were new to me, and I thought they were very funny. From the "Sand" sign in the middle of the Namibian desert (what did they think they were driving through for the last 100 miles or so? :-)), to the "Boring Oregon City" sign, to "Dead Slow Children" on a road sign in England, to "Secret Nuclear Bunker," and "Hello Big Nose Friends (a tourist sign in Kashgar, China), I found a lot here to tickle my funny bone.
I found the book by chance in a Border's Books and sat down to read it, and had to try to keep from laughing out loud, some of the signs are so funny or ridiculous--such as the "Not a through street--evacuation route," sign on the cover. Then there's the "Bad toilet" sign in Norway (I think "bad" means bath in Norwegian, as it does in German, so that explains it), and the "Turn on lights in clouds" sign in the Andes, and the $exchange" sign at a foreign exchange store.
And there was a surprise for me in between the pages that I wasn't expecting--I'd seen one of the signs in person once. In the San Juan Islands of Washington state, there's a bridge over two of the islands that warns people about RVs with large mirrors sticking out that might bonk you in the head as you're walking on the narrow sidewalk over the bridge. The bridge connects Whidbey and Fidalgo islands over Deception Pass, and I saw the sign walking out on the bridge once. :-)
And on a visit to Jamaica my father had seen the sign, "Beware of sleeping policeman." The book doesn't explain the sign, though, but a "sleeping policeman" is the local term for a speed bump.
Overall, a very funny book and reasonably priced for what you're getting. The brief bio says the author has visited over 120 countries and started taking pictures of signs on his travels. In a sense this book shows what can grow from a seemingly harmless and innocuous little hobby if one is persistent and patient enough.
I found the book by chance in a Border's Books and sat down to read it, and had to try to keep from laughing out loud, some of the signs are so funny or ridiculous--such as the "Not a through street--evacuation route," sign on the cover. Then there's the "Bad toilet" sign in Norway (I think "bad" means bath in Norwegian, as it does in German, so that explains it), and the "Turn on lights in clouds" sign in the Andes, and the $exchange" sign at a foreign exchange store.
And there was a surprise for me in between the pages that I wasn't expecting--I'd seen one of the signs in person once. In the San Juan Islands of Washington state, there's a bridge over two of the islands that warns people about RVs with large mirrors sticking out that might bonk you in the head as you're walking on the narrow sidewalk over the bridge. The bridge connects Whidbey and Fidalgo islands over Deception Pass, and I saw the sign walking out on the bridge once. :-)
And on a visit to Jamaica my father had seen the sign, "Beware of sleeping policeman." The book doesn't explain the sign, though, but a "sleeping policeman" is the local term for a speed bump.
Overall, a very funny book and reasonably priced for what you're getting. The brief bio says the author has visited over 120 countries and started taking pictures of signs on his travels. In a sense this book shows what can grow from a seemingly harmless and innocuous little hobby if one is persistent and patient enough.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The price is right for this hilarous collection of odd and quirky signs from around the world. A perfect quick entertainment for a waiting room or as a gift. Just a few of the signs have a bit of innuendo, so better for adults. Doug Lansky adds well-written caption comments for a second smile with each picture. The signs shown here on the cover give you a good idea what to expect.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Signspotting" is a quirky collection of real signs from around the world, which amuse because of either grammatical or translation issues, unintended innuendo, or otherworldly context. I really like this book, and especially enjoy signs with non sequiturs and seeming contradictions such as a sign in front of a Racine, Wisconsin store proclaiming "Happy Easter! We Sell Handguns" and the sign from Maui that says "Bottomless Pit - 65 feet deep." I love the misspellings as well, finding the sign from Incline Village, Nevada stating "Detuor to College" to be especially entertaining. The sub-genre of disturbing combinations is equally hilarious, like the store in Grafton, Illinois that proclaims "R&R Worm Farm Worm - Castings & Best Dirt in Town - Wine Making Supplies Sold Here."
This is a great little book, and I recommend it as a quick and funny read to anyone, especially those that travel internationally frequently.
This is a great little book, and I recommend it as a quick and funny read to anyone, especially those that travel internationally frequently.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Funny
This book had a pretty good assortment of amusing signs from around the world. I appreciated the length and the variety.
Published 4 months ago by EcoDesigner
Hilarious!
I first heard of Signspotting when I got the 2011 page a day calendar and every day had me laughing out loud. Read more
Published 8 months ago by D. Allan
Hilarious book
Great content. Sure to get a laugh out of you. The book adds some cute comments too for each picture.
Published 17 months ago by My74corolla
Comedy
This is plain and simply funny. Yeah, I've seen some of these signs via email, but who always wants to keep emails or waste paper and ink to print them out. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Christopher M. Fulton
fun
my best friend and I travel for work alot and use to get alot of laughs from stupid signs so I got him this for christmas we always get a laugh when we look at it
Published on January 30, 2010 by C. Glennon
Great for a quick laugh!
A great casual and quick page-flipper, that entertains in the simplest way... just pictures upon pictures of dumb signs, bad signs, culturally inappropriate signs, misspelled... Read more
Published on August 3, 2009 by instantkarma
See Spot Run
This is a self-help book for those who got a D grade in reading. It teaches you to be a better reader because you will find yourself reading signs as your drive. Read more
Published on December 24, 2008 by C. D. Anderson
Short but Sweet
Amusing book, a little short, but packs quite a few laughs in. Its great to just sit out to let a friend read. For this price, its worth it.
Published on September 29, 2008 by C. Smith
A fun flipper sure to entertain!
Lonely Planet Signspotting is a sure laugh-getter to share with friends. Bring it to work with you and it will be the sensation of the break room for a couple of days as everyone... Read more
Published on July 11, 2008 by J. Arena
Hilarious!
Great book! Kept me cracking up for a long time. #2 is very good too! I really hope more like these will follow.
Published on July 8, 2008 by Ricardo van den Broek
Inside This Book
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funny signs New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
funny signs New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
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