Private Parts (book)
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| Author |
Howard Stern Larry Sloman |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Jackie Seow (Design) Timothy White (Photo) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Autobiography |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
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Publication date
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October 7, 1993 |
| Media type |
Hardcover (1993) Paperback (1994, 1997) |
| Pages | 448 |
| ISBN | |
| Followed by | Miss America |
Private Parts is the first book written by American radio personality Howard Stern. Released on October 7, 1993 by Simon & Schuster, it is the fastest-selling book in the company's history. It was later adapted into a film in 1997 starring Stern and his radio show staff as themselves. The early chapters are autobiographical, covering Stern's upbringing and early career, while later chapters are more in the style of a memoir, covering recurring themes from his radio show such as sex, flatulence, and celebrities.
Stern's choices for the title were I, Moron, Mein Kampf, and Penis (the last was considered as Stern thought it would lead to the amusing newspaper headline "Howard Stern's Penis is a bestseller") but were refused by the publisher, although Mein Kampf would be used as the title of the book's fifth chapter regarding the beginning of his career. They then compromised with the title Private Parts, suggested by Stern's co-host Robin Quivers, which Stern liked as a sexual pun referring to the personal "private parts" of his life with a popular euphemism for genitalia.
The book received mixed reviews from critics, often drawing comparisons to Lenny Bruce's How to Talk Dirty and Influence People. Like Stern's radio show, it received a great deal of opposition due to its content. It is number 86 on the American Library Association's list of the "100 Most Frequently challenged books Between 1990 and 1999." A paperback edition was released in September 1994, where Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, printed a further 2.8 million copies. In late 1995, Stern published a second book called Miss America.
Upon its release, Private Parts quickly became the fastest-selling title in publisher Simon & Schuster's history. The sales were supported by Stern's book signing tour of various cities across the United States, with the largest crowd attendances ever. The success was in spite of mixed reviews and the refusal by several stores to carry the book over objections to its content. The Caldor chain of department stores modified the New York Times Best Seller list which was displayed in stores to remove Private Parts from the top position, moving all subsequent books up one. The inclusion of the book in library lists was also frequently challenged in subsequent years. The book spent five weeks at the top of the non-fiction list from the weeks of October 9 to November 6, 1993 before being displaced by See, I Told You So by Rush Limbaugh.Private Parts spent a total of twenty weeks on the NY Times Best Seller list, hitting the number one spot after a week of its release.
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