Library / Novelty Books vs Gag Books
Reference Guide
Novelty Books vs Gag Books
The terms overlap in everyday commerce, but they describe slightly different reasons a book might be unusual.
Novelty book
A novelty book is unusual because its concept, format, subject or purpose differs from what readers normally expect from a conventional book.
Gag book
A gag book is designed primarily to create a comic reaction. The joke can be the premise, the object, the reveal or the recipient's reaction.
Where AHA sits
The Archive deliberately crosses categories. A work can be a book, an absurdist literary experiment, a novelty object and a gift at the same time.