The Alphabet of Manliness

"The Alphabet of Manliness" is the debut book by American humorist and Internet personality Maddox, published in 2006. It reached the #1 position on the New York Times Best Seller List.Fact|date=April 2008

Publication

Maddox announced the book on February 22, 2005, and announced its title to a subscribed mailing list on October 18, 2005. An art contest was held on the website to pick the illustrators. It 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 the book arrived to those who pre-ordered it on June 1, 2006. The book debuted at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list for Hardcover Advice/Other, and stayed in that spot for an extended period of time. 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." Excluding the foreword, acknowledgments, and an illustrator index, the book is 204 pages in length.

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.

ections

The book consists of 26 short sections, each corresponding to a letter of the alphabet.

*A - Ass-Kicking
*B - Boner
*C - Copping a Feel
*D - Taking a Dump
*E - Enlightenment
*F - Female Wrestling
*G - Gas
*H - Hot Sauce
*I - Irate
*J - Jerky, Beef
*K - Knockers
*L - Lumberjack
*M - Metal
*N - Chuck Norris
*O - Obedience
*P - Pirates
*Q - Quickies
*R - Road Rage
*S - Sneaking a Peek
*T - Taunting
*U - Urinal Etiquette
*V - Violence
*W - Winner
*X - XXX
*Y - Yelling
*Z - Zombies

Illustrators

* Bryan Douglas
* Justina Fader
* Louis Fernet-Leclair
* Jim Moore
* John Petersen
* Thomas Pollock Jr.
* Leah Tiscione
* Angelo Vildasol
* JayJay1401

Book signing tour

After the official release of "The Alphabet of Manliness", Maddox went on a book signing 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 Mid-west 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 [http://www.alphabetofmanliness.com 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. Amusingly, some attending fans abided by these rules.

While copies of "The Alphabet of Manliness" were primarily signed, some of the people in line had also asked for clothes or body parts (mainly breasts) to be signed as well. [http://alphabetofmanliness.com/?u=tour] One man even asked that his prosthetic leg be signed.

ee also

* Maddox (writer)
* The Best Page in the Universe
* I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

External links

* [http://www.alphabetofmanliness.com/ Official website]
* [http://maddox.xmission.com The Best Page in the Universe]
* [http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/06/02/maddox_qa/index_np.html Interview about Maddox and the book's content]