Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. General    3. Golf - General    4. Humor    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Topic - Sports    8. Sports & Recreation / Golf   

Reviews (3)

Save your money
I bought this book used for $0.18. It was not worth the money.The 'Rules of Thumb' are so general as to be useless.I was hoping for a book that showed me some heuristics that could be used in daily life that come from experts. It is a collection of random bits that people have sent to the author.I found the book quite useless for me. Better off reading 'LifeHacks' or something else on the Net.

Great Read!
Tons of trivia ranging from useful to obscure. how many apples make a glass of apple juice? upon seeing a car crash, where should you aim your car to avoid it?how long, on average, does it take a person to paint a house? Interesting and fun(!) to read. Great if you're the kind of person who can't commit to reading straight through a book; you can pick up and put down this one...

A Collection Of Other Peoples R-O-T.
With the Very Wide range of subject matter, you might read 3 or 4 pages until you come across something that might be useful in your daily life.(When will I need info about designing a submarine, driving in Germany, parasailing off Angel's Falls, and more.)Is good for the trivia master, but everyday info ... it's over kill. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. General    3. Handbooks, vade-mecums, etc    4. Humor   

Reviews (6)

not as good as the 1st and 2nd, but still great
I didn't like this one quite as much as the 1st and 2nd Why book (part 2 seems to be out of print), mainly because it lacked the Special Reports which were the best part of its predecessors.But this is a minor complaint and like the other books in the series I've read this one so many times that I have practically memorized it.That won't stop me from reading it many times more.
Why Things Are & Why Things Aren't
Achenbach is a genius at observation, very interesting questions and wonderful and witty humor.If you loved his previous books you'll love this one.I was sad to finish it.

Accurate, informative and hysterically funny
This book is for the insatiably curious, and it is a joy to read.Not only is it incredibly funny but it's full of accurate scientific information, and provides answers to questions you didn't even realize youhad. The author is obviously an incredibly talented writer who is having agood time with the subject matter. A great little book and suprisinglyprofound! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Form - Essays    3. General    4. Humor    5. Journalists (Collected Columns)    6. Questions and answers    7. Reference    8. Humor / Essays   

Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. American wit and humor    3. American wit and humor, Pictor    4. American wit and humor, Pictorial    5. Encyclopedias    6. General    7. Humor    8. English    9. Sociology, Social Studies    10. USA   

Reviews (8)

A Great Survey In Need Of An Update
What a great book - you can peruse this one and find forgotten things that you secretly love, secretly loathe, along with any number of things that simply cause you to think "what the hell?!?"
bought it as a first edition, still read it!
A wonderful book. if you are mid 30's to mid 50's, this book's for you. I bought it in 1990- laughed out loud MANY times---I still read parts of it today, although the cover has come off! It has short articles on some of our nations funnier, and awfull-er things, from accordians to zoot suits- with stops at dino parks, liberace,diners, & fake fur, to name but a few. Reading it now, some things are definitely dated, and I would LOVE to see an updated edition ( hint hint, jane & micheal stern). All in all a fun, fast read, blast from the past for all of us to laugh at ourselves, and recognize someone we knew. and remember,"just because something is in bad taste, doesnt mean it has to taste bad."( the sterns, on cool-whip)

Outstanding look at America's more regrettable phases.
Witty and sharp-tongued, this book guides readers in a primer of that which was bizarre and tasteless in the 70s and 80s. Topics range from "Frederick's of Hollywood" to Jell-O [tm] to Chippendale's Dancers to those obnoxious cedar plaques you used to be able to find at truck stops across the country (and maybe still can, somewhere). Some of these topics will be totally lost on younger readers -- my 25-year-old boyfriend had never heard of the Mayflower Madame, never knew the glory of ring-pull caps, and had never seen a macrame plant hanger. For me, however, a child of the 80s, these are just part of the general background of my life.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American wit and humor    3. Anthropology - Cultural    4. Arts, American    5. Encyclopedias    6. General    7. Humor    8. Popular Culture    9. Reference    10. United States    11. Cultural studies   

