Empty book explained

Empty books or blank books are novelty books whose title indicates that they treat some serious subject, but whose pages have been left intentionally blank. The joke is that "nothing" is the answer to whatever the title of the book asserts.

A number of such titles have been published as attempts at satire or polemic, to some commercial success. In 2017, The Guardian commented that the trend of publishing political empty books had led to "the noble art of political parody [descending] into a one-joke turn that avoids words".

List of empty books

This list includes, in order of publication, empty books that have been published with an ISBN or have received coverage in reliable sources unrelated to the author. The books may have book design features such as front matter, a table of contents, page numbers, etc., as long as the pages are otherwise blank.

• A record of the statesmanship and political achievements of Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, regular Democratic nominee for president of the United States (1880). A political pamphlet attacking Winfield Scott Hancock, Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880.
• Political Achievements of the Earl of Dalkeith (1880). A political pamphlet attacking William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom William Ewart Gladstone, a Liberal, defeated the Conservative Douglas Scott in an upset victory at Midlothian.
• Sussol, Max (1986). O Que Se Pode Fazer Sexualmente Após 80 Anos (translated from Brazilian Portuguese: "What can you do sexually after 80 years old"). One hundred twenty empty pages. ISBN 979-0090017033.^[1]
• Book: Simove. Sheridan. What Every Man Thinks About Apart from Sex.. 2011. Summersdale. 978-1849531986. Popular among British university students who used it as a notebook.^[2]
• Book: Ferguson. Rich. What Men Know About Women. 16 March 2011. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 978-1460993781. (Available on Amazon). However, similar, earlier versions authored by others exist, e.g., Everything Men Know About Women by Dr. Alan Francis.^[3]
• Book: Moncrief. Jimmy. Everything Obama Knows About the Economy. 2011. Self-published. 978-0980074239. ^[4]
• Book: Simove. Sheridan. Fifty Shades of Gray. 1 August 2012. Self-published. 978-0956827845. This was a collection of 200 blank pages in various shades of the color gray. Removed from circulation after legal action by the publisher of the novel Fifty Shades of Grey.^[5]
• Book: Cuthbertson. Steven J.. The Wit and Wisdom of Nigel Farage. 1 June 2014. Ebury Press. 978-0091960094. Angered UK Independence Party supporters who bought it in the belief that it contained actual pronouncements by Nigel Farage.^[6]
• Book: Alystiam. Ann. Surprising Reasons to Believe Trump Will Be a Great President!. 25 November 2016. Self-published. 978-0991068944. Authored by former Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes, under a pseudonym.^[7]
• Book: King. David. Why Trump Deserves Trust, Respect and Admiration. 30 November 2016. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 978-1540743220. ^[8]
• Book: Michael J. Knowles. Knowles. Michael J.. Reasons to Vote for Democrats

  A Comprehensive Guide

  . 8 February 2017. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 978-1543024975. A bestseller on Amazon.com and promoted on Twitter by Donald Trump.^[9]
• Book: Voll. Assaf. A History of the Palestinian People. 12 June 2017. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 978-1546831242. A "bestseller on Amazon.com" (where it was the 543rd most sold book), until it was removed^[10]

See also

• Blank piece of paper
• "The Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of a Case of 'Writer's Block'"

Notes and References

1. Web site: Livro: O Que Se Pode Fazer Sexualmente Após 80 Anos - Max Sussol . 2022-05-22 . Estante Virtual . pt-br.
2. News: What Every Man Thinks About Apart From Sex: book of blank pages become surprise bestseller. 11 March 2018. The Daily Telegraph. 3 March 2011.
3. News: Everything Men Know About Women book has only blank pages. 19 December 2021. en.
4. News: Pappas. Alex . This Guy Published A Book Of 200 Blank Pages: 'Everything Obama Knows About The Economy'. 11 March 2018. Business Insider. 20 December 2011.
5. News: Meet the Man Who Sold Hundreds of Thousands of Books With Blank Pages in Them. 12 March 2018. Observer. 20 April 2016.
6. News: Wheaton. Oliver. Ukip supporters want this satirical book about Nigel Farage banned. 11 March 2018. Metro. 12 January 2015.
7. News: Hanrahan. Kieran. Cylvia Hayes' New Book On Trump Is A Page-Turner. 11 March 2018. OPB News. 16 December 2016. en.
8. News: Greene. Leonard. New book on reasons to trust Trump made of blank pages. 11 March 2018. New York Daily News. 1 February 2017. en.
9. News: Kean. Danuta. Empty satire: the regrettable rise of blank-paged books in the Trump era. 23 February 2018. The Guardian. 18 April 2017.
10. News: Empty Book on Palestinian History Becomes Instant Best-seller on Amazon. 11 March 2018. Haaretz. 22 June 2017. en.