"I fart in your general direction!"

Book excerpt: This exhaustive work on flatulence breaks new wind on every aspect of abdominal gas in popular culture. A definitive taxonomy of farts details the characteristics of each variety, including barking spiders, cheek squeakers and green apple dirties. Philosophical positions on colonic expression are examined, from Confucius, Hume, Voltaire and the existentialists. Chapters cover a wide range of fart-focused stand-up comedy, cinema, children's books, toys and merchandise. The author's postscript describes a lifetime preparing for his subject through fraternity membership and offbeat assignments as a newspaper journalist.