Nazi spoons, chihuahuas, and autonomous robots make Odd Title shortlist

Nazi spoons, murderous cyborgs and the musings of an invertebrate hunter are among the subjects tackled in the books nominated for the latest installment of the Diagram Prize.

The prize, which celebrates the oddest book title of the year, received a record number of submissions in 2009, with 90 books suggested to 2008’s 32. After an intensive judging process, the "Very Longlist" was whittled down to a more palatable six by The Bookseller’s diarist and prize custodian Horace Bent.



Voting has opened on the six books at www.thebookseller.com. The winner will be announced on 26th March.

The shortlist:

* David Crompton's Afterthoughts of a Worm Hunter
* James A Yannes' Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich
* Daina Taimina's Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes
* Ronald C Arkin's Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots
* Ellen Scherl and Maria Dubinsky's The Changing World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
* Tara Jansen-Meyer's What Kind of Bean is This Chihuahua?