Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies by Scott Adams (1994, Paperback)

Witty, insightful, and "Calling It How It Is", Scott Adams continues the saga of Dilbert, Dogbert, and the entire bunch.

Another fine work from the man who pointed out that incompetent employees are intentionally promoted to prevent them from doing harm.

"But Of Course There Are Obvious Exceptions"

As a longtime fan of Dilbert, I will have to say that this is not one of his better books.

First off, it's short. It's only 111 pages (107 if you don't count the introductory material). And each page has a maximum of four panels. The first is usually a non-bordered intro by Dogbert (so that you know it's not part of the strip). The others are "sort of" a comic strip. I say sort of because sometimes they are a strip and sometimes they are just cartoon "lists" to illustrate Dogbert's point.

And that's a second negative of this book. The jokes aren't always cohesive. It's kind of a mix of a comic strip series and a "word" book (like "The Dilbert Principle" or similar). And they don't always merge successfully.

That said, I think we can give him some leeway. This is his second book (as evidenced by the circled "2" on the spine). And perhaps he hadn't quite keyed in on what his readers really went for. And it does have the Dilbert tone (Dogbert, actually - who is much more cynical), focusing on office politics and basic annoyances.

If you're a Dilbert fan, you probably want to buy this to have a complete set (that's why I got it). And it is a generally good, funny read, worth a few books. Just remember that it's a starter work, and his best stuff is still ahead.