Books of Howlers and Other Blunders

The following bibliography lists, in chronological order, books of howlers and other blunders.  We have provided the bibliography so that you may see something of the history of compiling English language blunders. The bibliography lists only secondary sources that have a substantial compilation of English language blunders.

For an indication of the kind of primary sources the compiler used to create Funny English Errors and Insights, read the footnotes at the end of the funny English errors that didn't make it into our book.

Links are to Amazon and, where available, to pages on this website that contain significant content from or about the particular book.

Several aspects of Funny English Errors and Insights set the book apart from these other collections. For example, Funny English Errors and Insights:

• traces the specimens to their original source, or as close to the original source as we could get
• contains specimens that have never been published before in a compilation
• includes 30 illustrations from the National Library's Pictorial Collections
• contains a select list of 301 specimens — it's the specimens that didn't make it into the collection that makes Funny English Errors and Insights extra special

Bibliography

1. Punch, or the London Charivari (1841–1992; 1996–2002) (magazine that often published howlers and bloopers from contemporary newspapers and other sources)
2. John Smith, Irish Diamonds or a Theory of Irish Wit and Blunders: Combined with other Kindred Subjects (1847)
3. Charles Bombaugh, The Book of Blunders: Comprising Hibernicisms, Bulls that are Not Irish and Typographic Errors (1871)
4. D Appleton and Co, English as She is Wrote (1883)
5. Caroline B Le Row, English as She is Taught (1887)
6. WA Clouston, The Book Of Noodles: Stories Of Simpletons (1888)
7. University Correspondent (1892–) (from 1892 to 1939 (except for 1913), the University Correspondent published the results of a competition for the year’s best collection of howlers)
8. Marshall Brown, Bulls and Blunders (1894)
9. Henry J Barker, The Comic Side of School Life (8 ed, 1906)
10. Marshall Brown, Humor of Bulls and Blunders (1906)
11. EB Lewin Hill, Verse, Prose, and Epitaphs (1908)
12. JC Percy, Bulls: Ancient and Modern (1912)
13. TJ Macnamara, School-Room Humour (3 ed, 1913)
14. Cecil Hunt, Howlers (1928)
15. Walter Jerrold, Bulls, Blunders and Howlers (1928)
16. Colin McIlwaine, Schoolboy “Howlers” (3 ed, 1928)
17. Cecil Hunt, Fresh Howlers (1930)
18. Cecil Hunt, Howlers Omnibus (1928–30) (comprising Howlers, Fresh Howlers, and Fun with the Famous)
19. Colin McIlwaine, Smith Minor Again (1930)
20. Ho Hum: Newsbreaks from “The New Yorker” (1931)
21. Alexander Abingdon, Boners (1931)
22. Alexander Abingdon, More Boners (1931)
23. Alexander Abingdon, Still More Boners (1931)
24. Alexander Abingdon, The Omnibus Boners (1931) (comprising Boners, More Boners, and Still More Boners)
25. Cecil Hunt, Howlers Encored (1931)
26. WW Scott, Breaks (1931)
27. Another Ho Hum: More Newsbreaks from “The New Yorker” (1932)
28. Alexander Abingdon, Prize Boners for 1932 (1932)
29. Cecil Hunt, Latest Howlers (1934)
30. Frank M Richmond, School Yarns and Howlers (1934) 75
31. Cecil Hunt and Edmund Blampied (illustrator), Hand-picked Howlers (1937)
32. John Audrey, Bloomers (1937)
33. Cecil Hunt and Edmund Blampied (illustrator), More Hand-picked Howlers (1938)
34. Cecil Hunt and Edmund Blampied (illustrator), Ripe Howlers (1939)
35. The Pocket Book of Boners (1941) (selections from Alexander Abingdon, Boners, More Boners, Still More Boners, and Prize Boners for 1932)
36. Juliet Lowell, Dear Sir (1944)
37. KR Cramp, The “Roar” Material of History (1946)
38. Juliet Lowell, Dear Sir or Madam a New Collection of Loony and Wonderful American Letters (1946)
39. Louis Untermeyer, A Treasury of Laughter (1946)
40. Cecil Hunt, My Favourite Howlers (1951)
41. Alexander Abingdon, Bigger and Better Boners (1952) (half the specimens were new to Americans at the time) (added 15 February 2010)
42. Denys Parsons, It Must be True: It Was All in the Papers (1952)
43. SC Johnson, Schoolboy and Other Howlers (1953)
44. Denys Parsons, Can It Be True? (1953)
45. Juliet Lowell, Dear Doctor (1955)
46. Denys Parsons, Nothing Brightens the Garden Like Primrose Pants: The Life and Times of Gobfrey Shrdlu (1955) (text from It Must Be True (1952) and Can It Be True? (1953))
47. Cecil Hunt, The Best Howlers (1957)
48. H Allen Smith, Don't Get Perconel With a Chicken (1957)
49. Juliet Lowell, Dear Justice: A Book for the Just, the Unjust, and Those Who Just Like to Laugh (1958)
50. Denys Parsons, Many a True Word (1958)
51. Juliet Lowell, Dear Hollywood (1959)
