Charting the extraordinary encounters ordinary people around the world have undergone in the name of love, Bad Dates" lays bare (in more ways than one) the ritual of humiliation that is dating. The horrific tales it contains are sometimes embarrassing, often rude, and always absolutely hilarious; proving conclusively that for every match made in heaven, there are dozens more made in hell. From the man who had information about his underpants emailed to his entire office, to the couple who found their passions doused by an unexpected dip in a lake, via the girl who ruptured her stomach when over-indulging at an all-you-can-eat restaurant, these stories are a much-needed answer to the icky cliches normally surrounding romance. So, if you have loved and lost, crashed and burned, been humiliated, betrayed, abused and bemused, this is undoubtedly the book for you. And even if you haven't, you'll still enjoy laughing at all the fools who have.

"'... I regretfully had to ask my man to take me home so that I could be alone with my bowels.' '... She tried to kill me there and then on her veranda.' '... I became confused when she climbed under the bed sheets - and instead of asking me to join her - asked if I could possibly read her "a bit of Harry Potter".' '..."If you aren't out of here in ten seconds," she said, "I'll chop your fucking balls off.'" '...I'd been shat on.' '...it was like kissing a corpse.' '... It quickly became very clear that I was in my underpants in bed with two unknown Germans; who were slightly bewildered but certainly not hostile.' -."

Sam Jordison - M, under 30, 5'11", WGSOH, all limbs thankfully intact, no diseases to report - was the brains behind Crap Towns and Crap Towns II and so, according to an article in The Independent, started a small publishing revolution based around swear words. More recently he's written a book about cults, cranks and religious eccentrics called The Joy Of Sects. He lives in Oxford with his girlfriend and enjoys cycling along the river and watching old episodes of The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin.