In their successful 1999 publication, "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook", the authors Piven & Borgenicht gave us useful advice for surviving everything from a shark attack, to how to take a punch in the face with the minimum of injury. Now, as we swiftly approach the holiday season, they give us their latest work which focuses on holiday survival.

While you won't find information on how to safely jump out of a 2 story window into a trash dumpster, you WILL find information on how to gain control of a one-horse open sleigh, how to defend yourself against a charging reindeer and how to extricate yourself or someone else who is stranded in a chimney.

For the "rest of us" who aren't likely to find ourselves descending chimneys or dodging rutting male reindeer, there are LOTS of very helpful bits of advice for those things you're very LIKELY to encounter during this holiday season, including How To Wear Tight-Fitting Clothing that you've "outgrown" due to holiday eating, how to guess at what's inside a present (and how to PREVENT people who snoop on their presents!), as well as how to avoid kisses under the mistletoe and how to prevent yourself from being swept away by a marauding crowd of holiday shoppers.

Some survival tips are pure fun, like How To Repurpose A Fruitcake (doorstop, object d'art and tire block for your car are just a few), while others may actually be quite helpful in an actual situation: How To Prevent A Turkey From Exploding; How To Extinguish A Burning Turkey; and How To Treat Mistletoe (and food) Poisoning In Both People And Pets (you DID know that the berries of mistletoe are poisonous, didn't you?)

Naturally, this book is heavier on how to act in social settings (like dealing with meddlesome relatives and annoying carolers) and entertaining guests (how to open a bottle of wine with a broken cork, how to make an emergency menorah) than it is on actual dangers, but for anyone who's looking for a fun read and some practical advice, this and the other Worst-Case books are definitely worth getting! With it's festive, reflective silver cover, it's a perfect gift for the holidays as well as displaying prominently among your holiday displays. Besides, you just never know when disaster might strike, and you should always Be Prepared!! Highly recommended!

Being a big fan of the holidays, the snow, lights, decorations, etc. I decided to pick-up the newest addition to "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook" series. And I am pleased to add, that this was definitely worth the money. The scenarios in this book are so stupid, yet so funny. They remind you of an MTV show entitled "Jack---" From tips on how to fend off a charging reindeer to how to treat a tongue stuck to a pole, you won't be disappointed.

The humor of "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Guide: Holidays" goes on an on. You'll even find yourself rolling on the floor laughing out loud. This is a must read for everyone.

Every programmer should have a copy of this by their side!=

I purchased the Jewish Mother Goose for my mother-in-law for Mother's day. I'm back online today to order four more! The book is filled with hilarious send-ups of traditional rhymes complete with jewish terminology. Makes a great gift for any Jewish Mother...or ayoner with a sense of humor!

I loved these stories growing up and missed them when I started reading to my sons. I'm glad they are still around. Lessons are hidden in many of the stories, but not as blatent as many new childrens books seem to be.

Great stuff. Came with a poster, too!

If you're thinking of buying this to be AFRICAN lore, don't. This is an adaptation of the Joel Chandler Harris Uncle Remus stories, focusing on those containing the Brer Rabbit character. The stories are delightful, and will be a joy to any (I also heartily recommend buying a complete set for reading aloud), but the tales are drawn directly from the heart and soul of America (there are no raccoons and bears in Africa, anyway...sheesh).

After visiting Disney World last year my 4 year old daughter kept after me to retell the story of Brer Rabbit and the tar baby, I was so pleased to find this book with its great illustrations. When we read this book before bed we just can't read one. My daughter likes all the stories not just the Tar Baby and the poster is great too.

A fantastic overview of the Sesame Street continuum, this heavily-illustrated tome has songs, behind-the-scenes information, a giant picture of Count Von Count laughing maniacally (worth the price of entry along), and lots of neat information with which to dazzle your friends (apparently Oscar the Grouch was originally brown).

The only drawback is a confusion of purpose - it's not sure whether it's a guide for kids or grown-ups, and the information is therefore fairly light (there's no episode guide, for example, and Buffy Saint-Marie is never mentioned fully by name). Still, it's a great thing to have around, and you can dip into it every so often for a new fact.

Best of all, it'll make you want to watch the show again, if you aren't already - it's one of the finest things on television anywhere, and anything that encourages people to watch it is a Good Thing in my opinion.

