Subjects:  1. Curiosities & Wonders    2. Curiosities and wonders    3. Miscellanea    4. Questions & Answers    5. Reference    6. Trivia    7. Wonders And Curiosities    8. World records    9. EDUCATION - Education TRD PB    10. Reference / Curiosities & Wonders   

Reviews (2)

This is a wonderful book
When I opened the package I was surprised that this book was so big. I was expecting something a lot smaller. Then when I started reading I was surprised that it held my attention as long as it did. Some of the items take up a page or two, and some only take up a paragraph or two. They say my mind jumps around a lot and that is what this book does, it jumps around a lot and for me it is interesting reading and it holds my attention when few books are able to do that. At the price these books are selling for used right now you can't go wrong on this one.

Great Book for the Crapper - Buy for Your Crapper Time
This is one great book for reading the short thoughtful and sometimes very funny, and perhaps even serious stories while in the bathroom.
Read more

Subjects:  1. American wit and humor    2. Curiosities and wonders    3. Form - Essays    4. General    5. Humor    6. Satire And Humor    7. Humor / Topic / Family    8. Humour   

Reviews (11)

A Fun Romp through the World of "Secrets"
Russ Kick has written a fun little book that combines the "truthiness" of tabloid journalism with paranoid conspiracy theory in 50 little bite-size chunks. It's a blast to read if you don't take it too seriously.
Tries. Does not succeed.
Russ Kick, 50 Things You're Not Supposed to Know (disinfo,com, 2003)
Take with a grain of salt...maybe even the whole salt shaker.
While the book is amusing, I highly doubt it is based on fact. I am not arguing the entire book to be false, but I did research (ended up doing a paper on it for one of my college classes in fact) on the so-called real Ten Commandments.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    2. Curiosities & Wonders    3. General    4. History    5. Miscellanea    6. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    7. Popular Culture - General    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Popular culture    11. Social Science / Popular Culture   

Reviews (11)

cute but a little light on content
If you're looking for a humorous quick read this book will suffice.However, its not going to make you go "yep that's me" or "I recognize that" as much as others of the genre might

Enjoyed reading it.
This is a most interesting read, mostly comedic, but it is really a hoot to read.

Cute and funny for the Canada lover
This book has a wealth of quirky Canada facts and is overall an enjoyable read.A true Canadian would probally know most of the information in this volume, so this makes a great gift for that Canadian wannabe you know (or your friend the draft dodger.)Quirky and cute, I would buy this book for anyone who ever said "So what's up with Canada anyway?"This will difinitively answer their question. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Canadian wit and humor    3. Curiosities & Wonders    4. General    5. Humor    6. Miscellanea    7. National characteristics, Canadian    8. Non-Classifiable    9. Nonfiction    10. Reference    11. Trivia    12. Places & peoples: general interest    13. Popular culture   

Editorial Review

Some people -- like me -- enjoy reading books containing lists of peculiar or droll facts. Such books are arguably the precursor of much of the net. But if you find yourself away from your WWW browser, and feel the need to snarf oddities even when offline, you'll be glad to know there's a book in which you can learn that: Read more

Reviews (9)

Many facts, but many factoids, too.
When I read this book years ago, I found the information therein just as the title states: fascinating.But upon further perusing of this work, I began to notice incorrect information presented as fact.For example, the deer botfly does NOT fly at the stated high speed; that fanciful notion came from a quote by etymologist Charles H. T. Townsend.His absurd estimation was proven false by Irving Langmuir. I Love It!
I recieved this book through a friend and I haven't ben able to put it down since! I reccomend it to other "Fact Junkies" like myself!

Trivia Buff's Dream
Worth every penny.Quick easy to find information on just about everything ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Curiosities and wonders    2. Reference    3. Trivia    4. Wonders And Curiosities    5. Games / Trivia    6. Sale Books   

Reviews (16)

Very Good Book
I found Silva's book very thorough in its detailing of the crop circle phenomenon, particularly in regards to clearing up the discrepancies between real crop circles vs. hoaxes. I like how he mingles thorough research with personal observations and experimentation. I also really enjoyed the chapters about the connections to sound, light, and ancient cultures and spiritual traditions. As someone who is not very scientifically inclined, I found Silva's language to be accessible, as I found myself wishing I had paid more attention to my geometry and physics classes when I was in school. I'm always fascinated by serious discussion of the mysteries of our universe, and this book certainly did not disappoint in that regard.

