Uncle John's Bathroom Readers are a series of books containing trivia

Trivia

The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...

 and short essay

Essay

An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...

s on miscellaneous topics, ostensibly for reading in the bathroom

Bathroom

A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....

. The books are credited to the Bathroom Readers' Institute, though Uncle John is a real person, and are published by Portable Press, an imprint of Baker & Taylor

Baker & Taylor

Baker & Taylor is the world's largest distributor of books and entertainment, in business for over 180 years. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and privately owned, in 2006 it had $2.2 billion in sales, employed 3,750 and was # 181 on Forbes list of privately owned companies...

. The introductions in the books, as well as brief notes in some articles, provide small pieces of information about Uncle John. The first book was published in 1988, and in 2011, the series reached its 24th release, The 24-Karat Gold Bathroom Reader.

Volumes dedicated to a single topic have been released, under the title Uncle John Plunges Into..., for example: history

History

History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

, presidents

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, and the universe

Universe

The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...

. There are also books on individual U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

s, the weather

Weather

Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...

, number

Number

A number is a mathematical object used to count and measure. In mathematics, the definition of number has been extended over the years to include such numbers as zero, negative numbers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and complex numbers....

s, quotes, the year 2000, a special book for mothers, cat

Cat

The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...

 lovers, love, Uncle John's Book of the Dumb, and several Bathroom Readers for Kids Only!. Though most of the books were written by the Bathroom Readers' Institute, some of the ones that are based around a specific subject are written by a lone author, who is not in the Institute. Additionally, the Institute will often publish articles and other contributions sent in from readers. Recurring articles such as "Flubbed Headlines", "Oops", and "Classifieds" often depend on these contributions.

Their volumes contain information on subjects such as quotes, dumb criminals, palindrome

Palindrome

A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....

s, anagram

Anagram

An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...

s, urban legend

Urban legend

An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...

s and hoax

Hoax

A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...

es, failed invention

Invention

An invention is a novel composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived, in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social...

s, the history of everyday things, and accidental discoveries, as well as articles on pop culture and 'celebrities

Celebrity

A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...

' such as Emperor Norton (see Features). Throughout the books, there are what the BRI calls "running feet" - short fun facts on the bottom of each page. A typical example is "An object on Jupiter

Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...

 would weigh 144,000 times more than it would on Pluto

Pluto

Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...

." Some books have one running foot that simply says "Hi, mom.", being the dedication.

The series has sold 4.5 million copies.

Features

Among the regular articles in the books are:

• Origins of Words and Phrases- the "Familiar Phrases" feature, though having changed names several times throughout the series, has been featured in some form in 16 of the "Classic" books. It is often seen many times in each book, usually three or four times. The "Word Origins" has also had its name changed over the years, and has been seen in every book of the series since its introduction in Uncle John's Second Bathroom Reader
• Rumors and Urban Legends The "Rumors" article was first seen in the very first book, but has been replaced, starting with the 10th Anniversary Reader with the similar, and very popular "Urban Legends" section.
• Famous for 15 Minutes- Also originating in the series' first book, "Famous for 15 Minutes" is based on Andy Warhol
  Andy Warhol
  Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
  
  's famous quote that everybody will someday be famous for a short period. The feature describes the stories of those who fit this description, often in a style reminiscent of the Darwin Awards
  Darwin Awards
  The Darwin Awards are a tongue-in-cheek honor, created by Wendy Northcutt to recognize individuals who contribute to human evolution by self-selecting themselves out of the gene pool through putting themselves in life-threatening situations...
  
   (ie, those mentioned often act in a very unbecoming fashion). Also very popular, it has been seen in 15 Bathroom Readers.
• Strange Lawsuits: Bizarre, actual lawsuits. For example, a woman sues Bill Clinton
  Bill Clinton
  William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
  
   because aliens have told her that he will enslave all black women.
• Oops! First seen in Uncle John's Sixth Bathroom Reader, "Oops!" is a set of newspaper article excerpts describing humorous mistakes in the previous year.
• Q&A: Ask the Experts: Considerably more popular in the Kids Bathroom Reader series, "Ask the Experts" answers questions (e.g. "Do fish drown?"). It was first seen in the 6th Bathroom Reader.
• Court Transquips Originally called "Order in the Court," the feature was introduced in the 5th Bathroom Reader, and pokes fun at things said in court cases (such as 'Were you alone or by yourself?' and 'Was that the same nose you broke as a child?'
• They Went That-a-Way Accounts of unusual deaths, typically of celebrities--for example, the ironic passing of Redd Foxx
  Redd Foxx
  John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
  
  . This first appears in the 2nd bathroom reader under epitaphs.
• Uncle John's Stall of Fame- Accounts of funny or unusual stories of people involving toilets.

