Total Page : 288
Publisher : Harmony
Publication Date : 2007 08 07
>> Non Trivial Trivia for the Lover of all Things Factual
For the dedicated informavore cracking the first page of this book is like ushering a person with a drinking problem into an Oktoberfest celebration Consisting of over two hundred questions that many people THINK they know the answer to The Book of General Ignorance proceeds to deflate the readers pride in their own knowledge with both dispatch and humor
With queries ranging from What human artifacts can be seen from the moon to What would you use to overpower a crocodile the authors cover topics ranging from astrophysics to particle physics from the sex lives of earwigs to the homicidal habits of hippos all in clear and humorous prose
It would be tempting to look at this book as simply a larger and more explicit version of picking up a box of Trivial Pursuit cards and going through them one by one And if you re someone that has actually done this Sadly I m one of those people you ll love this book For many readers delightful as the tidbits provided are it will leave one with the odd and unfulfilling feeling one gets when one goes to a party not having had dinner and all that is available is a vast array of tasty appetizers one gets stuffed but keeps vaguely missing the main meal That said there is a takeaway message or two that have lasting substance
The first message from author John Lloyd who quotes from the man who DIDN T invent the light bulb Thomas Edison We don t know a millionth of one percent about anything Secondly Lloyd feels that in addition to drives for food shelter and sex mankind has a fourth drive curiosity And we should indulge this drive Lastly much that we think we know we are in error about The book in a funky and funny way is a call to humility a call to lay aside pomposity cockiness and fear the better to take off whatever lenses we have been gazing at the world through and to take a fresh look at information that is often staring us in the face Information that just might push back the shoreline of ignorance just a few feet As narrow as that newly uncovered beachfront might be it is bound to hold fascinating clues to what is under that ocean of ignorance that we humans so badly want to explore
>> The Book of General Ignorance
This is a very informative and entertaining book of facts It debunks old wives tales and illuminates history
The article about Napoleon s most embarrassing defeat was hysterical If you love history trivia general knowledge and witty writing you ll love this book
>> a good bathroom or nightstand book
This is a nice light book with each question being answered in about 1 page a good book to read for quick reading sessions like on the pot or before going to sleep some stuff is pretty interesting some stuff I definitely already knew Not bad if you re looking for an easy read that s good to pick up and put down alot
