Oh! The Things You'll Learn...

Today's spectacular find may be a bit of base humor, but it has kept us laughing all morning. In 1931, Dr. Seuss (then just beginning his soon-to-be long and industrious career) illustrated a book titled "Boners." We're not kidding.

At least it's written in large, friendly letters.

This is "A Collection of Schoolboy Wisdom, or Knowledge as It Is Sometimes Written, Compiled from Classrooms and Examination Papers by Alexander Abingdon, and Illustrated by Dr. Suess." In so many words, it is hilarious, and it is brilliant. Through some research, Alexander Abingdon does not apparently exist. "[His name] was added as a place-holder by the manufacturing manager of the Viking Press and was due to be replaced by a "big name" when one was found to write the introduction. One was not found in time and they forgot to remove the name." (Read the full Curious Pages blog here.)

Boners is full of the wit that only schoolboys from 1931 can arrive at, and while funny, they are occasionally quite dirty and some by today's standards are downright racist. However, Dr. Seuss' inimitable illustrative style is evident and worth seeing. For any adults who enjoyed Seuss books as a child, this would be a good step up from the remembered One Fish, Two Fish.

Some of the favorites from this morning include:

A goblet is a male turkey.

A polygon is a dead parrot.

Homer wrote the Oddity.

In what order do the Gospels come? --One after the other.

A mountain range is a cooking stove used at high altitudes.

Masculine, man; feminine, woman; neuter, corpse.

The different kinds of sense are common-sense and non-sense.

Oh! The Things You'll Learn...about young Dr. Seuss.