History Main / SpecificSituationBooks

* In ''Fanfic/AscendXTSGx'', Twilight is subpoenaed to testify before parliament and in Chapter Ten, consults a book titled ''[[LongTitle So You've Been Subpenaed to Testify Before Parliament]]: An [[LampshadeHanging Oddly Specific]] Book on How to Handle a Visit Before Equestria's Legislature''. Spike is dubious:

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* In ''WebAnimation/TurnaboutStorm'', Twilight reads a book called ''How to Be a Lawyer in 24 Hours'' after she fires Phoenix. The book turns out to be less than helpful, [[YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe being quite outdated]].

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland'', when Guybrush buys a ship, he receives some seafaring literature, including a guide called ''How to Get Ahead in Navigating''. He later trades that guide to Monkey Island's CannibalTribe for their ShrunkenHead with navigating abilities.

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''Franchise/AceAttorney'', some specific law books with cartoony covers appear in the series that have about a single page's worth of information, but they always have extremely relevant information.
** In ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'', the fifth case "Rise From the Ashes" has "Evidence Law", which provides a reminder of both rules of Evidence Law, which comes in handy considering that the current trial had to [[spoiler:deal with some sketchy evidence that was genuine but inadmissable unless it fulfills both rules, or outright forged altogether. Said book also contained a secret photo which if used properly, catches the culprit in a major lie]]. The credits also have Ema's "Forensic Investigation" book by the same company, which [[spoiler:has a photo inside of her and Lana when she was first starting out as a cop]].
** ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations Ace Attorney Investigations 2]]'' has the book "Statute of Limitations" in Case 3, which shows what the Statute of Limitations is regarding theft or murder, and special conditions which freeze the time limit if active. [[spoiler:This gets used to prove that the true culprit from a years-old murder case can still be tried for his crimes since he left Japanifornia for a while and the wrongly accused defendant was tried and convicted as an accomplice, which took a year to resolve.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* This is the very principle behind [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contingency_plan contingency planning]]. A prepared plan could be as simple as a single page infographic (such as fire/disaster escape plans for public and office buildings) or as lengthy as a book depending on the scope of the situation being faced.
[[/folder]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' one episode has Sid being paranoid about his friend Stinky being a vampmire, and says he will prove it to Arnold. So he goes to the library and finds a book aptly named "How to Prove your Friend is a Vampire."

** From "Look Before You Sleep", there's Twilight Sparkle's ''Everything You Need to Know About Slumber Parties (But Were Afraid to Ask)''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Subverted in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E16DumbbellIndemnity Dumbbell Indemnity]]", when Homer is in prison, he finds a book on Hans Moleman's library trolley called ''How to Tunnel out of Prison''. He says "This could be useful...", then uses it to bash Hans over the head and runs off.

* In ''Franchise/AceAttorney'', some specific law books with cartoony covers appear in the series that have about a single page's worth of information, but they always have extremely-relevant information.
** In ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'', the fifth case "Rise From the Ashes" has "Evidence Law", which provides a reminder of both rules of Evidence Law, which comes in handy considering that the current trial had to [[spoiler:deal with some sketchy evidence that was genuine but inadmissable unless it fulfills both rules, or outright forged altogether. Said book also contained a secret photo which if used properly, catches the culprit in a major lie.]] The credits also has Ema's "Forensic Investigation" book by the same company, which [[spoiler:has a photo inside of her and Lana when she was first starting out as a cop.]]
** ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations Ace Attorney Investigations 2]]'' has the book "Statute of Limitations" in Case 3, which shows what the Statute of Limitations is regarding theft or murder, and special conditions which freeze the time limit if active. [[spoiler:This gets used to prove that the true culprit from a years-old murder case can still be tried for his crimes since he left Japanifornia for a while and the wrongly-accused defendant was tried and convicted as an accomplice, which took a year to resolve.]]

* In the second series of ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', Ford and Arthur find themselves trapped beneath an immense rock with no hope of rescue. Ford suggests consulting the titular Guide for advice. Arthur expresses understandable skepticism that even [[GreatBigBookOfEverything "the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom" in much of the galaxy]] will have a Specific Situation Article for this particular contingency, but Ford tries anyway. The Guide turns out to actually have an entry entitled "What To Do If You Find Yourself Trapped Under An Immense Rock With No Hope Of Rescue"... [[SubvertedTrope Just not a very long or helpful one.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In the 1935 ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon "WesternAnimation/GoldDiggersOf49", Beans the cat finds an old book on how to find gold. The book has only one phrase inside: "Dig for it!"

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland'', when Guybrush buys a ship, he receives some seafaring literature, including a guide called ''How to Get Ahead in Navigating''. He later trades that guide to Monkey Island's CannibalTribe for their ShrunkenHead with navigating abilities.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* This is the very principle behind [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contingency_plan contingency planning]]. A prepared plan could be as simple as a single page infographic (such as fire/disaster escape plans for public and office buildings) or as lengthy as a book depending on the scope of the situation being faced.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/ElTigreTheAdventuresOfMannyRivera https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/churros_con_guitarra_explosiva.jpg]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Volume 1… meaning that there's more of it.]]

