Who Cut the Cheese?: A Cultural History of the Fart [Paperback]

Jim Dawson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 1, 1998

We've told you HOW TO SHIT IN THE WOODS. We've taken you UP SHIT CREEK. Now, we dare to ask the eternal question...WHO CUT THE CHEESE? Which is to say, what exactly is a fart? Why do we do it? Why do we hide it when we do it? And why do we find farts so darn funny? A cut above anything else on the subject, this book really lets go and tells all, getting to the bottom of these mysteries. Author Jim sniffs out a load of historical and scientific fart tales, then offers the kind of fun facts you'll be dying to let slip at social occasions, in chapters like "Fart Facts That Aren't Just Hot Air," "Gone with the Wind" (on famous movie farts), and "Le Petomane & the Art of the Fart" (on the most famous windbag in history). From fact to fiction to frivolous flatulence, this book is unquestionably a ripping good read.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Dawson is a product of West Virginia University, which at this very moment is probably burning his student records. Along with being a real smart feller (or something like that), he's a former editor of Hustler magazine and the author of several books that very few people have read, including the critically acclaimed WHAT WAS THE FIRST ROCK 'N' ROLL RECORD? Dawson lives in Hollywood, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; First edition. edition (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580080111
• ISBN-13: 978-1580080118
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Dawson is a Hollywood, California-based writer who has specialized in American pop culture (especially early rock 'n' roll) and the history of flatulence (three books so far, including his 1999 top-seller, "Who Cut the Cheese? A Cultural History of the Fart"). Mojo magazine called his "What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record?" (1992), co-written with Steve Propes, "one of the most impressive musical reads of the year"; it remains a valuable source for music critics and rock historians, and an updated second edition is currently available on Kindle. Dawson has also written a series of articles on early rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll pioneers for the Los Angeles Times, including a front-page story in the Calendar entertainment section on the forgotten tragic figure Ritchie Valens. The piece led directly to Rhino Records reissuing Valens' entire catalog (with Dawson's liner notes) and eventually to the 1987 biopic "LaBamba," which used some of Dawson's research. Since 1983 Dawson has also written liner notes for roughly 150 albums and CDs, including Rhino's prestigious "Central Avenue Sounds" box set celebrating the history of jazz and early R&B in Los Angeles. His most recent book (2012) is "Los Angeles's Bunker Hill: Pulp Fiction's Mean Streets and Film Noir's Ground Zero." He's currently working on a novel about a 1920 coal mine war in his native West Virginia.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No, "Terrence & Philip" are NOTHING like real Canadians... May 16, 2003

By Chiasmus Octothorpe

Format:Paperback

Absolutely hilarious, thoroughly researched and very well-written.

Appeals to both my literate, probing, analytical University-graduate side...and my giggling, scatological idiot side.

Guaranteed to get you a full row of seats to yourself when you read it on the subway, even at rush hour, and (if you can remain totally deadpan), a source of endless amusement when you ask for it in book stores or libraries...even if you already have a copy!

Wonderful examples of farts and scatology through history, music, different cultures (Did you know that the Arab words for "silent fart" and "death sentence" are only one letter different?) and literature. And of course, there's a whole chapter on the French music hall entertainer "Le Petomaine"!

The transcript of the legendary "Crepitation Contest" record almost made me choke on my Timbits when I read it at a local donut shop.

An absolute must-have for both the scholarly and the silly!

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars blasts away the cobwebs May 7, 2002

By j.p.redman

Format:Paperback

I bought this book expecting it to be rather more of a "how-to" guide than it turned out to be. That said, it was still immensely useful and exposes many myths. I, for one, had mistakenly subscribed to that well-known myth that Arabs consider it the height of good manners to break wind during and after a meal. Sadly, this is untrue. If only I had had this book *before* I dined with the secretary-general of OPEC in '96!

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fair Winds Ahead July 27, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I admit it, I bought this book for my husband as a joke. However, this tongue in cheek scholarly tome on the history of flatulance pleasantly surprised us both! I would like to trumpet it's appeal as a breath of fresh air with a mighty blast. What a toot! Er, ah, hoot. Good thing there isn't a scratch and sniff edition though...