52. Roger Brook, Really, Nurse! Hundreds of Nursing Howlers Taken from the Actual Examination Papers of Many Great Hospitals (1960)
53. Juliet Lowell, Dear Mr Congressman (1960)
54. Juliet Lowell, Dear Folks (1960)
55. Private Eye (1961–) (magazine that often publishes howlers and bloopers from contemporary newspapers and other sources)
56. Juliet Lowell, Dear Man of Affairs (1961)
57. Art Linkletter, Kids Sure Rite Funny! A Child's Garden of Misinformation (1962)
58. Denys Parsons, Say It Isn't So (1st American edition,1962)
59. Juliet Lowell, Dear VIP (1963)
60. Denys Parsons, Funny Ha Ha and Funny Peculiar (1965)
61. Jerry Robinson, True Classroom Flubs & Fluffs (1965)
62. Fritz Spiegl, What the Papers Didn't Mean to Say (1965)
63. Roger Brook, And After That Nurse? (1966)
64. Juliet Lowell, Boners in the News (1966)
65. Fritz Spiegl, Black on White Misprint Show (1966)
66. Denys Parsons, Funny Ho Ho and Funny Fantastic (1967)
67. Juliet Lowell, Dear Candidate (1968)
68. Fritz Spiegl, More of What the Papers Didn't Mean to Say (1968)
69. Denys Parsons, Funny Amusing and Funny Amazing (1969)
70. Fritz Spiegl, What the Aussie Papers Didn't Mean to Say (1969)
71. Amsel Greene, Pullet Surprises (1969)
72. Ben Trovato, Best Howlers (1970)
73. Denys Parsons, Fun-Tastic (1971)
74. Denys Parsons, Even More Fun-tastic (1972)
75. Denys Parsons, Funny, Funny, Funny (1976)
76. Richard E Gregory, Knight Book of Howlers (1977)
77. Patrick Myler, Irish Newspaper Howlers (1978)
78. Denys Parsons, Funny Ribtickleous and Funny Ridiculous (1979)
79. Gloria Cooper, Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim, and Other Flubs from the Nation's Press (1980)
80. Janet Dunbar and Clifford Webb, Laughing Matter (1980)
81. WD Ian Rolfe, Geological Howlers: Boners and Bloomers (1980)
82. Denys Parsons, The Best of Shrdlu (1981) (omnibus edition, with ¼ new material)
83. Gyles Brandreth, Book of Mistaikes (1982)
84. David Hardy, What a Mistake (1983)
85. Russell Ash, Howlers (1985) (based on the Howlers books by Cecil Hunt)
86. R Nielson, Breeding As a Sport: 101 Student Howlers (1985)
87. Barry Thiering, The Book of Howlers (1985)
88. Fred Thompson, Recline and Fall: A Teacher's Treasury of Schoolboy Howlers (1986)
89. Gloria Cooper, Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge (1987)
90. FAC Lawrence, Classic Classroom Clangers (1987)
91. Richard Lederer, Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language (1987)
92. Robin Williamson, Holy Howlers (1987)
93. William Cooke, Howlers (1988)
94. Janet Rogers, Hilarious Howlers and Nutty News (1988)
95. Denys Parsons, Lady with Little Dog Seeks Post (1989) (previously published as The Best of Shrdlu (1981)
96. Reader’s Digest, Press Clangers and Bloopers (1991)
97. Jarvis Finger, Did I Really Say That? (1993)
98. Richard Lederer, More Anguished English: an Expose of Embarrassing Excruciating, and Egregious Errors in English (1993)
99. John G Muir, The Best of Classroom Clangers (1995)
100. Richard Lederer, Fractured English (1996)
101. Alexander Abingdon, Herrings Go about the Sea In Shawls: ...and Other Classic Howlers from Classrooms and Examination Papers (1997) (reprint of the 1931 Boners book)
102. Patricia J Hunt, Holy Howlers (1999)
103. Michelle Lovric and Lea Chambers, Latin Stuff and Nonsense (1999)
104. Richard Lederer, The Bride of Anguished English: A Bonanza of Bloopers, Blunders, Botches, and Boo-Boos (2000)
105. Vincent Shanley, Classic Classroom Clangers: A Rowdy Assembly of Howlers and Gaffes (2000)
106. Michelle Lovric, Howlers & Faux Pas: The Awkward Art of the Gaffe and Bloomer(2001)
107. Denys Parsons, It Must Be True: Classic Newspaper Howlers, Bloomers and Misprints (2002) (collection of howlers from Parsons’ previous books)
108. Michael O’Mara, The World's Stupidest Headlines (The World's Stupidest series) (2004)
109. Richard Lederer, The Revenge of Anguished English: More Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language (2005)
110. Norman McGreevy, Must Try Harder!: The Very Worst Howlers by Schoolchildren (2006)
111. Vincent Shanley, More Classic Classroom Clangers (2006)
112. Alexander Abingdon, Boners: Seriously Misguided Facts- According to Schoolkids (2007) (reprint of the 1931 Boners book)
113. Richard Benson, F in Exams: The Funniest Test Paper Blunders (2008) (added 15 February 2010)
114. Anders Henriksson, Ignorance is Blitz: Mangled Moments of History From Actual College Students (2008) (published in 2002 as Non Campus Mentis)
(added 11 April 2010)
115. Richard Benson, Blackboard Blunders: Spelling Slip-ups and Homework Howlers (2009) (added 15 February 2010)
116. Anders Henriksson, College in a Nutskull: A Crash Ed Course in Higher Education (2010) (added 11 April 2010)
117. Troy Simpson, Funny English Errors and Insights — Illustrated (2010)