Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies

Dilbert #2

by Scott Adams

In this work, Dogbert, the entrepreneurial friend of the cult cartoon character Dilbert, reveals the truth about office life and the dog-eat-dog world of business. Anyone who has ever toiled in an office should identify with the ironclad axioms of this illustrated book of business humour.

Genres: Humor, Comics, Comic Strips, Graphic Novels, Comedy, Fiction, Art

112 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1991

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Scott Adams was a defining voice of the American white-collar experience who transitioned from a prominent cartoonist into a polarizing political commentator. After earning an MBA from UC Berkeley and spending years in management at Pacific Bell, Adams launched the comic strip Dilbert in 1989. The strip’s sharp satire of corporate bureaucracy and the "Dilbert Principle"—the idea that incompetent employees are promoted to management to minimize their damage—resonated globally, eventually appearing in 2,000 newspapers and winning the prestigious Reuben Award. Beyond the funny pages, Adams explored philosophy and persuasion in works like God's Debris and Win Bigly, the latter of which analyzed Donald Trump’s rhetorical strategies during the 2016 election. His career took a dramatic turn during the mid-2010s as he shifted focus to his daily "Real Coffee" livestream, where he combined his background in hypnosis and corporate strategy to comment on the "culture wars." This period of independent commentary culminated in 2023 when he reacted to a poll regarding racial tensions with a series of inflammatory remarks. Labeling Black Americans a "hate group" and advocating for racial segregation, Adams faced immediate and widespread repercussions; hundreds of newspapers dropped his strip, and his publisher canceled his upcoming projects. Undeterred, he moved his work to the subscription-based platform Locals, rebranding his comic as Dilbert Reborn. In his final years, he faced severe health challenges, including stage IV prostate cancer and vocal cord issues, yet he remained a prolific presence on social media. He eventually announced the end of his hand-drawn work due to focal dystonia but continued to direct the strip's vision. Adams’s legacy remains a complex study in the power of branding, the evolution of digital influence, and the volatile intersection of creative genius and political provocation in the modern era.

Reviews

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely older Dilbert. Number 2 of the books. Continued fun, but very focused on Dogbert's lessons on business.

[Soumya Prasad · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read on work life. When you read this at a time in your life when work is draining you out, it makes you think if all this ever matters.

A super funny, well articulated read.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why I keep reading this series; there are funnier comic strips out there. But it's not taking up much of my brain space, and they're fun and relatable to some extent, so it's a good chill and decompress read each night.

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies / 0836217578

Recently I started re-reading my Dilbert collections; this is the second collection of unique strips by my count, but they're not precisely Dilbert strips in the traditional sense: each page is a single 4-panel strip where the first panel is Dogbert explaining a rule of business.

The strips are very funny and actually sadly seem quite a "spot on" reflection, even dated as this volume is. I do wish that there was less of a reliance on female stereotypes in some of the pieces -- there's at least two strips that indicate that nicely dressed women are either likely having affairs with upper management or hoping to skate by on sex appeal. Adams can be funnier than that and doesn't need to resort to these stereotypes; fortunately these strips are two out of ~100 and the rest of the book is very funny and fun. (And his later collections have moved away from these "jokes" entirely, I believe.)

~ Ana Mardoll

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is weird to see Dilbert's work place from over 20 years ago. There seems to be some version of the pointy-haired boss, but his hair is not yet pointy. He also isn't as clueless, and seems a little bigger and meaner. Dogbert, of course is there (he IS on the cover), but he hadn't yet developed into self-serving mastermind he is today. There are no other regular characters - no Wally, Alice, Ratbert,or Asok.
The material seems to be written just for this book, not a compilation of previously published comic strips. It's organized into short chapters covering different business topics. Each page is like a single comic strip with 3-4 panels. So at 111 pages, there is not really a whole lot to the book. It's pretty funny, but nothing that makes me want to hang a page up in my cubicle.

[Prabhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need a escape from a lot on nonsense in the name of art and entertainment and dive into the world that may look unbelievable and stupid at first but makes more sense than sages. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dogbert, the sociopathic business executive.

[foom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Dogbert's comments. This is a themed collection of short strips, and some of them are amusing. Very fast read. I finished the book in a little over 20 minutes.

I was surprised to see this book was published 30 years before I found it. Dilbert comics haven't changed too much since then. I'd even say they were better back then for people who aren't familiar with recent technology.

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer the early dilbert books like this one that are predominantly comics. Sometimes the jokes and sarcasm stand the test of time, and some miss the mark a little today, but they still do a great job of representing the extremes.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fun book for anyone who has ever worked in an office to read and appreciate the satire. It was written in the 1990's but not much has changed and I am seeing the same characters and actions happening in 2021.

[David Erkale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second sort of Dilbert collection! Although it only contains comics made for this book, it's a funny perspective that Dogbert holds as he tells of ways to survive in the office. Must read for any Dilbert fan!

[Stephen Heiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a long lunch and want a few chuckles, this is a great book. Whether you have ever spent any time in the corporate life, you can still appreciate the torpidity of such an existence.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just frigging hilarious.

[Somdutta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious account of office culture and work ethics.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's sad how much of this actually applies to my work.

[Susan]

Always love Dilbert - always makes me laugh!

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

great laughs
Always enjoy Scott Adams. Much of what he makes fun of I saw in corporate America.

[Dave Smith]

Cute book

[SKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Dogbert! His are my favorites in the Dilbert series. This gave me many a “LOL” moment!

[Francine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed that.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The office job jokes were perfect. I believe if he stucked with these he would have never gone down hill.

[Phil Whittall · Rating 4 out of 5]

More hits than misses in this one. Adams & Dogbert nail corporate culture.

[charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was funny but, as someone who does not work a corporate job, i didn’t get a lot of things that were joked about.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has ever worked in an office or any work setting can find humor in the Dilbert comics and directly relate to many of the situations. Scott Adams has a great way of ridiculing all that is ridiculous in business. I think most execs would do well to read this, before implementing the next big project (and wasting money) to understand their personnel better than any team-building exercise will ever offer.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

a gud laugh from boldly honest comic strip,
ini cerita yg selalu muncul di koran KOMPAS klo ga salah, suka bgt bacanya mpe kdg2 klo ada yg baca di sebelah sempet2in take a peek, hihi... tho kdg joke-nya tlalu tinggi jd agak susah dijangkau tp gambarnya yg satire sudah cukup menghibur :D

thx buat Om Tomo yg dah rela meminjamkannya :)

[Brentman99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that Dilbert is so funny because the stuff is true. I read this while attending a project management course and within a few minutes I found a couple of strips that applied directly to what I was working on.

If you work in an office environment, there will be more than a few laughs and moments of nodding in agreement. Scott Adams's office humour is real. Enjoy.

[Jessica]

Hilarious and informative. There is no better practical guide to navigating corporate America than Dogbert and this guidebook. I no longer fear spending the next 20 years in a cubicle, for I am totally prepared. Thank you Dogbert, I owe you one.

[Amber the Human · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Not the comic strip from the paper, this was much more of a book. Also, in the forward, or somewhere in the book, it says that Adams worked as a temp at a company for two weeks, but I'm pretty sure he worked at AT&T for years, and that's where his fodder came from.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

What to say except that this guy is the funniest and most insightful commentator on business in the 90's of anyone writing today. This is the first book and it shows his great promise. See esp "how to make your boring job seem dangerous." This review was originally written in 1994.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

covers a lot of topics, pretty inciteful

the animation is early, but the humor is there. i was expecting some pretty unfunny stuff ala early garlfield.

"sick days are just vacation days with sound effects"

*coughs*