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Dilbert #3

Clues For The Clueless

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The world is getting more complicated. In the good old days you could set a peasant on fire with a flaming arrow, stomp him out with your horse, and still get away with a simple "excuse me." But these days, what with five billion people - many of whom do not consider themselves peasants - you are expected to meet a higher standard. It isn't fair, but it's life.

That's why I wrote this book. It's your guide for gracefully navigating the annoying and ever changing world we live in. Think of it as a gift from me to you, except that you have to pay for it...

You're welcome.

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1993

139 people are currently reading
150 people want to read

About the author

Scott Adams

282 books1,293 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Adams was born in Windham, New York in 1957 and received his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Hartwick College in 1979.

He also studied economics and management for his 1986 MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

In recent years, Adams has been hurt with a series of debilitating health problems. Since late 2004, he has suffered from a reemergence of his focal dystonia which has affected his drawing. He can fool his brain by drawing using a graphics tablet. On December 12, 2005, Adams announced on his blog that he also suffers from spasmodic dysphonia, a condition that causes the vocal cords to behave in an abnormal manner. However, on October 24, 2006, he again blogged stating that he had recovered from this condition, although he is unsure if the recovery is permanent. He claims to have developed a method to work around the disorder and has been able to speak normally since. Also, on January 21, 2007, he posted a blog entry detailing his experiences with treatment by Dr. Morton Cooper.

Adams is also a trained hypnotist, as well as a vegetarian. (Mentioned in, "Dilbert: A Treasury of Sunday Strips 00).

He married Shelly Miles on July 22, 2006.

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5 stars
218 (35%)
4 stars
206 (33%)
3 stars
148 (23%)
2 stars
34 (5%)
1 star
14 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Kyra.
55 reviews
July 30, 2013
This is a really...uneven collection. Some of it's genuinely funny; some of it's amusing or clever; some of it's a little boring but inoffensive. There are also a whole bunch of gross, misogynistic jokes, and there seem to be more the further you get through the book. (Somewhere in the middle there's one that specifically makes fun of thoughtless men who take up too much space, so there's some mood whiplash too.) I'd heard things before about Scott Adams saying sexist stuff but hadn't seen any evidence of it in his comics, so I hoped it wasn't that bad--but then I read this book, so...that's another illusion shattered, then!
2,248 reviews5 followers
June 24, 2015
There were quite a few years where I was a huge Dilbert fan. I haven't read any Dilbert in quite some time, but I have a lot of Dilbert books, and I'm curious how well it will hold up, especially as I've recently revisited some incredibly good comic strips (Calvin & Hobbes, Cul de Sac and Bloom County). I can say that this didn't hold up well. It's original work, not reprinted newspaper strips, but aside from a few chuckles, its quite forgettable. Apparently I thought so at the time as well, since I only bought it at a 50% discount.
Profile Image for Andrew Sorrentino.
300 reviews7 followers
May 13, 2018
I find Dogbert cruel more often than funny. Only a handful of these gags were amusing. Now, find me a collection of strips featuring Wally and I'll bet I'll truly enjoy that!
Profile Image for Andy.
16 reviews18 followers
November 15, 2014
Most do not like to admit this about themselves but generally speaking, people are clueless to their actions in social situations and how annoying or rude they can be. It is always the small stuff that can be obnoxious, such as knowing when conversations about Math Coprocessor Sockets are becoming boring or bragging about their kids who've yet to accomplish anything meaningful in their short lifespan. These awkward situations are not limited to odd conversations, but also to weird bodily interactions like facing the wrong direction in the elevator or drinking from the water fountain in whitey-tighties. Someone has to help these clueless people since they cannot figure it out for themselves.

http://www.examiner.com/review/here-s...
Profile Image for Readhead.
71 reviews21 followers
January 7, 2008
I love this book. I have to say that up front. However, I can't recommend anybody follow the advice given here.

This book has it's rude parts, and parts I don't understand (nor do I have the desire to do so), but there are some really funny parts in there. Like the part with elevator etiquette- impolite, but funny. And the part that goes over being rude. 'If your lips are extended beyond your nose, you are about to be rude.' Now imagine a book full of advice just like that- except most of it's not useful, just funny. If you see it, get it, and enjoy. And don't say I didn't warn you.
Profile Image for Indika de Silva.
417 reviews8 followers
June 9, 2013
This is one heck of a funny book. I finished the whole thing in one sitting and I do declare my sides still hurt from all the giggling.

