Rating: 
Summary: Funny funny funny
Review: Ah, sweet revenge. His letters made me laugh so hard and I can't help but wonder what the person on the other end was thinking when they read them (if they did). Hilarious, a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect gift for the serious computer geek
Review: Author Jonathan Land actually has running dialogs with spam writers, published in such prestigious places as New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, so it's not surprising The Spam Letters provides such a delightful package bringing all the dialogs to one place, under one cover. Land's favorite exchanges with spammers are a laugh a moment- and all too real - making The Spam Letters that perfect gift for the serious computer geek who 'has everything' but too much humor.
Rating:
Summary: Experience a vicarious victory!
Review: Have you ever wanted to "strike back" at the spammers and the con artists? If so, you'll enjoy The Spam Letters by Jonathan Land (No Starch Press). This is a funny read...
Chapter list: Introduction; Products for Prey: Part 1; Foreign Affairs: Part 1; Spam Potpourri: Part 1; A Quick Buck; Interlude: Bad Impressions; Products for Prey: Part 2; Foreign Affairs: Part 2: Nigerian Scam Artists; Sex Sells; Spam Potpourri: Part 2; Warning/Disclaimer: Do Not Try This At Home
This isn't a book that is going to give you any technical insights or strategies for dealing with spam. Actually, it *will* give you a strategy... yank their chains... HARD!. Land has taken various spam emails he's received (or that have been forwarded to him by co-conspirators) and let his warped creative writing skills loose. Some of his efforts were more for his own benefit, as it was obvious that the return address was not going anywhere that was real. But his real classics were with real emails who decided to scam or spam the wrong person. His exchange with the fabric wholesaler in the middle east is funny. The series with the stainless steel broker is just plausible enough to be real (and the broker played along well). The best efforts were reserved for the Nigerian scam artists. His scenarios of playing off scammers against each other, asking for bigger cuts, and playing the role of both financial advisor and committed asylum patient gives any reader who has received one of these emails a vicarious thrill.
This is an excellent recreational read, but I probably shouldn't have opened it. I'm just warped enough to think I could do this too... :-)
Rating:
Summary: I laughed, I cried
Review: I have been enjoying the Spam Letters online for several years now and am so pleased to have acquired them in book form! It means I can share them with ever so many more people than i have in the past.
I cannot count how many times I've invited my guests and family over to the computer so I could 'impersonate' Jon Land and read one of the spam letters... invariably I wind up laughing so hard i can't finish!
Although I've read some criticism that there are not enough instances of the spammers engaging Jon in dialogue, I have to say that some of my favorite letters are favorites because of the wacky angle Jon takes in writing his response and the 'role' he plays... Prince of Caspiar... President of YAARGH... Shop steward for kissing booth local... just so totally nuts!
This book is an internet-generation version of Don Novello's books (Laszlo Toth, American)... only this one's even funnier!
btw.. I encourage you to visit Jon Land's other site featuring years of entertaining stick figure art: (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Not funny
Review: I thought I would enjoy someone ridiculing spammers, but the author is much too into doing this just for the book. He ends up insulting each person, as if to score points.
Pointless and not what I call funny at all.
I discoverewd that I didn't want to hear about male enlargement from the spammers or him.
Rating: 
Summary: A book for people who hate spam
Review: If you get angry when inbox fills with unsolicited messages - pick up this book. Each "letter" starts with real spam - followed by a comical reply. The "spam letters" treat each offer as a godsend, fulfilling some outrageous need of a twisted individual. This book is laugh out loud funny. Each letter is a rollercoaster of humor. Sometimes the spammers even reply.... This is a funny book.
Rating:
Summary: clearly the man has time on his hands
Review: If you've been lucky enough to catch Jon Land on cable, the BBC, or on NPR, you already know just how casually funny he can be. If not, this book is a great introduction and a must-read. Over and over, Land sets up over-the-top scenarios that arise from the most mundane of e-mail spam, then follows the situations through to their logical yet ludicrous conclusion. Some of the material in the book is also available from Land's website, thespamletters.com; however, I find the trade paperback to be much more portable and quicker loading.
Rating:
Summary: Idiot Letters of the Internet Age
Review: Jonathan Land has created a book similar to Paul Rosa's book Idiot Letters. I believe neither Rosa nor Land set out intending to create a book, but when their letters and emails, respectively, are combined into a single volume it makes for very entertaining reading.
Land's correspondence with the Nigerian spammers is easily the most hilarious in the book because some of their responses to him are so over the top and incredible. But some of the shorter passages without a response show Land's remarkable creativity and wit; the e-mail about the Pirate-Americans is laugh out loud funny.
Fun coffee table, train or bathroom book because you don't have to read it all at once. Will make you laugh every time.
Rating:
Summary: Turning the tables on spammers
Review: The book is based on Land's Web site of the same name, spamletters.com, which I discovered a few years ago and submitted a letter. In each letter, the original letter is presented along with Land's creative and hilarious reply to the spammer.
That's what Land has been doing, replying to spammers, and in some cases, the spammers have written back and those are included in the book. He takes on the role of lawyer, doctor, pastor, casting director, and woman (Joan). He produces works of fiction (don't tell anyone) and for once, spam is fun instead of an aggravation.
If the book is based on the Web site, why should we read the book? Here are the reasons:
1. There are many letters; it's difficult to read more than a few online.
2. It's great reading material away from the computer and the Internet.
3. Laptops don't handle beach sand, ocean water, or other exotic locales very well.
4. After a lousy day at work, who wants to get on the computer at home? Get a good laugh with the book instead.
5. The book organizes the letters by topic and you can see which ones have replies from the spammers.
6. A book doesn't make your legs go numb like a laptop on your lap while in the bathroom.
7. No downloading time involved!
You can try before you buy by going to the Web site and reading the letters. Also, check the table of contents. Bet you've many of them. Take out your spam frustrations by reading Land's retorts. Those who like reading humor books will enjoy this one, it's one-of-a-kind.
Rating:
Summary: Fun reading, some much better than others
Review: The curse of the electronic age, SPAM eventually forces its way into the life of anyone with an email address. While there are many books and articles about how to reduce this problem, Jonathan Lund has taken his own personal war back to the spammers. Instead of just deleting the emails he responds to them. Of course he doesn't respond quite the way the spammers expect. His responses are an attempt at humor and wit that often falls short of the mark, but then again at times is absolutely hysterical.
Particularly funny is his correspondence with people who are naive enough to accept his satirical comments at face value. His correspondence with textile manufacturers and the infamous Nigerian money launderer is brilliant.
With writing that covers the whole range from a poor attempt at humor to laugh-out-loud funny, to bizarre, the reader is sure to find several emails entertaining no matter what your preference in humor. The Spam Letters is a recommended read.
|
