A miscellany of actual patents for wonderfully bizarre inventions, Brilliantly Bad is a salute to what the human mind can achieve - even if it probably shouldn't.

This collection of the strangest ideas ever patented, ranging from the bizarre and baffling to the *oh so close* to genius, is a true celebration of human ingenuity in all its (occasionally) pointless glory.

INVENTIONS INCLUDE:

• A coat that doubles as a urinal
• A musical condom
• An automated pet petter
• Face-lifting earrings
• A weight-lifting device for the penis

Mark Tanner grew up in Liverpool, where his father was constantly making things. Some of the things he made, such as a coffee pot stand fashioned from an old coat-hanger, Mark still has. Others, such as the bird feeding table designed to sit on top of their rotary washing line, he doesn't. Brought up in such an environment, he developed an appreciation and affection for a particular type of inventor's mindset from a young age. After a brief spell in academia, Mark worked in TV, making documentaries such as High Anxieties: The Mathematics of Chaos and Dangerous Knowledge - The Search for Infinity for the BBC. In his spare time he writes and edits, including his new book Brilliantly Bad, as well as Great British Inventions, The Debt Generation and War Letters 1914-1918. Mark currently lives quietly in Lancaster with his partner and daughter.