The following book contains several awkward situations that I personally had to face and did not have any idea what to do or how the handle them. Thanks to this book; I am now armed with new knowledge that could save my already deteriorated social life.

I hope Scott Adams will write a part 2 for this timely and practical book of etiquette. Soon I hope...

Until then...

Thank you Mighty Dogbert for you wisdom shared with us puny humans.

Dogbert for World Emperor!!!!
508 reviews14 followers
June 6, 2009
Fans of Dilbert with love Dogbert's take on etiquette. The introduction explains that etiquette was developed by some cavemen as an elaborate joke on their children that went horribly mammothly wrong.
Profile Image for Amber the Human.
590 reviews20 followers
July 5, 2015
Now this book is precisely why sometimes just having all the comics available on a website won't cut it. These aren't comics from the strip, this was a book that Adams wrote. And it's full of non-office funiness (the kind I like best from Adams).
Profile Image for Little Timmy.
7,403 reviews60 followers
January 23, 2016
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
19 reviews1 follower
August 29, 2008
one of the funniest books i have ever read... unlike most of the dilbert books i have read.
101 reviews3 followers
June 24, 2009
Place on your bookshelf between The Purpose Driven Life and 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People.
Profile Image for Ubalstecha.
1,612 reviews19 followers
Read
July 27, 2011
Another funny Dilbert collection. Worth getting.
Profile Image for Sophia W.
254 reviews
February 27, 2017
Less entertaining than the strips, but still funny.

Read once in August, 2015
Profile Image for Somdutta.
146 reviews
July 18, 2018
Hilarious suggestions about the updated rules of etiquette.
Profile Image for Jason.
208 reviews9 followers
November 17, 2018
Funny as always

Scott Adams' sense of humor is very unique. He makes us laugh at ourselves. I'll always be a dilbert fan.
Profile Image for Nicole.
2,051 reviews7 followers
January 8, 2019
I thought it would be the series - I didn't realize it was a collection of "etiquette" panels.
Profile Image for Abby.
98 reviews
January 14, 2026
2.5 stars

Reading this the same day the author has apparently died. For some reason, we own two copies of this book specifically. I have no idea where they came from.

It's a collection of white-collar satire strips that aren't actually as funny as people would lead you to believe. I see it more as a reflection of the times - a fascinating look into a world where telephones are still relevant and "people be like" humor hasn't yet evolved into the modern meme. Definitely not as good as Calvin and Hobbes, despite attempts at witty sounding verbiage. And hearing more about how Scott Adams was in his later life has definitely colored the way I read his work.

That being said, me and my brother still like to quote the last piece of bread cartoon all the time. So maybe there is some humor still in there.
Profile Image for Hannah.
694 reviews49 followers
January 8, 2021
Meh. Some of Dilbert is still funny, and I can relate a bit to the office situations. That being said, the obvious sexist and ableist micro-aggressions in this one may have gone too far for my mood this week. I'm not even sure this would have been published today. If you're thinking of reading Dilbert in order, I would just skip these random Dogbert manual ones and focus on what makes the strip funny--Dilbert and his inner-office mishaps and frustrations. For myself, I think I'm going to take a break from the Dilbert comic strip for a while.
1 review
May 12, 2023
Photographs of pages

This is not a true Kindle product like other comic strip anthologies I have purchased. It is photographs of pages of the books with no real special features. You can enlarge the images, but you have to "x" out of the view to scroll to the next page. It is a little cheap looking but clear and readable.
Profile Image for Eric Williams.
244 reviews31 followers
February 15, 2025
Certainly an amusing collection on social idiots, as told as only Dogbert can; while sometimes cruel, personally I think some of these people deserve to be treated cruelly. However, a few times the book seemed to stray into inappropriate topics concerning religion (such as seemingly mocking people who believe in hell).
Profile Image for Kent Archie.
628 reviews6 followers
October 17, 2023
It is said that you can find Far Side cartoons in most scientists offices.
Engineers often have Dilbert cartoons.
This collection was often funny
627 reviews2 followers
May 6, 2024
While there was the odd funny section, but overall, this book hasn't aged well given some of the topics.

Recommended if you're a big Dilbert fan. Otherwise, I would pass.
1 review
February 22, 2025
The pinnacle of comedy writing. Every single page of this book is absolutely perfect.
Profile Image for Jordan.
479 reviews
August 18, 2025
The whole jokes is dogbert tells you something and makes a joke in the next 3 panes by exaggerating his advice or truth.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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