* In ''Fanfic/{{Ascend}}'' by [=xTSGx=], Twilight [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/57026/ascend is]] subpoenaed to testify before parliament and consults a book titled ''[[LongTitle So You've Been Subpenaed to Testify Before Parliament]]: An [[LampshadeHanging Oddly Specific]] Book on How to Handle a Visit Before Equestria's Legislature''. Spike is dubious:

* In ''Fanfic/{{Ascend}}'' by [=xTSGx=], Twilight [[[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/57026/ascend is]] subpoenaed to testify before parliament and consults a book titled ''[[LongTitle So You've Been Subpenaed to Testify Before Parliament]]: An [[LampshadeHanging Oddly Specific]] Book on How to Handle a Visit Before Equestria's Legislature''. Spike is dubious:

* In ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/57026/ascend Ascend]]'' by [=xTSGx=], Twilight is subpoenaed to testify before parliament and consults a book titled ''[[OverlyLongTitle So You've Been Subpenaed to Testify Before Parliament: An Oddly Specific Book on How to Handle a Visit Before Equestria's Legislature]]''. Spike is dubious:

* In ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/36274/twilight-sparkle-gets-a-free-salad Twilight Sparkle Gets a Free Salad]]'', the interrogator Zig-Zag accuses Twilight of reading the terrorist handbook ''Crippling Equestria's Economy For Dummies''. Which is apparently a real book, thought Twilight insists she was actually reading ''Escaping Maximum Security Holding Facilities -- For Dummies''. And that book proves astonishingly helpful for Twilight's escape.

SisterTrope to ParodiesForDummies. Compare to GreatBigBookOfEverything, which holds information about every specific situation rather than just a single one, CoincidentalBroadcast, which pulls a similar effect with news stations, and OneJokeFakeShow where a show is based entirely around one simple, specific joke.

** This is a running gag with Manny's mother. Whenever she is discussing something, she always brings a book into the discussion, as in, she [[{{Hammerspace}} literally brings the book with her to show it]].

* ''WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner''. Wile E. Coyote often consults books such as these when trying to catch the Roadrunner. One notable example from "WesternAnimation/StopLookAndHasten" is ''How to Build a Burmese Tiger Trap''. The trap ''is'' successfully sprung, but instead of the Roadrunner, [[ExactWords guess what it catches?]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' one episode has Sid being paranoid about his friend Stinky being a vampmire, and says he will prove it to Arnold. So he goes to the library and finds aptly named "How to Prove your Friend is a Vampire."

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Subverted in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E16DumbbellIndemnity Dumbbell Indemnity]]", when Homer is in prison, he finds a book on the library trolley called ''How to Tunnel out of Prison''. He uses it to bash the librarian over the head and runs off.

* In ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/36274/twilight-sparkle-gets-a-free-salad Twilight Sparkle Gets a Free Salad]]'', the interrogator Zig-Zag accuses Twilight of reading the terrorist handbook ''Crippling Equestria's Economy For Dummies''. Which is apparently a real book, thought Twilight insists she was actually reading ''Escaping Maximum Security Holding Facilities -- For Dummies''. And that book proves astonishingly helpful for Twilight's escape.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''
** In the episode "Squilliam Returns". Squidward gives [=SpongeBob=] a book about ''How to Become a Fancy Waiter in Less Than 20 Minutes''.
** "Rodeo Daze" has a book titled ''How to Open Things''. [=SpongeBob=] can't open Sandy's door, but Patrick brings out the book. It conveniently has a whole page about Sandy's door. Also, [=SpongeBob=] claims to have seen TheFilmOfTheBook of ''How to Open Things''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Subverted in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E16DumbbellIndemnity Dumbbell Indemnity]]", when Homer is in prison, he finds a book on the library trolley called ''How to Tunnel out of Prison''. He uses it to bash the librarian over the head and runs off.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' had Arthur and Francine end up getting locked in the library when it closed. They go through the card catalog looking for a book on the subject.
-->'''Francine:''' ''How to Escape from Prison'', ''How to Escape from a Desert Island'', AHA! ''How to Escape from a Library''!\\
''[cut to them looking through the stacks]''\\
'''Francine:''' It's not here! Someone must've checked it out! Why would you check out a book on how to escape from a library unless you were already ''in'' a library?
* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/ElTigreTheAdventuresOfMannyRivera'':
** Frida asks Manny's mother for different books to see if the library actually has a book for everything. She asks for a book about churros, a book about exploding things, a book about guitars, and a book for [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs eating churros while playing an exploding guitar]].
** This is a running gag with Manny's mother. Whenever she is discussing something, she always brings a book into the discussion, as in, she [[{{Hammerspace}} literally brings the book with her to show it]].

SisterTrope to ParodiesForDummies. Compare to GreatBigBookOfEverything, which holds information about every specific situation rather than just a single one, and CoincidentalBroadcast, which pulls a similar effect with news stations.