Even though Revelation X is without doubt the
Slackest Book we'll see in THIS Millenium, here's a couple of books that
drip Slack and are the ideal "back to school" gift for those returning to
the depths of "higher" education after the holidays.
(this file is a reposting of an earlier Alt.Slack posting.)
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First up,_Legends of Cal Tech_ and _More Legends of Cal Tech_. These two
80 page
volumes chronicle technopranking at Cal Tech from the 1920s to the late
1980s.
Learn about the classic Rose Bowl card section prank that was broadcast
live on
NBC, See the HOLLYWOOD sign become the CALTECH sign before your very eyes.
Vicariously enjoy the revenge of Cal Tech students upon a greedy police
department.
These books MUST be ordered from the Ca lTech bookstore, as they are
privately
published by the Cal Tech Alumni Association. Ordering info is at the end
of
this message.
Ah, but what of MIT? For their history we must turn to _The Journal of the
Institute for Hacks, TomFoolery & Pranks at MIT_. Published by the MIT
Museum, (NOT The MIT Press!) this is a 158 page book with lots of photos
and text concerning the hacks pulled by MIT men (and women) over the
decades. See The Great Breast of Knowledge, The Great Pumpkin, the
legendary Smoot Marks on the Harvard Bridge. Read about the chronic
humiliation suffered by the inmates at Harvard as MIT has it's evil way
with the statue of John Harvard and the Harvard Stadium.
Our final book is published by St. Martin's Press and should be available
via
any bookstore that will special order books for it's customers. _If At All
Possible, Involve A Cow - The Book Of College Pranks_, is a 240 page
history of
collegiate pranking in America, beginning with the earliest colleges in
America, and even taking note of some hijinx taking place in Canada.
This is an excellent companion volume to the preceeding three books, as it
covers collegiate pranking in general, as well as detailing some events
that
are NOT covered in either the Cal Tech or MIT books.
If I were sending a son or daughter off to college, I would certainly
include
all four of these books in their "books to bring to school" box. Start 'em
off
right!
Ordering information.
Legends of Cal Tech is $9.00
More Legends of Cal Tech is $15.00
The mailing address of the Cal Tech Bookstore is:
Cal Tech Bookstore
Mail Code 1-51
San Pasqual Street
Pasadena CA 91125
The toll-free number for the Cal Tech bookstore is 800/514-2665. For those
of
you outside the US, their non-free number is 818/395-6161.
In my case, shipping was $6.00. Call to find out what your charges might
be or
to use a credit card.
(neither book has an ISBN, so ordering via your local bookstore is not
recommended and may very well be impossible.)
The Journal of The Institute For Hacks, TomFoolery and Pranks at MIT is
$20.00
The ISBN is: 0-917027-03-5
The address of the MIT Museum is:
The MIT Museum 265 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge MA 02139
The phone number for the MIT Museum shop is 617/253-4462 and they do mail
orders. Call first, though, for the current price & shipping costs, as
this is
probably the fastest way to get the book. Ordering via a bookstore might
get
confusing as this is not published by a major publishing house.
If At All Possible, Involve A Cow - The Book Of College Pranks,
by Neil Steinberg
$9.95 St. Martin's Press ISBN 0-312-07810-2
(I'm told by my friend at SMP that of September 1994, there are about 4000
copies still in the warehouse and SMP will fulfill orders for the book, as
it's still officially "in print".) St. Martin's Press officially urges you
to order this book via your local bookstore. You'll get it faster. If your
local mall McBookstore tells you it's out of print, they're lazy, lying
bastards.
I have all four books and I've enjoyed reading and re-reading them. I
trust that these will be inspirational to all who enjoy a good hack and
tweaking the nose of Authority, be it the State or the School.
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Original file name: Slack Book review
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