1988-1992

The Bathroom Readers' Institute began in 1988, with the publishing of the original Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, by St. Martin's Press Publishers. After the book's success, Uncle John's 2nd Bathroom Reader was published in 1989, with a third and a fourth book being added to the series in the subsequent years. These earlier books are distinct from the rest not only due to their short length, but because of the writing style: Short articles starting with a brief history of the subject, followed by several tidbits on the subject.

1992-1995

After the initial four, successful books, the BRI decided that it would publish its own books, and Uncle John's 5th Bathroom Reader was released in October 1992. It sold well. Preoccupied with the writing of book 6, no more print runs were made. The same thing happened with 1993's 6th Bathroom Reader, and 1994's 7th Bathroom Reader. (The books later became available in omnibus format when Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader was printed.) In 1995, the millionth copy of the series was sold, and in commemoration, The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, the 8th in the series, was printed. Books 5-8 are noted because they are the first to contain in-depth articles.

1996-2002

In 1996, the BRI got what was later described in the "Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader" as "A New Attitude:" The 9th book in the series was much larger. The group had begun to change their writing style and so books 9-14, published from 1996-2002, contain long articles that are spread out throughout the book, and use a more encyclopedic writing style.

2003-Present

In 2003 a spin-off series was introduced, and the books were selling better than ever. For the first 15 years, "Bathroom Readers" referred to just one series. Now, there were several competitors, (none quite as successful) and quite a few series within the BRI. Books 15-18 began to move away from the format seen in previous books, using 2 and 3 part articles, and often not using features that had been popular from the beginning.

List of Classic Editions

Though the BRI have created many spin-offs, the classic editions are considered by many as the best. Here is a list of them.

1. Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader (1988)
2. Uncle John’s Second Bathroom Reader (1989)
3. Uncle John’s Third Bathroom Reader (1990)
4. Uncle John’s Fourth Bathroom Reader (1991)
5. Uncle John’s Fifth Bathroom Reader (1992)
6. Uncle John’s Sixth Bathroom Reader (1993)
7. Uncle John’s Seventh Bathroom Reader (1994)
8. The Best Of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader (1995)
9. Uncle John’s Ultimate Bathroom Reader (1996)
10. Uncle John’s Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader (1997)
11. Uncle John’s Great Big Bathroom Reader (1998)
12. Uncle John’s Absolutely Absorbing Bathroom Reader (1999)
13. Uncle John’s All-Purpose Extra-Strength Bathroom Reader (2000)
14. Uncle John’s Supremely Satisfying Bathroom Reader (2001)
15. Uncle John’s Ahh-Inspiring Bathroom Reader (2002)
16. Uncle John’s Unstoppable Bathroom Reader (2003)
17. Uncle John’s Slightly Irregular Bathroom Reader (2004)
18. Uncle John’s Fast-Acting Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader (2005)
19. Uncle John’s Curiously Compelling Bathroom Reader (2006)
20. Uncle John’s Triumphant 20th Anniversary Bathroom Reader (2007)
21. Uncle John’s Unsinkable Bathroom Reader (2008)
22. Uncle John’s Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader (2009)
23. Uncle John's Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader (2010)
24. Uncle John's 24-Karat Gold Bathroom Reader (2011)

List of Omnibuses

1. The Best of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader (1995)
2. Uncle John's 4-Ply Bathroom Reader (2008, Uncle John's First Bathroom Reader, Uncle John's Second Bathroom Reader, Uncle John's Third Bathroom Reader, Uncle John's Fourth Bathroom Reader)
3. Uncle John’s Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader (1999, Uncle John’s Fifth Bathroom Reader, Uncle John’s Sixth Bathroom Reader, Uncle John’s Seventh Bathroom Reader)
4. Uncle John’s Biggest Ever Bathroom Reader (2002, Uncle John’s Ultimate Bathroom Reader, Uncle John’s Great Big Bathroom Reader)
5. Uncle John’s Gigantic Bathroom Reader (2006, Uncle John’s Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, Uncle John’s Absolutely Absorbing Bathroom Reader)
6. Uncle John’s Monumental Bathroom Reader (2007, Uncle John’s Supremely Satisfying Bathroom Reader, Uncle John’s All-Purpose Extra-Strength Bathroom Reader)
7. The Best Of The Best Of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader (2008)