Best known for his performance in the title role of the popular 70s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, Gabe Kaplan began feeling like a washed-up celebrity when he was asked at the age of 58 to participate in a celebrity boxing match against Screech from Saved By the Bell. The request amused him so much that he started sending prank emails that were sure to elicit a response.

Whether it’s a lengthy exchange with a DNA testing lab asking them to compare his DNA to his sister’s (“If it turns out that I am adopted, can you use my DNA to find my real parents? Do you think they're alive? Would they ask me for things?”) or a letter to a swami asking if there’s a way to have his Indian fiancée, one of the “untouchable” class, upgraded a few notches (“PS: She may be ‘untouchable’ but I can’t keep my hands off her”), the e-mails are witty, irreverent, and hilariously inventive.

He even manages to engage the likes of Tom Clancy, Jerry Fallwell, and the postmaster general of the United States in outrageous correspondence. Gabe’s emails and the responses, ranging from sincere to suspicious, make for a thoroughly entertaining read for anyone with an appreciation of the brilliant and bizarre.