Oddest Book Title of the Year award: 'Baboon Metaphysics' is on the shortlist, but 'All Dogs Have ADHD' missed out

The awards season moved into another gear yesterday with the shortlist for the Oddest Book Title of the Year.

Excrement in the Late Middle Ages and All Dogs Have ADHD were rejected, and there were disqualifications for Sketches of Hull Authors and Monumental Beginnings: Archaeology of the N4 Sligo Inner Relief Road.

The six to make the cut include texts on ape society, a medical guide to incontinence, a guide to prime numbers and a global perspective on soft cheese packaging. And their titles are:

Baboon Metaphysics, by Dorothy L Cheney and Robert M Seyfarth (University of Chicago Press);

Curbside Consultation of the Colon, by Brooks D Cash (SLACK Inc);

The Large Sieve and its Applications, by Emmanuel Kowalski (Cambridge University Press);

Strip and Knit with Style, by Mark Hordyszynski (C&T);

Techniques for Corrosion Monitoring, by Lietai Yang (Woodhead);

The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais, by Professor Philip M Parker (Icon Group Int).

The winner will be chosen by an internet vote at www.thebookseller.com.

Hall of fame: The previous winners

1978: Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice (University of Tokyo Press)

1979: The Madam as Entrepreneur: Career Management in House Prostitution (Transaction Press)

1980: The Joy of Chickens (Prentice Hall)

1981: Last Chance at Love: Terminal Romances

1982: Population and Other Problems (China National Publications)

1983: The Theory of Lengthwise Rolling (MIR)

1984: The Book of Marmalade: Its Antecedents, Its History and Its Role in the World Today (Constable)

1985: Natural Bust Enlargement with Total Power: How to Increase the Other 90% of Your Mind to Increase the Size of Your Breasts (Westwood Publishing Co)

1986: Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality (Brunner/Mazel)

1987: No Award

1988: Versailles: The View From Sweden (University of Chicago Press)

1989: How to Shit in the Woods: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art (Ten Speed Press)

1990: Lesbian Sadomasochism Safety Manual (Lace Publications)

1991: No Award

1992: How to Avoid Huge Ships (Cornwell Maritime Press)

1993: American Bottom Archaeology (University of Illinois Press)

1994: Highlights in the History of Concrete (British Cement Association)

1995: Reusing Old Graves (Shaw & Son)

1996: Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers (Hellenic Philatelic Society)

1997: The Joy of Sex: Pocket Edition (Mitchell Beazley)

1998: Development in Dairy Cow Breeding and Management: and New Opportunities to Widen the Uses of Straw (Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust)

1999: Weeds in a Changing World (Crop Protection Council)

2000: High Performance Stiffened Structures (Professional Engineering Publishing)

2001: Butterworths Corporate Manslaughter Service (Butterworths)

2002: Living With Crazy Buttocks (Penguin US/Australia)

2003: The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories (Kensington Publishing)

2004: Bombproof Your Horse (J A Allen)

2005: People Who Don't Know They’re Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to do About It (Red Wheel/Weiser Books)

2006: The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification (Harry N Abrams)

2007: If You Want Closure In Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs (Simon & Schuster US)

2008 (Special 30th Anniversary Prize): Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers (Hellenic Philatelic Society)