 Jacobs wrote 13 paperback books under the "Mad" imprint, including "Mad for Better or Verse", a collection of poetry parodies, as well as the biography "The Mad World of William M. Gaines".One of Jacobs' non-"Mad"-related projects was the 1965 "Alvin Steadfast on Vernacular Island", a gentle spoof of post-Victorian boys' books.The titular hero is a ten-year-old boy, who joins an adult explorer on Vernacular Island, a place populated by bizarre and wonderful creatures such as the Standing Ovation, the Ill Omen, the Glowing Report and the Ugly Rumor.