The Alphabet of Manliness
Encyclopedia
The Alphabet of Manliness is the debut book by American
humorist and Internet
personality Maddox
, published in 2006
. It reached the #2 position on the New York Times Best Seller List
in the "Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous" category.
on October 18, 2005. An art contest was held on the website to pick the illustrators. The book was officially completed on January 19, 2006, as announced on Maddox's website
. The book first appeared in Barnes and Noble bookstores during May 2006, and it arrived to those who pre-ordered it on June 1, 2006. The book debuted at #4 on the New York Times Best Seller list
for "Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous," and remained on the list for ten weeks. The book was published by Kensington
in the United States and was published by Penguin
in the UK
.
The book is dedicated to Maddox himself: "To the love of my life, my soul mate, and the greatest person in the world: Me." The book is 224 pages long.
Several parts of the UK version were removed, perhaps the most notable omission being the "headbutt to the ovaries" section of the first chapter ("A - Ass-Kicking"). The edition also contains a disclaimer
.
On February 20, 2009, Maddox announced on the book's web site that he is "working on a new edition of The Alphabet of Manliness," and that "the new edition will be expanded and revised, and will include The Numbers of Manliness."
.
tour in several states, starting in his home state of Utah. The first leg of his tour took him from Salt Lake City to the East Coast and Midwest of the USA
. The second leg of the tour to the West Coast started on July 13, 2006, ending on July 29, 2006.
On this tour he dressed himself in a large royal gown and was wearing a crown on his head. This provoked many people to get down on their hands and knees in front of him, often kissing his hand.
On the book's website, Maddox also jokingly listed a set of rules for fans, such as barring eye contact or talking directly to him (referring to an urban legend
about popular figures such as Hillary Clinton
and Shania Twain
), formal dress attire, and remaining at least three feet (1 yard) away at all times.
While copies of The Alphabet of Manliness were primarily signed, some of the people in line had also asked for clothes or body parts to be signed as well. One man even asked that his prosthetic leg be signed.
Another book tour took place as well.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
humorist and Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
personality Maddox
Maddox (writer)
Maddox is the pen name of George Ouzounian, an American humorist, satirist, Internet personality, and author. He gained fame on the Internet in the early 2000s for his opinion-oriented website, The Best Page in the Universe, which he still maintains. His first book, The Alphabet of Manliness ,...
, published in 2006
2006 in literature
The year 2006 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Literature:*Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun*Chris Adrian - The Children's Hospital *Martin Amis - House of Meetings...
. It reached the #2 position on the New York Times Best Seller List
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
in the "Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous" category.
Publication
Maddox announced the book on February 22, 2005, and announced its title to a mailing listMailing list
A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers is referred to as "the mailing list", or simply "the...
on October 18, 2005. An art contest was held on the website to pick the illustrators. The book was officially completed on January 19, 2006, as announced on Maddox's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
. The book first appeared in Barnes and Noble bookstores during May 2006, and it arrived to those who pre-ordered it on June 1, 2006. The book debuted at #4 on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for "Advice, How-To, and Miscellaneous," and remained on the list for ten weeks. The book was published by Kensington
Kensington Books
Kensington Publishing Corp. is an American book publisher.- Overview :Kensington was founded in 1974 by Walter Zacharius, formerly of Lancer Books. Steven Zacharius became president and CEO in 2005. Vice president Michael Rosamilia has been the CFO since 1989. Laurie Parkin is the vice president...
in the United States and was published by Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The book is dedicated to Maddox himself: "To the love of my life, my soul mate, and the greatest person in the world: Me." The book is 224 pages long.
Several parts of the UK version were removed, perhaps the most notable omission being the "headbutt to the ovaries" section of the first chapter ("A - Ass-Kicking"). The edition also contains a disclaimer
Disclaimer
A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship...
.
On February 20, 2009, Maddox announced on the book's web site that he is "working on a new edition of The Alphabet of Manliness," and that "the new edition will be expanded and revised, and will include The Numbers of Manliness."
Sections
The book consists of 26 short sections, each corresponding to a letter of the alphabetLatin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
.
- A - Ass-KickingCombatCombat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
- B - BonerErectionPenile erection is a physiological phenomenon where the penis becomes enlarged and firm. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular and endocrine factors, and is usually, though not exclusively, associated with sexual arousal...
