But this has been done, and oh so much better, before, going back a hundred years or more to books such as The American Boy's Handy Book and The Official Handbook for Boys by the Boy Scouts of America (both still available). THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS shows all the signs of being slapped together quickly -- lots of typos and mistakes; inaccurate information; half-baked, arguable opinions presented as fact; plodding, muddy prose; and impenetrable, inadequate instructions from authors who clearly are not experts.

So how to explain its jaw-dropping success? In two words: brilliant marketing. Start with that great title, sure to attract the eye of any boy. Add to that a book design (with the words "Dangerous" and "Boys" big enough to be spotted across the store) that is at once retro and cool. Finally, make the whole thing more appealing to dads than kids -- dads who are nostalgic for the childhood they never actually had, and want to believe they can provide for their own kids. Bad news: they can't -- at least not by using this book.