The ''Bluffer's Guides'' are a collection of humorous pocket-sized guidebooks, written by experts and offering readers the opportunity to pass off appropriated knowledge as their own on a variety of subjects. The series has sold five million copies worldwide.
History
The guides were published between 1965 and 1975 in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, where four million copies of 16 books in the series were purchased.
Peter Wolfe, the series' first publisher, sold its
publication rights
Publication right is a type of copyright granted to the publisher who first publishes a previously unpublished work after that work's original copyright has expired. It is in almost all respects the same as standard copyright, but excludes moral r ...
to Anne Taute, a second British publisher. Doug Lincoln, a
CliffNotes vice president, discovered the guides while strolling through the
Frankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: Frankfurter Buchmesse, FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for internationa ...
. He saw a throng of viewers looking at the Bluffer's Guides. Wolfe entered into an agreement with Taute to publish the guides in the United States under the CliffNotes brand.
The ''
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company.
History
In May 1905, Amon G. Carter acc ...
''s Terry Lee Goodrich wrote that the ''Bluffer's Guides'' have been referred to as the
CliffsNotes
CliffsNotes are a series of student study guides. The guides present and create literary and other works in pamphlet form or online. Detractors of the study guides claim they let students bypass reading the assigned literature. The company cl ...
of life. The books in the series are roughly 60 percent humor and 40 percent truth, Goodrich wrote.
In 2014, the then publishing group nominated British media personality
Katie Hopkins
Katie Olivia Hopkins (born 13 February 1975) is an English media personality, columnist, far-right political commentator, and former businesswoman. She was a contestant on the third series of ''The Apprentice'' in 2007; following further app ...
as the first recipient of their "Dishonours list", to recognise bad behaviour and etiquette. Company representative Thomas Drewry said, "There isn't a single person in the UK who Katie Hopkins hasn't offended this year".
In 2018, the Bluffer's Guide series was acquired by
Haynes Haynes may refer to:
People
*Haynes (surname)
Places
In Australia:
* Haynes, Western Australia
In Canada:
* Haynes, Alberta
In the United Kingdom:
*Haynes, Bedfordshire
** Haynes Church End
In the United States:
*Haynes, Arkansas
* Haynes, Nort ...
.
List of books and authors
*Daniel Hudson, author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to the Cosmos''.
*
Francis Coleman
Francis Coleman (12 January 192410 April 2008) was a conductor and television producer and director.
Early life and education
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Coleman began working in an office at the age of fourteen while studying music at ...
, author of ''The Bluffer's Guides to Ballet and Opera''.
*William Hanson, author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to Etiquette''.
*
André Launay, author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to Antiques''.
*
Peter Clayton
Peter James Clayton (25 June 1927 – 10 August 1991) was an English jazz presenter on BBC Radio, jazz critic, and author. From October 1968 until his death in August 1991, Clayton presented jazz recordings, interviews, studio performances, and ...
, co-author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to Jazz''.
*
Ross Leckie
Peter Ross Leckie (born 6 May 1957) is a Scottish writer of historical novels, best known for his ''Carthage'' trilogy.
Biography
Leckie attended Drumtochty Castle Preparatory School and Fettes College. He studied classics at Corpus Christi C ...
, author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to the Classics''.
*
Thomas V. Morris
Thomas V. Morris (born 1952), is an American philosopher. He is a former professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. He is a founder of the Morris Institute for Human Values, and author of several books. He is also a busines ...
, author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to Philosophy''.
*
Michael Toner, author of ''The Bluffer’s Guide to the
EU''.
*
Boris Starling
Boris Starling (born 1969)Sohn, Amy (1999) "GETTING A HANDLE ON HOT 'MESSIAH' SCRIBE", ''New York Post'', 7 September 1999, p. 22, ("at 30 he's already been on endless European best-seller lists") is a British novelist, screenwriter and newspaper ...
, author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to Brexit.''
*Jonathan Goodall, author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to Beer''.
*
Susie Boniface
Susie Boniface (born in Tonbridge, Kent) is a British journalist and author who has written for several newspapers and uses the pseudonym Fleet Street Fox in her ''Daily Mirror'' column and on Twitter. She used the name Lillys Miles while writin ...
, author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to Journalism.''
*Keith Hann, author of ''The Bluffer's Guide to Opera.''
References
External links
Bluffers.comBBC interview with William Hanson, Bluffer’s Guide to EtiquetteBBC interview with William Hanson, Bluffer’s Guide to EtiquetteArticle in the Daily Mirror newspaper by William Hanson, Bluffer’s Guide to EtiquetteArticle in The Daily Express newspaper by Neil Davey, Bluffer’s Guide to Chocolate
* ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9545000/9545126.stm BBC Radio 4 interview with Ross Leckie, Bluffer’s Guide to the Classics
BBC Radio 4 interview with Ross Leckie, Bluffer’s Guide to the Classics
*{{UK trademark, 1476483, Bluffer’s Guide registered trademark, Intellectual Property Office
Publishing companies of the United Kingdom