Reviews (12)

found a few mistakes...
I skimmed through this book, which I fortunately bought from SFBC instead of a book store or Amazon, and found at least three errors.
SO FULL OF MISTAKES AS TO BE LAUGHED AT.
This writer made so many mistakes on when the comics were made, what years they were published, and almost does not acknowledge past creators at all except in brief not so well researched chapters.
SO FULL OF MISTAKES AS TO BE LAUGHED AT.
This writer made so many mistakes on when the comics were made, what years they were published, and almost does not acknowledge past creators at all except in brief not so well researched chapters.
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Subjects:  1. Comic books, strips, etc    2. Comic books, strips, etc.    3. Comics & Cartoons    4. Encyclopedias    5. General    6. Humor    7. Popular Culture - General    8. Reference    9. Comic book & cartoon art    10. Reference / General    11. Reference works   

Reviews (1)

Thank goodness they cut down trees for this!
At last a timely reprint (though not quite of the highest quality) of this brilliant 1973 Lampoon special.The original was a hardback book and the contents (not reprinted from the magazine) ran in alphabetical order from Aa, Antique plastics to Zz, Zen lizard.You don't need me to tell you that this is seriously funny stuff, beautifully written under the editorship of Michael O'Donoghue and stunningly designed by David Kaestle.
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Subjects:  1. American wit and humor    2. General    3. Humor    4. Humor / General   

Reviews (2)

Quantity not Quality....
Revenge Encyclopedia, is full of many tips that would cost alot of money to buy in other books.However, other books take the time to explain how not to get caught.
Very Practical.
This may be the mother of revenge books.You would have to buy and read more than 25 books to get the wisdom and wit contained in this volume.You'll like it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Form - Parodies    3. Personal & Practical Guides    4. Reference    5. Humor / Parodies    6. Humour    7. Other prose: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (5)

Good trivia book
If you like Trivia then this is a good book for you... You Won't Regret Buying This Book
Cecil Adams Straight Dope books are some of the best trivia books out there bar none. While you may not get the answers to the specific questions you are asking you will find answers to things you always wanted to know but never really thought to ask about. The Best DOPE of the Bunch
The first book was great, but played it safe. The more recent books are likewise good, but seem to have been trying a tad too hard. This is the one to start with. Like Miss Manners, Cecil transcends his material or subjectmatter-- his sharp, witty voice is the real treat here. However, it shouldalso be noted that unlike most authors of trivia and odd-knowledgecompendiums, Cecil actually applies Real scholarship to his answers,instead of the usual assortment of second-hand hearsay. A great gift forthe smartass on your list... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. General    3. Humor    4. Questions and answers    5. Reference    6. Humor / Essays    7. Modern fiction   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Humor    3. Wit and humor   

Reviews (1)

Great!
This book is great.I had to read it for a review, but ended up falling in love with it.You won't believe how many people have disgusting habits.Everyone should read the book!!! Its great. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Etiquette    3. Form - Parodies    4. General    5. Humor    6. Humor / Parodies   

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. General    3. Humor    4. Questions and answers    5. Reference   

Reviews (1)

Browser's paradise
Despite not being a large book, this paperback makes a great "coffee table" book in the sense that it is great to leave laying around to have guests browse through.Flipping it open, one finds such important questions as: who's the best baseball player?which art museum is best? addressed.These are all questions that people have idled away time answering; the value Poundstone adds is having researched them.He provides just enough information--even on topics for which I don't have much expertise I found his commentary interesting.Even for those who don't care about the details the book is worth flipping through to see the comparative charts and conclusions.Read more

Subjects:  1. Curiosities and wonders    2. Encyclopedias and dictionaries    3. General    4. Handbooks, vade-mecums, etc    5. Humor    6. Reference    7. World records    8. Humor / General   

Reviews (1)

Stupid is as Stupid does
I heard about this book a few years ago from some friends in Amsterdam who read it in the original Dutch and couldn't stop talking about it. Now I finally understand what they were laughing about.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - General    3. Humor    4. Philosophy    5. Literature: Texts    6. Social Science / Popular Culture   

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Reference    5. BG-HUMOR/GAMES - BG-GAMES/PUZZLES    6. Games / Reference    7. Sale Books   

Reviews (1)

