Like most internet-inspired works, such as "Shit My Dad Says" or any of the Cheezburger network's many lolcat volumes, "The Alphabet of Manliness" is less manifesto of masculinity and more hardbound tasteless joke.

Maddox is a personality. Like Rush Limbaugh, Al Sharpton, or in the realm of comedy Stephen Colbert, his writing comes off as over-the-top, offensive, and one-dimensional because he is playing the part of a character. His rants are informed by his own opinions which he then injects with a healthy dose of extreme sarcasm. I've been reading "The Best Page in the Universe" for a a few years now so his particular brand of satire and parody are hardly surprising, and I went into it knowing precisely what to expect.

This is not to say that it is poorly written, or that the entries are nothing more than dick and fart jokes (except for "F": F is for Farts) but this is hardly a serious bit of literature and does not pretend to be. It is funny, at times. There are some stretches which fall flat as they are overwhelmed by his mixing of technical language with the subject matter for comedic effect. Still, there are enough moments of inspired humor to make the book an overall entertaining read.

If you like and enjoy the stand-up work of George Carlin, you should enjoy this book. It is by no means on Carlin's level of clever observational wit, but it is an giggle-filled diversion for a day or two of bathroom reading.

This book was simultaneously funny and offensive, and I appreciated that. However, it was also too long. While ambitious of Maddox to try and tackle the entire alphabet, some of the chapters were repetitive and didn't add anything to the overall value of the book. This is a great coffee table or bathroom reading book, but a lot to try and sit down and digest as a novel.

Advocates sexual assault.

If you're just going to read it a piece at a time like a bathroom reader, then perhaps it's not too bad. But it gets rather repetitive in its humor. There are definitely some funny bits, but overall it's lacking.

I went into this book thinking it was going to be just stereotypical propoganda - boy, was I wrong. TAOM was one of the funniest, thought provoking and controversial books (which means, of course, it was a good book) that I have in my library. Its humor is dark and jagged and assumes that the reader has an equal sense of humor. This quality of writing is from A-Z as Maddox lights up the pages with with his wit.

So awesome it makes me want to punch a gorilla in the freakin' face!

Terribly hilarious. Never had a boring moment while reading this.

If you like Maddox' web site "The Best Page in the Universe" you are most likely going to love this book.

However, if you don't know his work, please keep in mind that this book is satirical and uses language in a very offensive and rude way.

Back when I was in high school, Maddox's blog was humorous. Now that I'm an adult, the juvenile humor lacks appeal. This book has aged even more poorly. Humor relies on novelty and this book relies on crudeness and aggression for its novelty. But make no mistake the fact that the author is willing to say things others don't is not because he's particularly inventive but because he lacks the decency that normally restrains others and the creativity to think of something better.

Hilarious, completely irreverent, and strangely amusing. Not substance whatsoever but great for a few chuckles. I thought more could have been done with the premise though, as some of the topics and tangents in the book are seemingly unrelated to the title or the topic at hand. The extended edition's inclusion of numbers was also irrelevent BUT was infintely more funny than I thought it would be, so I can forgive it.

Started off pretty good, but rather disappointing, with a few gems here and there.

For my review of this book, I want you to think of the sound a rocket or firework in a movie makes when it's lit but just putters about for a moment and then falls into a puddle. Plus a fart.

It was funny. Should have read it several years ago. Very tounge in cheek. Describes where society is heading. Strong men create good times, good times create weak men and weak men create hard times.