includes the essay “The Endless Game of Tag”, the inspiration for the major motion picture Tag

A delightful collection of the wild, the weird, and the wonderful culled from the Wall Street Journal’s popular, and long-standing A-hed column.

One of the Wall Street Journal’s most popular features for more than seventy years, the daily A-hed column—named for a headline that looked like a letter A—has diverted readers from the more glum news of war, economic woe, natural disasters, and manmade malfeasance. Covering a wide range of lunacy and the unusual from across the nation and the world, the A-hed continues to enchant longtime readers.

Now, the best A-hed stories from recent years have been bundled into this delightful collection. There are romantic tales, including the Japanese “infidelity phone” (it keeps trysts secret) and the story of “wingmen” and “wingwomen” who escort wallflowers to nightspots and maneuver them into the arms of prospective catches. Lovers of dogs, cats, and fish will learn how a Marine Corps bulldog got promoted to sergeant, how a grumpy cat acquired a Hollywood agent, and will be left wondering if a 63-pound carp named Benson died naturally in England or was the victim of foul play. From pantyhose (or mantyhose) for men to a campaign to recruit youthful nudists, a hairdo archeologist to five escaped wallabies and hippies smoking catnip, these stories will make readers laugh and keep them entertained.

Go behind the headlines and into the weirdest corners of modern life with these unforgettable human interest stories:

• The 23-Year Game of Tag: The unbelievable true story of high school friends whose game never ended—the essay that inspired the major motion picture Tag.
• Pentagon Pranks: How a fake portrait of a sailor with blow-dried hair hung in a Pentagon hallway for years before anyone noticed the greatest prank in its art history.
• Viral Animal Kingdom: Meet Grumpy Cat's Hollywood agent, investigate the mysterious death of a 63-pound carp, and watch a Marine Corps bulldog get promoted for growling at the Defense Secretary’s dog.
• Unexpected Subcultures: From adult men obsessed with My Little Pony (“bronies”) to a new generation of youthful nudists, discover communities you never knew existed.
• Hairdo Archaeology: The Baltimore hairdresser who rewrote Roman history by proving empresses didn't wear wigs—she has the needle and thread to prove it.