- C - Copping a FeelGropingWhen used in a sexual context, groping is touching or fondling another person in a sexual way using the hands; it generally has a negative connotation, and is considered molestation in most societies. The term 'frotteurism' may be applied when a person rubs up against another person, typically...
- D - Dump, Taking aDefecationDefecation is the final act of digestion by which organisms eliminate solid, semisolid or liquid waste material from the digestive tract via the anus. Waves of muscular contraction known as peristalsis in the walls of the colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the rectum...
- E - EnlightenmentEnlightenment (concept)Enlightenment broadly means wisdom or understanding enabling clarity of perception. However, the English word covers two concepts which can be quite distinct: religious and spiritual enlightenment and secular or intellectual enlightenment...
- F - Female WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
- G - GasFlatulenceFlatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
- H - Hot SauceHot sauceHot sauce, chili sauce or pepper sauce refers to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients.-Ingredients:There are many recipes for hot sauces - the common ingredient being any kind of peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chili peppers...
- I - IrateAngerAnger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
- J - Jerky, BeefJerky (food)Jerky is lean meat that has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips, and then been dried to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt, to prevent bacteria from developing on the meat before sufficient moisture has been removed. The word "jerky" is a bastardization of the...
- K - KnockersBreastThe breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
- L - LumberjackLumberjackA lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
- M - MetalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
- N - Norris, ChuckChuck NorrisCarlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
- O - ObedienceObedience (human behavior)In human behavior, obedience is the quality of being obedient, which describes the act of carrying-out commands or being actuated. Obedience differs from compliance, which is behavior influenced by peers, and from conformity, which is behavior intended to match that of the majority. Obedience can...
- P - PiratesPiracyPiracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
- Q - QuickiesQuickie (sex)A quickie refers to a brief or spontaneous episode of sexual activity, with the couple finishing it in a very short amount of time.Generally the term presupposes that foreplay is skipped and that at least one of the partners climaxes. A quickie may involve an intercourse or be limited to manual or...
- R - Road RageRoad rageRoad rage is an aggressive or angry behavior by a driver of an automobile or other motor vehicle. Such behavior might include rude gestures, verbal insults, deliberately driving in an unsafe or threatening manner, or making threats. Road rage can lead to altercations, assaults, and collisions...
- S - Sneaking a PeekVoyeurismIn clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....
- T - TauntTauntA taunt is a battle cry, a method in hand-to-hand combat, sarcastic remark, or insult intended to demoralize the recipient, or to anger them and encourage reactionary behaviors without thinking. Taunting can exist as a form of social competition to gain control of the target's cultural capital...
ing - U - Urinal Etiquette
- V - ViolenceViolenceViolence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
- W - WinnerVictoryVictory is successful conclusion of a fight or competition..Victory may refer to:**strategic victory**tactical victory** Pyrrhic victory, a victory at heavy cost to the victorious party**Victory columns**Victory Monuments**Victory personified...
- X - XXXPornographyPornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
- Y - Yelling
- Z - (Office) ZombieWhite-collar workerThe term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
s
Illustrators
- Bryan Douglas
- Justina Fader
- Louis Fernet-Leclair
- Jim Moore
- John Petersen
- Thomas Pollock Jr.
- Leah Tiscione
- Angelo Vildasol
Book signing tour
After the official release of The Alphabet of Manliness, Maddox went on a book signingBook signing
Book signing is the affixing of a signature to the title page or flyleaf of a book by its author. A book signing is an event, usually at a bookstore or library where an author sits and signs books for a period of time....
tour in several states, starting in his home state of Utah. The first leg of his tour took him from Salt Lake City to the East Coast and Midwest of the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The second leg of the tour to the West Coast started on July 13, 2006, ending on July 29, 2006.
On this tour he dressed himself in a large royal gown and was wearing a crown on his head. This provoked many people to get down on their hands and knees in front of him, often kissing his hand.
On the book's website, Maddox also jokingly listed a set of rules for fans, such as barring eye contact or talking directly to him (referring to an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
about popular figures such as Hillary Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
and Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
), formal dress attire, and remaining at least three feet (1 yard) away at all times.
While copies of The Alphabet of Manliness were primarily signed, some of the people in line had also asked for clothes or body parts to be signed as well. One man even asked that his prosthetic leg be signed.
Extended Edition
"The Alphabet of Manliness: Extended Edition" came out on August 25, 2009. It contains an epilogue, 36 additional pages about "The Numbers of Manliness", and eight full-color inserts.Another book tour took place as well.