The Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation: 101 Things that Annoy, Bother, Chafe, Disturb, Enervate, Frustrate, Grate, Harass, Irk, Jar, Mife, Nettle, Outrage, Peeve, Quassh, Rile, Stress Out, Trouble, Upset, Vex, Worry and X,Y Z You! [Paperback]

Laura Lee (Author), Linda O'Leary (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

From airline food, bagpipes and Barney to soggy cereal, telemarketers and warts, here is the first A-to-Z, illustrated compendium of everyday annoyances--complete with truly informative scientific explanations and wry commentary.

When it comes to aggravation, it's the little things that count. Car alarms, fingernails on a blackboard, having a song stuck in your head, cookie mush at the bottom of your coffee cup, mosquitoes, mimes, chain letters--and those silly curtains between First Class and Coach, what are those about?

The Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation is a unique tour through the things that drive us crazy, full of fascinating details about their inner workings, causes, remedies and histories. Deadpan cross-sections, diagrams, and technical drawings bring such things to life as VCRs that flash 12:00-12:00-12:00 and the sound waves created by nails on a chalkboard or crinkly candy wrappers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"helpful, funny, interesting, easy to read, must for radio and TV talk show hosts." -- Current Talk Show Ideas Index

These are the maddening moments of life, and they're cataloged hilariously in Lee's book. -- Jeanne Malmgrem, St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg, Fla, Nov 4, 2001

About the Author

Laura Lee is currently producing a U.S. tour of the Russian Classical Ballet. She is the author of The Encyclopedia of Aggravation and The Elvis Impersonation Kit, both available from Black Dog & Leventhal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579122175
• ISBN-13: 978-1579122171
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,123,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars informative and hilarious!, July 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation: 101 Things that Annoy, Bother, Chafe, Disturb, Enervate, Frustrate, Grate, Harass, Irk, Jar, Mife, Nettle, Outrage, Peeve, Quassh, Rile, Stress Out, Trouble, Upset, Vex, Worry and X,Y Z You! (Paperback)

This book is awesome, not only does it discuss the things that aggravate and irk is, but Laura Lee goes in depth and explains the reason and science behind them, from crinkly candy wrappers to lost luggage to slow drivers in the fast lane! I enjoyed this book and its humor so much, I hope Laura Lee writes another book on the things that aggravate us!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Aggravating!!, November 5, 2001

By 

Jennifer Hunter (Swanton, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation: 101 Things that Annoy, Bother, Chafe, Disturb, Enervate, Frustrate, Grate, Harass, Irk, Jar, Mife, Nettle, Outrage, Peeve, Quassh, Rile, Stress Out, Trouble, Upset, Vex, Worry and X,Y Z You! (Paperback)

A totally, delightfully. annoying read! Laura Lee has compiled a list of truly frustrating items and then given an explanation for each that either leaves you laughing or ready to tackle the outrageous items she describes. The illustrations are wonderful, and at times add an even deeper laugh! Everyone I have shown the book to immediately looks for the thing that aggravates them the most and inevitably it is there! In fact I have a hard time getting the book back from them, how vexxing! I highly recommend this book and all of its bothersome entries.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Gift, November 5, 2001

By 

Carolyn P. (Memphis, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation: 101 Things that Annoy, Bother, Chafe, Disturb, Enervate, Frustrate, Grate, Harass, Irk, Jar, Mife, Nettle, Outrage, Peeve, Quassh, Rile, Stress Out, Trouble, Upset, Vex, Worry and X,Y Z You! (Paperback)

Laura Lee has done it once again. Her gift of providing facts with entertainment is astounding. I guarantee you'll find answers to questions about annoying issues that you've always wondered about, but never had time to explore. From "Why do TV Commercials Blare" to my personal favorite "Why does the sandwich fall butter side down" there's fun on every page. Extremely well written, this is the perfect book to read while waiting for appointments, or riding the bus. It's segmented alphabetically, and provides information you've always wondered about along with a wit and humor that leaves you smiling. It's a book to be revisited over and over and makes an excellent gift for everyone! It can generate the most marvelous conversations. If you're like me, the next time you knock your sandwich off the plate and it tumbles to the floor, you'll have a smile on your face. Amazingly, some things are less annoying when you know the facts. I look forward to a sequel!