The Book of Heroic Failures

In these books are documented the people who were the absolute worst in their fields, making this book a must for anyone tired of reading about success. However it must be noted the stories told reveal no lack of enthusiasm on the part of the protagonists - in fact quite the opposite!

So why did a book so well received in the UK sink like a stone in the US? Were the Americans too interested in success to tolerate failure? As it turns out, no.

The problem is that the printers of the US edition accidentally left out half the introduction, and large pieces of content. As a result, the US edition was published with an errata slip longer than the book's introduction. US readers are advised to get their copy from the UK edition at Amazon.co.uk (linked on the left) - not least because it's usually only 1p!

In the other words, in the US the Book of Heroic Failures, was a heroic failure...

Returning to the field of his 1979 magnum opus, Stephen Pile covers more heroic failures and the sad fate of the Not Terribly Good Club (forced to declare themselves a shameful success because too many people wanted to join, they disbanded).

Well reviewed, it is unfortunately out of print, although second hand copies can be prized out of their owner's fingers on Amazon and Amazon.co.uk

Deciding that adults had no lock on failure, Penguin decided to re-release the book, re-written for a young audience. As many reviewers quickly pointed out this was not the original book, many saying that it lacked the charm and wit from the first edition even if it shared the title. You could say it was a failure at being a heroic failure.

Note that the UK rating gives it three stars, while the US Amazon reviewers give it five. Possibly relief at seeing the whole introduction for the first time?