Robert Lanham's 'The Hipster Handbook' is humorous but very believable

Anchor Books' "The Hipster Handbook" is intended for the humor section of the local bookstore. But it could easily be taken seriously.

The analysis of character, clothing and even personal tastes are very dead-on as far as actually pinpointing whether someone is a fabled "hipster" or not.

When the average student is asked what books they've read lately, the majority answer the titles of books that are required reading in their classes. The main reason behind this is they don't have any extra time to read between classes, work, studying and partying, or at least three out of the four. Fear not, for "The Hipster Handbook" is only 169 pages long, many of which are chock-full of nifty pencil drawings of various hairstyles and forms of dress. A quiz is even included to tell whether or not the reader is a hipster.

Some clues in the book that someone is a hipster include: The person has graduated from a liberal arts college where the football team hasn't won a game since the Reagan administration, the person carries a should-strap messenger bag and wears Elvis Costello-style horn-rimmed glasses, or they have kissed someone of the same gender and bring it up frequently in casual conversation.

However, author Robert Lanham neglected to mention that it makes a person even more of a hipster if they have emo band buttons on the messenger bag, particularly buttons for Alkaline Trio and Hot Water Music.

Another attractive aspect of the book is its cost. For $9.95 the reader gets an entertaining read and a conversation piece for those "deck" or trendy hipster dinner parties. According to Lanham, all a person needs for one of these hip parties are some Tiki-sytle cocktail glasses, after-dinner mints, crocheted doilies and smoking jackets. Red-and-white-checkered tablecloths are also a nice touch.

What goes unspoken and yet is the true message behind the book is that what people cling onto to be individualized and unique end up becoming fads and trends of their own, thereby negating any individuality. Tattoos, body piercings and hair coloring are prime examples of this. Although tattoos and piercings were originally created by early humans as symbols with deeper ritualistic and spiritual meanings, anyone can now go and get a butterfly or a rain forest frog tattooed on the small of their back.

The humor comes in how a person might actually pick this book up in order to learn how to be hip and perhaps even follow along some of these guidelines to become a hipster. The humor, the deeper meanings, the length, design and price of "The Hipster Handbook" are what make it one of the most versatile books a person can ever buy. Goth is out. John Deere is in.