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Dilbert #20
What Do You Call a Sociopath in a Cubicle?
"Once every decade, America is gifted with an angst-ridden anti-hero, a Nietzschean nebbish, an us-against-the-universe everyperson around whom our insecurities collect like iron shavings to a magnet. Charlie Chaplin. Dagwood Bumstead. Charlie Brown. Cathy. Now, Dilbert." --The Miami Herald
The former occupant of cubicle 4S700R at Pacific Bell seems to have made a go of this cartoon strip thing. What began as a doodling diversion that Scott Adams shared with his officemates has exploded into one of the most read cartoon strips worldwide.
This Dilbert treasury, What Do You Call a Sociopath in a Cubicle? Answer: A Coworker, brings together all of the office psychos who have annoyed Dilbert and entertained millions. This compilation pays homage to some of the most annoying and outrageous characters Adams' has ever drawn-characters he likes to call office "sociopaths."
* Edfred the two-faced man
* Anne L. Retentive
* Nervous Ted
* Loud Howard
* Alice and her fist of death
This full-color treasury reinforces everything that makes the strip great by lampooning the people and processes of business. Adams homes in on all the quirky coworkers that drive us crazy in the corporate world. He has fun at the expense of office oafs found in workplaces everywhere--creatures like the Office Sociopath, who listens to voice mail on his speaker phone, and the Exactly Man, who punctuates everything with a finger point, exclaiming "Exactly!" The result is a book that leaves readers knowingly rolling their eyes and, of course, laughing uproariously.
The former occupant of cubicle 4S700R at Pacific Bell seems to have made a go of this cartoon strip thing. What began as a doodling diversion that Scott Adams shared with his officemates has exploded into one of the most read cartoon strips worldwide.
This Dilbert treasury, What Do You Call a Sociopath in a Cubicle? Answer: A Coworker, brings together all of the office psychos who have annoyed Dilbert and entertained millions. This compilation pays homage to some of the most annoying and outrageous characters Adams' has ever drawn-characters he likes to call office "sociopaths."
* Edfred the two-faced man
* Anne L. Retentive
* Nervous Ted
* Loud Howard
* Alice and her fist of death
This full-color treasury reinforces everything that makes the strip great by lampooning the people and processes of business. Adams homes in on all the quirky coworkers that drive us crazy in the corporate world. He has fun at the expense of office oafs found in workplaces everywhere--creatures like the Office Sociopath, who listens to voice mail on his speaker phone, and the Exactly Man, who punctuates everything with a finger point, exclaiming "Exactly!" The result is a book that leaves readers knowingly rolling their eyes and, of course, laughing uproariously.
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2002
46 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Scott Adams
240 books1,309 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 24, 2025
Sociopathic Fun.
Dilbert and his friends are some of the dumbest, most desperate people I have ever met. They get insulted repeatedly and just take it, day after day.
They let Dogbert, Catbert and Ratbert outsmart them every time. And the other characters in this story are all the same. Including their boss. I don’t know his name.
Dilbert is surrounded by sociopaths, like Alice and Wally. And practically every new person that is hired to work there.
My blood pressure would be 270/149 if I worked there. I would have been near death’s door. I would have quit a long time ago. To save my life.
But why they don’t is a question I ask myself repeatedly. It must be their desperation. Their lack of self awareness and self respect for themselves. Too bad they haven’t woken up.
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
Dilbert and his friends are some of the dumbest, most desperate people I have ever met. They get insulted repeatedly and just take it, day after day.
They let Dogbert, Catbert and Ratbert outsmart them every time. And the other characters in this story are all the same. Including their boss. I don’t know his name.
Dilbert is surrounded by sociopaths, like Alice and Wally. And practically every new person that is hired to work there.
My blood pressure would be 270/149 if I worked there. I would have been near death’s door. I would have quit a long time ago. To save my life.
But why they don’t is a question I ask myself repeatedly. It must be their desperation. Their lack of self awareness and self respect for themselves. Too bad they haven’t woken up.
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
July 26, 2023
As always, great! Takes me away from wherever it is I am for a little break of laughter. Recharging.
October 4, 2014
Like my previous comments about Gary Larson and his Far Side Gallery 4 this book has some very witty observations which having (and still working) in similar environments never ceases to amuse and amaze me. Ok I think in the past Dilburt has had been everywhere and at times over exposed but I guess that is as much a sign of its success as anything.
However this book contains a lot of very early works where characters have not been completely formed in to those you recognise today. However it is still a good read although here you do have to invest time in it - as they are comic strips rather than cartoons and in some cases running over several instalments.
However this book contains a lot of very early works where characters have not been completely formed in to those you recognise today. However it is still a good read although here you do have to invest time in it - as they are comic strips rather than cartoons and in some cases running over several instalments.
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
September 20, 2013
What can I say? I love the Dilbert =cartoons and this book did not disappoint. Great as always.
January 23, 2008
A collection of several choice strips from Dilbert ranging throughout the years.
Not the best Dilbert collection since it does range out of order throughout the years, however, it is enjoyable for anyone who likes Dilbert and/or office oriented satire!
Not the best Dilbert collection since it does range out of order throughout the years, however, it is enjoyable for anyone who likes Dilbert and/or office oriented satire!
July 15, 2015
A collection of comic strips that deal with associations between coworkers. Since the collection only includes those specific comic strips, story lines are not followed and sometimes you start reading in the middle.
January 23, 2016
I don't typically read my husband's Dilbert books, but I couldn't put this one down. It was like eating potato chips. I shared some of the funnier ones with my parents last night - the shrinking cubicles, and the chess cubicles.
November 27, 2016
Good collection
This is a good collection of Dilbert comics. One fun thing about it is the book includes early comics from Adams, and more current ones. This lets you see the differences in his style over time. A good read for Dilbert fans!
This is a good collection of Dilbert comics. One fun thing about it is the book includes early comics from Adams, and more current ones. This lets you see the differences in his style over time. A good read for Dilbert fans!
December 21, 2018
A slice of history, coupled with the fact a lot of the behaviours are still occurring. Interesting take on the female characters, that had me uncomfortable at time. Was this really the way women were treated or portrayed?
January 27, 2010
Bathroom reading, what can I say?
May 26, 2010
Borders bargain bin. I thought I owned all the Dilbert treasuries but did not recognize this one. Read it, but was mostly very old content and I'd seen 80% of it before.
December 31, 2015
to round up... it's still funny but not as many laughs in this one.
he's still funnier and more relevant than most:)
he's still funnier and more relevant than most:)
September 20, 2014
Love the comics, but this one had a few repeated strips, some right below the strip it was repeating.
September 30, 2015
Sadly there are way better stories about Dilbert out there. Disappointed.
October 2, 2016
Definitely towards the top end of these compilations. I particularly enjoyed the evolution of Alice, the long series of Ted strips, and the early days of catbert.
Overall a pretty edgy selection.
Overall a pretty edgy selection.
April 7, 2018
Hilarious!
Probably 12+
Probably 12+
October 25, 2018
More Dilbert. This book includes much of Don't Step in the Leadership.
January 6, 2019
The Dilbert comics are always funny
October 9, 2022
I couldn’t give this 5 stars because a lot of the comic strips included in this book were also in an earlier Dilbert book that I just recently read. I can’t remember which one it was. However, there were also some that had me laughing pretty hard too. I suspect that Scott Adams has many workplaces bugged so that he can come up with material for Dilbert comics.
January 11, 2026
Yikes.... This did not age well.
This is very 90s sexist/bully humor. There was also the same exact panel multiple times in the book. Ideas were repetitive too. MUCH better comics out there.
There were a couple panels that made me chuckle, but it wasn't worth the 224 pages. I was so happy when I finally finished it. Not a great sign when it's because I wasn't enjoying it.
This is very 90s sexist/bully humor. There was also the same exact panel multiple times in the book. Ideas were repetitive too. MUCH better comics out there.
There were a couple panels that made me chuckle, but it wasn't worth the 224 pages. I was so happy when I finally finished it. Not a great sign when it's because I wasn't enjoying it.
November 30, 2024
Ah, the cubicle days
For those of us that remember working at company offices with high cubicle walls this book makes a lot of sense. The humor is very truthful, and it was reality for many decades. Let’s not go back. Enjoy the humor, even if you’ve never spent time in a cubicle.
For those of us that remember working at company offices with high cubicle walls this book makes a lot of sense. The humor is very truthful, and it was reality for many decades. Let’s not go back. Enjoy the humor, even if you’ve never spent time in a cubicle.
July 17, 2019
Too many duplicates and strips out of order.
December 21, 2022
Typical Dilbert cartoons (Must control fist of death!). Funny and it can hit a little close to the work place at times.
February 20, 2023
Great for reliving stress.
March 4, 2023
really good humor of the workplace.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews