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You don’t have to be Twitter-savvy to appreciate the humor in this new book, which profiles some hilarious (and a few serious) Tweets from abroad.

Who would think that a book of Twitter chatter would be a fun read you’d actually pay $12.95 retail to add to your library?

The World According to Twitter is a fun ride through the microblogosphere, showcasing more than 2,500 Tweets in response to questions posted nightly by CBS News Sunday Morning correspondent David Pogue.

One of the reasons I requested this book is because of Pogue himself. I always enjoyed his features on Sunday Morning and I figured if anyone could pen a good yarn about Twitter, it would be him.

The set up: Pogue realized how trapped responses are on Twitter. You only get to see them if you are following the person, or someone happens to RT it into other networks and the RT goes viral. His lovely wife, Jennifer, told him to post some questions, pick the funniest responses and write a book about them.

Every night, Pogue posted questions to his audience. He waded through the list of responses and picked the best ones to feature in The World According to Twitter.

The number of followers in Pogue’s network skyrocketed - which is exactly what happens when you 1) provide content people want and 2) get your Twitter followers actively involved and 3) offer a freebie for participating.

A few of my favorites from the book:

@Pogue Provide an example of spam from the year 2100.

@holioli: You’ve won a new hovercraft. Click HERE!!!!

@pmahoney87 Best prices on Soylent Green. “No Relatives” guarantee.

@Pogue What’s your strangest habit?

@joshgans I pretend I’m using The Force when going through automatic doors. (Shameful, but true.)

I love this last one because I’m a Star Wars fan and have done that before, too - though not all the time.

Pogue asks some really terrific questions, which in turn, received incredible responses - especially from @pumpkinshirt, who had some of the best throughout the book. It is a funny read, but more importantly, an excellent experiment about how social media impacts our lives today and just what we are comfortable sharing behind the cyber cloak. As an active Tweeter myself (@AngelaWilson), I marvel at how witty Pogue’s questions are, and how he was able to get so many quality followers for this experiment. I was stunned at the wonderful humor hidden among the depths of Twitter spam. It was great to read it all in once place.

Pogue’s book is different from others I’ve seen on the marketing. One, Twisdom, by Tom V. Morris, is filled with his own musings. Most others are about how to become Twitter powerusers (so you, too, can become an ignorant spam marketer). The closest to it (at least that I can find) is Twitter Wit by Nick Douglas (August 2009, It Books). Though I haven’t seen this one personally, Amazon shows it is much smaller at 158 pages and just a collection of Tweets, not so much interaction with Tweeters. (Still, after reading The World According to Twitter, I’d like to check out Douglas’ book to see just how different the Tweet collection is.)

Here is a question I keep seeing in the blogosphere: Why should you pay money to read Twitter chatter? After all, you can get all that chatter for free, right? Well, first, you’d have to actually be able to FIND funny stuff among all the Twitterese floating among the droll I just ate some toast or Earn money NOW! messages. And let’s not forget the Download my free eBook to increase your Twitter followers! Tweets that pummel @replies.

Each Twitter handle gets credit for their entry and Pogue sent them a free book. Seriously, free swag for typing 140 characters or less during a fun experiment? Who wouldn’t want that? It is also excellent free publicity for the Twitter users featured. (Why not put that on your resume? Some companies might snap up some of those featured here because they see “Twitter” and “book” in the same sentence.)

What is so interesting is that it was NOT easy for them to track down every Tweeter, because so many people don’t include a lot of personal information with their online accounts.

Also, some of the Tweets are time-sensitive, so if your kids read this book, they will ask 1) What was “Twitter?” and 2) What’s so funny about this joke? (Think of watching Josie and the Pussycats if you didn’t grow up in the era.)

The book has a fun layout and would be a perfect stocking stuffer for the social media obsessed person on your Christmas list. It would also make a great gift for office Christmas parties, especially if you add some Godiva chocolates to the packaging.

The World According to Twitter is just fun. Even if you are not into the social network, your sense of humor will definitely appreciate the wicked words presented by Tweeters in 140 characters or less.

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