Powder room, comfort station, lavatory, privy, loo, and water closet, are just a few of the infinite number of (often euphemistic) names invented for the most universal of all human necessities, the toilet. The sheer variety - and eccentricity - of toilets worldwide is the subject of this light-hearted but informative photographic journey.

Why are there toilets of solid gold in Hong Kong? Why are there entire fields of toilets in South Africa? Why do urinals pop out of the ground in central London? The surprising answers to these questions and more are all answered here.

Canadian authors Morna E. Gregory and Sian James have traveled the world to compile this astonishing book, which is divided into chapters featuring toilets of North America, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and Asia. TOILETS OF THE WORLD travels from miniature log cabins set in the Canadian wilderness to state-of-the-art cubicles in Japan, and from Caribbean huts precariously placed on stilts to eco-friendly solar-powered toilets in New Zealand.

TOILETS OF THE WORLD is a fully illustrated, highly amusing book of visual curiosities, but it also stands on its own as a fascinating insight into cultural and historical differences around the globe.

-- Merrell Publishers