Always Postpone Meetings with Time-Wasting Morons

Dilbert #1

by Scott Adams

From mountain and valley, from hill and dale, people are asking, "How can I have more Dilbert in my life?" Help is at hand with a blast from the past in Scott Adams' very first compilation of Dilbert comic strips, Always Postpone Meetings with Time-Wasting Morons.

It is tempting to compare Adams' work to that of Leonardo da Vinci. The differences are striking. Adams displays good jokes and strong character development, whereas da Vinci has been skating for years on his ability to do shading. Advantage: Adams.

And though it may seem boorish to point this out, da Vinci wrote backwards. And he's dead. Advantage: Adams.

The choice is clear. Fans looking for a book which will stand the test of time, even beyond the time you spend flipping through it in the bookstore (for which the author receives no royalties whatsoever), should buy this book. Those who are not good comparison shoppers can buy the Mona Lisa.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Comic Strips, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Cartoon, Comedy

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Scott Adams was a defining voice of the American white-collar experience who transitioned from a prominent cartoonist into a polarizing political commentator. After earning an MBA from UC Berkeley and spending years in management at Pacific Bell, Adams launched the comic strip Dilbert in 1989. The strip’s sharp satire of corporate bureaucracy and the "Dilbert Principle"—the idea that incompetent employees are promoted to management to minimize their damage—resonated globally, eventually appearing in 2,000 newspapers and winning the prestigious Reuben Award. Beyond the funny pages, Adams explored philosophy and persuasion in works like God's Debris and Win Bigly, the latter of which analyzed Donald Trump’s rhetorical strategies during the 2016 election. His career took a dramatic turn during the mid-2010s as he shifted focus to his daily "Real Coffee" livestream, where he combined his background in hypnosis and corporate strategy to comment on the "culture wars." This period of independent commentary culminated in 2023 when he reacted to a poll regarding racial tensions with a series of inflammatory remarks. Labeling Black Americans a "hate group" and advocating for racial segregation, Adams faced immediate and widespread repercussions; hundreds of newspapers dropped his strip, and his publisher canceled his upcoming projects. Undeterred, he moved his work to the subscription-based platform Locals, rebranding his comic as Dilbert Reborn. In his final years, he faced severe health challenges, including stage IV prostate cancer and vocal cord issues, yet he remained a prolific presence on social media. He eventually announced the end of his hand-drawn work due to focal dystonia but continued to direct the strip's vision. Adams’s legacy remains a complex study in the power of branding, the evolution of digital influence, and the volatile intersection of creative genius and political provocation in the modern era.

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection of humorous Dilbert cartoons. I love Dilbert because, if I were honest, I worked with co-workers like in Dilbert's office. A great laugh!

My Rating: 5 stars

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's true, not every joke lands perfectly, but a good joke book can still bring plenty of laughs.

Humor is essential in life, especially to balance out the seriousness.

More laughter definitely makes for a more joyful and light-hearted world.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all might have started out like Calvin with a great view of life. But after hitting the workforce we all somewhat become Dilbert. Everyone knows someone like one of the characters in the strips. Highly recommended

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early Dilbert is Classic Dilbert.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was hoping for more office humor but I still found a lot of these funny.
Dad

[Maritina Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am going to be honest and say that this comic? Collection of funny sketches? Anyway, this book gave me mixed feelings.

Mostly because some of the jokes/panels were either a hit or a miss. In some of them, I found myself giggling or smirking and in others I was left scratching my head or re-reading them, because I couldn't get the joke.

Granted, I know this might be because this came out in the early 90s so, naturally, many of the references are of that era, and I wasn't around until the middle 90s 😝 Plus it takes place in a different country.

I also found myself needing to take long breaks while reading this, which, I never do while reading comics/graphic novels, because I felt like I needed some time away from it, before going back again, in order to appreciate it.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book.
But it's far from excellent as well.

If you made it this far, congratulations!
'Til next time, take care :) :) :)

[Ray Dunsmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Early Dilbert, before it was a workplace comedy (despite the cover), back when it was just an inventive loser and his sociopathic megalomaniac dog. Fun when it gets extremely weird (as it frequently does), less fun when Dilbert dwells on why women don't like him and it gets vaguely incel-y. And that's about the point that you remember that, 31 years later, Scott Adams is now an absolute case study who lives in a castle shaped like Dilbert's head and the world just keeps on finding new ways to slap you in the face (metaphorically).

[Nicolas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I should have started with some more recent stuff. This was a weird blend of absurdist humor and typical comic strip topics,none of the office space humor that it has become known for.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

He's just warming up. Some good strips but they're in other collections

[Angela Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dilbert was just evolving here - it got a lot better.

[Carlos Alejandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estos dos strips son los dos tipos de "humor" (perdona el vocabulario, no sé del tema) que mas me han gustado.


DILBERT: Me ganaste otra vez. Ojalá supiera cómo consigues hacer ese golpe.
DOGBERT: Fuerzas sobrenaturales.

DILBERT: ¿De veras? ¿Sobrenaturales?
DOGBERT: (Aparte). El juego mental es TAN importante.

------------------------------------

(DILBERT se prepara en su habitación)
DOGBERT: La mejor forma de impresionar a las mujeres en la fiesta es actuar de forma natural.

(DILBERT en la fiesta)
DILBERT: (Pensando). Actúa de forma natural.

(En casa)
DILBERT: En lógica, es imposible "actuar" de forma natural.
DOGBERT: La mayoría de los grandes consejos se difuminan si los analizas un poco.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

A co-worker gave me a copy of this book in 1994 and I kept it for 15 years. I lost it some time in in 2009 so I bought a new copy in 2012. I still have that copy and recently read several pages of it. When I working, I found Scott Adams' sense of humor biting and spot-on. He points out the inane and reality of work meetings, communiques, and office politics. Every professional should have a copy of this priceless collection of Dilbert comix.

[midnightbookreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newspaper Comic Strip Compilation
For it's first installment, Dilbert and Dogbert are the only consistent characters.
Phil, the Prince of Insufficient Light does make his initial appearance and does show up more than once.
Overall, it's just a compilation of comics that don't have an arching story. It's alright.

[Ian Higgs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very good Dilbert book. I've had to go back in time to find more Dilbert to read and definitely have not been reading on date order. This is slightly different to your normal Dilbert as there are quite a few of very funny puns, unlike other Dilbert books where the humour is different.

[Child960801 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Dilbert book, and at this point Adams hadn't really hit his stride. Some of the jokes are funny, some are not. A lot of the book is Dilbert at home, talking with Dogbert with only some in the office.

[Augusto Delgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

This first Adam's installment does not occur within the usual Dilbert workplace. Read it a couple of decades ago, it used to be hilarious but I think the joke isn't funny anymore.

[Kate Dostálová · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sbírka stripů o Dilbertovi a Dogbertovi na všechna možná i nemožná témata. Bezva odpočinková kniha, u které se člověk pobaví a zasměje.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of great strips. Rather random because not all the characters were identified or entirely developed yet.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

truth with humor.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always been a Dibert fan. Recommended to Dllbert fans.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of Dilbert comics. This edition is especially good because the font is large and easy to read! The most humorous part of the book is his introduction!

[Jonathan Waugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Dilbert book.

[Alfonso Sánchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un clásico de Dilbert.

[Christa Van · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, other Dilbert books are better.

[STU · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been upping my collection of Dilbert and had a quick read of this one.
Very early - I don't think there were any work scenes at all?

[Vijaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dry and punny humor hits.

[David Erkale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first Dilbert strips are in one book, mostly focusing on inventions, scenarios around the home, and just being a nerd.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool nothing special though. It isn't funny as the later works but I definitely see the spirt early on.

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always Postpone Meetings with Time-Wasting Morons / 0836217586

This is the first book of Dilbert collections; I've been re-reading my collection lately and I love that there are still a lot of chuckles to be had in this slim volume. There's a little over 11 pages here, and some comics take up two full pages side-by-side, but this is still something of a must-have item for Dilbert collections.

If you're really just a fan of the newer Dilbert strips, this book may be a little surprising. The art-style is very different and has definitely evolved a lot over the years, but most surprisingly is that very few of the comics here are strictly about "work" so much as just about being a "geeky" engineer type. Quite a few of the strips are heavily pun-laden and at least a few are setups for jokes that aren't quite worth the buildup, but there are still chuckles to be had and I almost wish some of the newer strips could leave the office some more and head out for the classic Dilbert-and-Dogbert walk in the park.

~ Ana Mardoll

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dilbert has always had a contentious relationship with his pet Dogbert (or Dogbert has always had one with his human Dilbert). This book deals almost exclusively with that relationship as we chuckle, smirk and smack our foreheads at Dogbert’s constant manipulation of the clueless humans around him, starting with his gullible master. Dilbert’s inabilities to process any basic information beyond technology or develop social skills that will allow him to have a girlfriend remain intact. One wonders why Dogbert isn’t the one getting the ladies. Then again Dogbert is more interested in world domination and likely to achieve it, too.