Ig Nobel Prizes : The Annals of Improbable Research - Hardcover

Abrahams, Marc

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0752851500 ISBN 13: 9780752851501

Publisher: Orion, London, 2002

Synopsis

For 10 years the august scientists of Harvard University have scoured the world's research establishments for the most bizarre and weird real-life scientific research.

WHAT: The Ig Nobel Prize honours individuals whose achievements in science cannot or should not be reproduced. 10 prizes are given to people who have done remarkably bizarre things in science over the previous year. The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony is held in October. Prizes are awarded by genuine Nobel laureates.

WHY: The 'Igs' are intended to celebrate the unusual, honour the imaginative and shine a grubby spotlight onto the weird corners of laboratories around the world.

PAST WINNERS: Peter Fong's experiment in which he fed Prozac to clams (Ig Nobel Biology Prize, 1998) on the basis that if they chilled out more they'd taste better.

Harold Hillman's report on 'The Possible Pain Experienced during Execution by Different Methods' (Ig Nobel Peace Prize, 1997)

Jerald Bain and Kerry Siminoski's examination of The Relationship among Height, Penile Length, and Foot Size (Ig Nobel Statistics Prize, 1998).

Masumi Wakita (Ig Nobel Psychology Prize, 1995) and their achievement in training pigeons to discriminate between the paintings of Picasso and those of Monet

Richard Seed (Ig Nobel Economics Prize, 1997) and his plan to clone himself and other human beings.

Ida Sabelis (Ig Nobel Biology 2000) for Magnetic resonance Imaging of Male and Female Genitals During Coitus and Female Sexual Arousal

The book will look behind the scenes of these landmark researchers and feature the weirdest research from a hundred years of science.

About this title

Review:

Len Fisher, author or How To Dunk A Doughnut has agreed to do local radio interviews from Bristol as a recipient of an Ig in 1999.I also putting forward a London-based winner from this year's award or interviews, Chris McManus (author of Right Hand, Left Hand, W&N) MAGAZINESTIME MAGAZINE - reviewNEW SCIENTIST - reviewTHE TABLET - reviewFOCUS - review PRESSTHE EXPRESS - full page feature about the Ig Nobel AwardsTHE EXPRESS - Beachecomber piece on the bookTHE TIMES - piece about the Ig Nobel AwardsDAILY TELEGRAPH - piece about the awardsTHE OBSERVER - piece about the awardsTIMES HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT - feature article on bookIRISH NEWS - reviewSOUTH WALES EVENING POST - reviewDAILY RECORD - article about the awardsWORCESTER EVENING NEWS - reviewSENTINEL SUNDAY - reviewNEWS & STAR (EAST CUMBRIA) - reviewSHIELDS GAZETTE - reviewEVENING EXPRESS (ABERDEEN) - reviewLIVERPOOL ECHO - reviewGLOUCESTER CITIZEN - reviewBLACKPOOL GAZETTE - reviewCAMBRIDGE EVENING NEWS - reviewPERTHSHIRE ADVERTISER - reviewSCARBOROUGH TRADER - review RADIOBBC RADIO 4 TODAY programme - interview with Marc AbrahamsITN NEWS - interview with Marc AbrahamsLBC RADIO - interview with Marc AbrahamsBBC RADIO SOUTHAMPTON - interview withMarc AbrahamsBBC RADIO JERSEY - interview with Marc and LenBBC RADIO KENT - interview with Len FisherBBC RADIO SHROPSHIRE - interview with Len FisherBBC RADIO LEEDS - interview with LenBBC RADIO WALES - reviewBBC RADIO WILTSHIRE SOUND - interview INTERNETwww.thisislondon.co.uk - article about the awards TOU

From the Author:

The most difficult thing about organizing the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony all these years has been getting people to realize that the winners -- and their achievements -- are real. Want some evidence of how difficult it can be for people to accept reality as reality? AMAZON.CO.UK PERSISTS IN CLASSIFYING THE BOOK AS "FICTION."

-Marc Abrahams, September 4, 2002

About this edition

• Publisher: Orion, London
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0752851500
• ISBN 13: 9780752851501
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 319