In this, the first Sesame Street book for adults, We can see a history of the show from it's begining to its 30th birthday.

I have fond memories of this show and am distressed that this fine book has become out of print so quickly.

It has a history of the many characters on the show, including ones who were nixed for various reasons. Anybody remember Don Music or Gladys the Cow?

How about the day Mr. Hoopers's death was announced. I missed that part and probably would not have remembered it as I would have only been 3 at the time.

As I look back to my childhood years, I have many fond memories of the show and would want to see this book reissued.

For anyone else whose heart was heavy when Jim Henson died, this book will appeal to you. Sesame Street Unpaved is a wonderful account of what inspired those great characters from our favorite street, who creates those characters, and great out-takes of our favorite songs (Rubber Duckie!) and favorite skits (remember when Kermit is reporting for Sesame Street news?). I read this book in one sitting, and couldn't stop looking at the great pictures of the puppets, the sets, and the kids! Now that I have a child of my own, I get to watch Sesame Street everyday again, and I have to admit, I miss it! This book really brings back great childhood memories of turning the channel (physically, as in a knob!) to PBS in the morning.

Survival Rule #1 Watch Where You're Driving and that doesn't just mean at the tee off! Like all the Worst-Case Scenario Books in the series, this one has the familiar, easy to read layout with step-by-step instructions that are brief but informative. Nice how this sport edition gives a few words of advice on playing the game and explains how the official rules of golf apply in the unique situations, plus highlights a few guidelines to keeping good golf etiquette, which is all helpful for preventing confusion and heated debate among players.

The topic is divided into just a few chapters called: Bad Lies, Equipment Disasters, Dangerous Animals and Golfing Emergencies. The scenarios covered range from how to retrieve a ball lost in the ball washer, retrieve a ball from a gopher hole, how to keep score without a pencil, how to spot a cheat, disarm an irate golfer, start a dead cart, stop a runaway cart or free a cart from a sand trap. How to prevent a club from flying out of your hand and how to retrieve a golf club or golf ball lodged in a tree [they recommend wearing a hard hat to protect your head during this operation, imagine that!]. How to drive with a putter or putt with a driver, how to survive if you run out of tees, how to treat a sprained ankle, a blister, poison ivy, sunburn, heatstroke or dehydration. How to deal with a brush fire, alligator, snake, rabid animal or an attack by birds, not to mention how to deal with a fashion emergency or recognize a golf addiction. There is even a little over view on gambling bets and some translation of golfspeak. Also advice is included for avoiding lighting strikes and tornados while you're outside in open areas.

This book is a riot and the illustrations are great, they add so much and they truly are hilarious. A golfer at any level or interest will love it and even those who make fun of the sport and hate it, might find the book enjoyable too. It has an answer for nearly every golfer's nightmare, giving tips for surviving a life and death situation that probably will just end up being all par for the course.

This is THE present for someone in your neighbourhood that's always boasting about his (or her) golf relations... Seen the beautiful greeeeeen cover? Me too...

I picked this book up for my parents as an afterthought and a joke (one avid golfer for life, mother just picking it up) and they LOVED it! Both sat down and read it straight through, laughing out loud and enjoying it. Now I wish I had saved it for the holidays!

What can one say, but get this book. Yeah, at first people look at you like you're a weirdo, but soon they are reading over your shoulder and can't stop especially, on the how to establish communication with extraterrestrials (man, now I totally understand Close Encounters of the Third Kind).

Be aware that there are some copies of this book that were bound incorrectly so it seems that there are a chunk of pages missing but you find them later on out of sequence. This could be annoying since you may need some of the misplaced techniques pronto such as, the aforementioned establishing contact with extraterrestrials.

It's a cool gift for anyone and it is very informative. How many books really educuate you on how to do cool things in a simple, straight-forward manner? At first you may resist but soon you are drawn to it's hypnotic, educating charm.

After reading this book, I thought, "Is this book missing anything about how to be a hero. No, it is not missing anything, it tells evrything it promisies. The books tells you (and illustrates how to with drawings) how to catch a great white shark, perform the vulcan nerve pinch, track a fugitive, and many more.

