Bathroom books, known for their brevity and self-contained chapters, are a literary genre that provides short bursts of information for readers during their downtime. Some publishing houses have embraced the niche market, publishing titles such as Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader. Most bathroom books can be found in the humor or reference sections and are not reliant on glossy photography. It is recommended to invest in a book or magazine rack to protect them from water damage.
There’s no easy way to put it: we all have to go there sometime. Luckily the search for knowledge doesn’t have to stop, thanks to a literary genre called bathroom books. Bath books, with a few notable exceptions, receive no such designation from the original author or publisher. Instead, some books become popular reading material in the bathroom due to their brevity or self-contained chapters. Periodicals like “Reader’s Digest” or the Guinness Book of World Records might qualify as good bath books, while epics like War and Peace or The Great Gats might not qualify under normal circumstances.
Some publishing houses have openly embraced the niche “bathroom book” market, publishing titles such as Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader, which contains humorous short essays, general interest articles, and trivia. Other intentional bath books may offer quick condensations of famous works of literature or celebrity facts. These books are marketed specifically to those looking for something to read during their inevitable downtime.
Some books may have started out with aspirations of greatness, but have since become the stuff of bath books. The World Almanac and the Guinness Book of Records are perfect examples of tomes whose form may have been usurped by function. Since few of us can predict how long we might be kept in solitary confinement, bathroom books need to provide short bursts of information without much in the way of eye-popping cliffhangers or elaborate character development. One must be able to walk away from most bathroom books easily.
In general, we know what to expect from so-called “coffee table books”. There are the usual oversized photographs of cacti in the deserts of the Southwest or the oversized smiling face of a well-known celebrity. But most bathroom books don’t rely on glossy photography for their everyday appeal. Bath books are the Detective Joe Fridays of the literary world: just the facts, ma’am.
Unless you know of a particularly progressive bookstore, look for most bathroom books in the humor or reference sections. The Uncle John series has proven particularly popular, so variety shouldn’t be an issue. If you are serious about your toilet literature, you may also want to invest in a book or magazine rack to protect your investment from water damage. Be prepared to replace your collection periodically, both when mores and societal attitudes change, and when the adventures of Archie and Jughead no longer seem as relevant as they used to.
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