Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Signspotting: Absurd & Amusing Signs from Around the World

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

"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.

Bought one copy for a friend and laughed so hard I had to order several more copies for gifts. Lots of fun for a small price.

A lot of fun and, unfortunately, you don't have to go very far when traveling in the Middle East or Africa to see some entertaining signs (and I'm not just talking "camel xing" either). I'm glad someone thought to put this collection together!

Now that neighbors on one side of the house have heard me laugh out loud from the john since getting this book, it's time to buy another copy for the bathroom on the other side of the house. It's hard to believe the compilation of outrageous and hilarious signs is nonfiction. Only a world traveler with lots of friends like Doug Lansky could pull this off.

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 passes it around.

There are lots of hysterical photos of signs -- the sort of things you sometimes notice in passing and wish you had a camera to capture as evidence, yourself. Guaranteed, you'll enjoy this book.

I would expect that nearly everyone has run across unintentionally funny signs or weirdly juxtaposed combinations of signs that either evoke frenzied head scratching or out-loud laughing. I've seen some odd ones during local excursions or on road trips and thought, "I wish I had the camera."

Doug Lansky managed to capture and compile a bunch of such photos in his book "Signspotting." Some of these, culled from photos of signs taken around the world, are outright hilarious, and others evoke a slack-jawed sense of what on earth does that mean, at least from where I sit. I'm sure that some of these signs perhaps make sense within their physical context but that does not diminish their humor in my opinion.

This book would make a nice small gift for a teenager, friend, or, better yet, a retiring colleague who is about to hit the road.

This book had a pretty good assortment of amusing signs from around the world. I appreciated the length and the variety.

I first heard of Signspotting when I got the 2011 page a day calendar and every day had me laughing out loud. I now check the web site regularly, have the first three books and have preordered book 4!!!
I share the laughs with all my friends and most of my coworkers so more people are going to the web sites, getting the books, etc! It most certainly brightens the day!!!
I HIGHLY recommend the books, the calendars, the web site.....