This is an awesome book that tells you information that is really interesting, but you will probably never use most of it. I reccomend this to all different sorts of people who have ever seen an action movie. It's a really cool book.

I love this little book! I first received it as a wedding party favor, and every time I look through the pages, it brings up some childhood memory of long ago that brings a smile to my face. I recommend this for anyone who likes to give pleasure (in an innocent manner) to anyone in their life.

I'm along way from but I will write a review anyway ~~I retired last year and this little book was given to me from a co-worker~ it is delightful and will make any one smile a perfect gift

I bought this for my sister b/c I thought the concept was great & it had good potential to be funny. Just got it & can't believe how deadpan the individual entries are. For this, I can read a first-aid manual. All the places where it could have been funny, in the text, it's completely serious; granted there are some funny topics, such as evading sharks, but the material, when you read it, falls flat.

I ran across this in a store last November and immediately bought a copy for myself and one to send to a friend. We both love it! For practical purposes, it has nice big writing spaces for the dates and weird survival-related events in some spots. The advice is real, obtained from people who definitely have the practical experience needed to talk about this stuff...most of the situations are HIGHLY unlikely, which is where it gets funny. If you travel to crazy places like I occasionally do, the page about "How to pass a bribe in a foreign country." could be useful. Enjoy!

While I hope I never need to fool a lie detector test or take a punch, it's reassuring to know that I'll be able to if I have to! Now if they could only come up with a "How to survive walking into walls/tripping down stairs/over curbs/etc. because you can't get your nose out of a book" I'd be set! An absolute must have!

I was given this book as a gift. From the cover and the title, I assumed it was a humourous book. I was really surprised when I started to read it, to discover that it is a serious summary of how to survive any number of disasters. Quicksand. Being eaten by an alligator. Needing to jump from one moving vehicle to another. Each of these situations is explored with an eye to helping you survive it in as good health as possible. (Some of them you probably can't survive without injury: this book explains why and how you can minimize the injury you suffer.)

I was surprised by how interesting the book was. It's written in a clean, clear style, which would be easy to understand in case of emergency. My only fear is that in case of emergency, I would not have the book with me. On the other hand, the book gives lots of suggestions for staying out of worst-case situations altogether, which is certainly useful.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read, and I learned a lot from it. I just hope I never have to use any of the things I learned!

Wow, what a book. Contains all kinds of cool stuff I've always wanted to know. Heres a partial list of whats in the book:-How to jump from a bridge into a lake or river.-How to jump from a multi-story rooftop into a dumpster.-How to run on top of a speeding train.-How to leap from a motorcycle into moving car.-How to deliver a baby in a taxi cab.-How to land an airplane.-How to survive if your parachute fails to open.-How to survive machine gun fire from a passing car.-How to get to the surface if your scuba tank runs out of air.-How to escape quicksand (even if your up to your neck).-How to ram a car.-How to break down a door (exactly where to kick.)-How to break into and hotwire a car.-How to do a 180 degree turn with your car (also known as a bootleggers turn).-How to fight sharks, grizzly bears and mountian lions without any kind of weapons. -How to beat the living hell out of an attacking alligator (where to hit him that will stop him instantly).This is dead serious material. I have no idea why it would be in the humor section of the bookstore. Buy it, learn the material, weave some fantastic tales for the grand kids and become the family legend. I enjoyed this book so much I bought 3 copies for my 'very tough' beer drinking buddies.

This is a really strange book; it's funny in places because of the survival scenarios the author chooses (killer bees, earthquakes, defective parachutes, storms, avalanches and more.)

But then again, it isn't so funny. For example, the instruction on avalanche survival is actually really valuable; plenty of people get buried every ski season around the world and the author gives a quick, simple instruction. This actually could save your life if you ski. The earthquake advice is also a good take-away. If you aren't familiar with earthquake drill and are visiting an earthquake-prone area, you will know what to do.

What also is good about Worst-Case Scenarios is that it has you THINK about situations and vicariously problem-solve. This exercises your brain to think about how you might react in more mundane emergencies. That's good training.

And finally, this book is very interesting as a party icebreaker. Read a situation out to a group and ask them to pose a solution (readers of the book must be disqualified, of course.) Then compare the group's solutions with author Piven's recommendation. That's sure to get the conversation flowing.