Our Blog

The Evil Empire

They invented slums. They invented child labor. They put Saddam Hussein in power. They burned Joan of Arc at the stake. They made Elton John a knight.

We’re talking about Britain, of course, and the terrible evils they’ve set loose on the world. In The Evil Empire, American author Steven Grasse documents the 101 worst atrocities perpetrated by Mother England-everything from foxhunting and the invention of the concentration camp to the rock band Oasis. (This spring, he’s also launching a massive global Internet campaign for reparations worth $58 trillion.) With an irreverent mix of historical facts, smart-ass commentary, and red-blooded American arrogance, Grasse offers a devastating critique of the country that gave us the machine gun, factory labor, and Phil Collins. Publishing just in time for the Queen’s birthday (April 21), The Evil Empire is essential reading for anglophiles and true-blue Americans everywhere.

STEVEN A. GRASSE is the CEO of Gyro Worldwide, a multimillion-dollar ad agency. He has designed award-winning campaigns for clients such as Coca-Cola, MTV, and Puma. This is his first book. PENNY RIMBAUD is a drummer, writer, poet, and cofounder of the anarchist punk band Crass.

Posted by impart

My First Book of Business Etiquette

Good business is all about dealing with people. If you have trouble interacting with clients or coworkers, you’ll be circling Help Wanted ads before you know it. My First Book of Business Etiquette is an essential primer on workplace decorum, with information on:

    * Behaving in a meeting
    * Being respectful in an office full of cubicles
    * Conducting business abroad
    * The ins and outs of creative schmoozing
    * And much, much more.

Whether you’re making the transition from the dorm room to the board room-or just want a quick refresher course on good manners-this useful primer is bound to delight!

ALAN AXELROD is the bestselling author of Patton on Leadership, How to Say It at Work, and Elizabeth I, CEO, among others. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Posted by impart

My First Book of Business Ethics

With corporate scandals dominating the headlines on a regular basis, business ethics are more important than ever. This amusing primer highlights everything an aspiring CEO should know about maintaining integrity in corporate America. You’ll find:

    * Guidance on making fair and honest business decisions
    * A quiz to test your own ethics
    * Advice on promoting ethical behavior
    * Simple lessons for making your workplace a positive environment
    * And much, much more.

It’s the perfect gift for office newbies, seasoned executives, and college graduates everywhere!

ALAN AXELROD is the bestselling author of Patton on Leadership, How to Say It at Work, and Elizabeth I, CEO, among others. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Posted by impart

Museum of Kitschy Stitches

"The Museum of Kitschy Stitches’s hilarious tour through the annals of yarn history is a not-to-be-missed comedic cautionary tale.”-Debbie Stoller, author of Stitch ‘N Bitch

Hideous hats, ridiculous wraps, embarrassing neckties, and more-they’re all on display at The Museum of Kitschy Stitches, a photographic gallery of knitting and crocheting horrors. Want to see sci-fi inspired headgear from the 1940s? Gender-bending sweater sets from the ’50s and ’60s? Groovy outerwear from the ’70s? Museum curator Stitchy McYarnpants has sifted through decades of vintage catalogs, patterns, and advertisements to assemble this astonishingly awful collection. Along the way, she provides sidesplitting commentary about the models and their very unfortunate fashion choices. It’s essential reading for knitters and nostalgia buffs!

STITCHY MCYARNPANTS is the nom de plume of mild-mannered computer programmer Debbie Brisson, who has made a splash on the Web with her “confessions of a husband-neglecting, cat-shooing, yarn-hoarding knitaholic” blog and Museum of Kitschy Stitches. She lives in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

Posted by impart

Mr. Alexander’s Four Steps to Love

True love is just four steps away! Put your best foot forward with Mr. Alexander’s Four Steps to Love, a simple program for finding the soul mate you deserve. In just four easy steps, you’ll learn how to visualize your perfect partner, show off your best features, meet 2,000 new people, and find the dream companion who lives within.

Mr. Alexander’s whimsical illustrations and handwritten instructions guide the reader through visualization exercises, motivational rituals, take-charge activities, and more. These techniques have already helped people around the world find their partners in life-and now they can help you. We can’t change our fate-but we can improve our odds, and Mr. Alexander shows us how.

ALEXANDER STADLER is a writer, illustrator, and textile designer based in Philadelphia. He is the author and illustrator of What Willie Wore.

JENNIFER WORICK is the coauthor of My Fabulous Life, My Dysfunctional Life, and The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Dating & Sex. She lives in Philadelphia.

Posted by impart

Mental_Floss Presents: Law School in a Box

Sure, you could spend $100,000 on a law degree from Harvard or Yale. But then you’d have to deal with crowded classrooms, inconvenient course schedules, and rigorous academic study.

Fortunately, the brilliant minds of mental_floss magazine are proud to offer an alternative: Law School in a Box. This prestigious boxed university offers a complete legal education for just $14.95. Your program includes:

    * Law School in 96 Pages: Your Comprehensive Textbook
    * 10 Heroes of the Courtroom Trading Cards
    * 10 “You Be the Judge” Cards
    * A devilishly complicated legal-trivia bar exam
    * A rolled diploma with real Latin words

It’s the perfect gift for lawyers and would-be lawyers of all ages, from the highest-ranked boxed law school in the country!

Available at newsstands everywhere, MENTAL_FLOSS MAGAZINE was founded in 2001 with the mission of blurring the lines between education and entertainment. The editors are responsible for the best-selling books Condensed Knowledge and Forbidden Knowledge.

Posted by impart