Lousy name, but inspiring designs
I was a little skeptical when I first saw the cover of this book, not to mention the title of this book. I think they titled it that so men would be drawn to it and buy it. But I must say this book is actually pretty good. It has some really creative ideas when it comes to fashion designs. You can also use the ideas to not only make sports wear, but anything your imagination can come up with. You could design simple bathing suits to active sports wear to even a hero's outfit or even yet a cool space suit. With this book you can even design a fashion that best suites a unique characters personality, that could have nothing to do with sports, the book is fantastically inspiring.
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Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Comics & Cartoons    3. Comics & Graphic Novels    4. General    5. Humor    6. Techniques - Cartooning    7. Art / Cartooning    8. Costume    9. Sports & Outdoor Recreation   

Reviews (14)

two thumbs down
I'm sorry, but that book stunk! "If you're in a jam, call JAM." An Excellent Collection
Whenever I am down or am just having the worst day in the world, I usually need to read or watch something funny.A lot of times I read comics like Calvin and Hobbes and FoxTrot.FoxTrot is always funny and is able to get more than a laugh or two out of me.Here is another excellent FoxTrot collection by the great Bill Amend; "Encyclopedias Brown and White." Same old, same old... but good as ever!
Foxtrot is finally getting to the point where the strips seem familiar even when they are brand new.Still, it's one of my favorite strips for the charactors and brand of humor... and I'll keep reading (and buying!) until this one turns into another Garfield or fades off into the sunset like C&H. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. General    4. Humor    5. Humor / General   

Reviews (7)

Chuckles and giggles.
The book was great, it's fun to share it with other's who look like they could use a pick me up at the coffee shop.
carry it with you
This book is a real hoot. I take it with me when I travel and when people see me reading it they invariably ask me about it. Aggravations and Semantics
Using the word "aggravation" in the sense of "annoyance" is not incorrect.While most dictionaries list the first definition of "aggravation" as "to make things worse," they also list as a second or third defnition the use of "aggravation" as a synonym for "annoyance."The American Heritage Dictionary, for example, gives the definition of aggravation as: 1. The act of aggravating or the state of being aggravated. 2. A source of continuing, increasing irritation or trouble. 3. Exasperation. The Cambridge Dictionary lists a definition of "aggravation" as "adj informal annoyance."So this use of "aggravation" is accepted. Read more

Subjects:  1. Frustration    2. General    3. Humor    4. Miscellanea    5. Cultural studies    6. Humor / General    7. Humour    8. Popular psychology    9. Reference works   

Reviews (2)

Encyclpedia of jewishhumour
In my opinion this book should be on the shelves of every Jewish family ,not just for display but as a study and reference ,

Informative, but not funny
There is much to learn about Jewish slang and the structure of Jewish humor in this collection, but the author has a knack for taking funny material and making it sound stupid. Let me give an example by relating one of my favorite Jewish jokes, in my own words.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Humor    3. Jewish wit and humor    4. Literature: Classics   

Reviews (6)

Afterthought ends up being great purchase!
I bought this book simply to bring my purchase up to the free shipping total, but it ended up being a great purchase!It's a hilarious look at all those guilty pleasures we all harbor.Don't pass up this little gem of a book.You'll be laughing for hours!It's illustrated, too.

This book is itself a guilty pleasure
What's not to like? Three hundred pages of your favorite trash, elevated to nostalgia, handily packaged, and punchily, pithily, wittily written. Makes a great gift! (see "Infomercials")

From ABBA and Abbott & Costello to Ziggy and Zima
Please! _Doctor Who_, a "guilty pleasure"?! Or anime, which is a genuine art form? And I'm very good at "Trivial Pursuit" -- most reference librarians are. It's also obviously a generational thing; my mother was a Liberace fan in the `50s, and I loved Jiffy Pop in the pre-microwave days myself. (I was already too old when MTV debuted in 1981, or for paintball, which appeared that same year.) And is there anyone who *doesn't* have a few souvenir T-shirts in the closet? On the other hand, who's gonna admit to deliberately watching Hanna-Barbera cartoons? Or _Leave It to Beaver_ reruns, or _The Gong Show_? Or to drinking Big Red? This is the perfect book for a long road trip, for reading aloud to each other and starting arguments. There are some odd omissions, though: How can you talk about "End-of-the-World Movies" without mentioning _On the Beach_? Or "Elvis Impersonators" without noting Andy Kaufman's eerily accurate version early in his career? Or, for the ultimate in self-reference, why isn't there a listing under "Trivia Books"? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Humor    3. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    4. Popular Culture - General    5. Family & Health    6. Non-Classifiable    7. Reference works