The real question
The real question for me is who is behind the crop circles and what are they trying to convey? My hunch: a secret military unit that includes or works with some really smart fellows from Cambridge (UK). After them, I'd guess MIT, Princeton, and Cal Tech if Yanks are involved. I don't think ET bothers with such foolishness although clearly he could do so if he wanted. The physics of crop circles seem fairly clear and simple though hardly anybody wants to explain them: tightly focussed coherent microwave radiation probably beamed from on high. In other words, a prototype or on-line (missile defense?) maser or tunable laser operating in mw frequencies. Is only one beam involved or does it require a second for interference? Don't know - I'm not a scientist. What is its platform? Don't know - don't have clearance. Secret space station? Unmanned satellite w/ maser? Ground based maser w/ mirror-satellite aloft? Conventional aircraft? Unconventional (field propulsion) aircraft? A remote facility like HAARP? All of the above? Are the circles just the products of bored missile defense crews? Is this pure art along with some very high brow humor? (And it is fabulous art.) Or is there a more specific psy-op angle - whether benign or sinister? I don't know, but I could not help but suspect that as informative as Silva is about the "meanings" of the various circles, he was not as forthcoming with all he might know about their designers. Obviously we have CAD involved, and obviously the targetting and burning is exquisitely controlled. And obviously inquiring minds will be highly stimulated by all the speculation and interpretation. ...and other minds, perhaps, disturbed. (For them, show them the hoax circles.) Great engineering - all highly classified, of course. But the very real human minds and motivations behind this stuff are, to me, even more fascinating than the very stimulating esoterica. BTW, let's hope that the weapons that make these things are NEVER used for less benign purposes than wilting relatively small, uninhabited areas in our fields.

Broadens the mind.
In the past I've had various crop circle photos and calendars put to me but its never raised much more than an inaudible grunt.But after listening to Silva on Mysteries of the Mind radio, I didn't hesitate in going on-line and getting his book.Regardless if you believe crop circles are made by ET's or not, the consciousness that is behind them is intriguing to say the least.How is it that tests of the soil inside the circles show no moisture yet soil outside the circle does?Why do compasses not work?Why do people feel nauseous and experience time loss inside them?Why does it take the fakers two days instead of the minutes the real ones take to make and even then they still look forged?
Read more

Subjects:  1. Crop circles    2. Curiosities and wonders    3. Metaphysics    4. Miscellanea    5. Mysticism    6. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    7. Philosophy    8. Science    9. Unexplained Phenomena   

Reviews (6)

Anyone Can Deceive the Public...
Since 1995 and before, this one has pulled a big snow job over the poor folks of Paris (in America), which is the real reason he won't reprint his fiction books which were palmed off as history.It was anything but
Fun with skepticism
The very first chapter, on the prophecies of Nostradamus, is worth the price of the book.Farquhar points out that Nostradamus built his prophetic reputation by making vague pronouncements so filled with symbolism that they could be interpreted to predict nearly anything.If more people read Farquhar, there'd be a lot fewer people wasting their time with other prophetic works that use the same approach, such as the book of Isaiah and the Revelation of St. John. This is something of a personal issue for me.My own father, an intelligent and talented man who could have done a lot of good in the world, spent years obsessing uselessly over these prophecies.
Excellent stories, but not as good as some of his other books
I just finished reading this book and I would have given it five stars had I not read his stories about royal scandals first. It was much more shocking than this one, although this book is worth a read.I only wish it had contained more stories, and a little more of the wit Farquhar exhibited in his other writings. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Curiosities & Wonders    3. Deception    4. General    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Impostors and imposture    9. Reference    10. United States - General    11. History / Social History    12. Hoaxes & deceptions    13. Humour    14. USA   

Reviews (5)

Brilliant book
I found this book incredibly interesting, and I'm no maths fan - I leafed through it while babysitting for a friend who has a son of 9, then I bought the book for myself! It is so well written and extremely funny in parts. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. I guarantee you will learn something new.
A great book for all ages & levels
This is a truly awesome book, full of fascinating insights, entertaining all the way through and amazingly wide in scope, ranging from school math to jokes, puzzles, games and high-level topics like chaos. Note that the "mistake" mentioned in the first editorial review is not really a mistake but an old joke: How many animals of each sex did Moses take on the Ark? The answer of course is "none - it was Noah who built the Ark!"

FOR ALL AGES 7-70
THE BOOK WAS BOUGHT FOR A 7 YEAR OLD, BUT I SPENT AN ENTIRE AFTERNOON READING IT.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Curiosities & Wonders    5. Juvenile Mathematics    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Mathematical recreations    9. Mathematics    10. Mathematics - Games & Recreations    11. Mathematics - General    12. Problems, exercises, etc.    13. Juvenile Nonfiction / Mathematics / General   

Reviews (10)

Such a great book!!!!
As a trivia buff, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves "useless" knowledge. The book is separated into the 7 deadly sins and gives historical examples past & present. Definately a great buy!!!

Great pick-up-and-put-down book
I love this type of book because I can pick it up, read it for 1 minute or 1 hour and put it back down again.Although I did notice one error (about Truman Capote), most of the facts are interesting and amusing.I recommend it.

Wickedly Smart Indeed...
Mental_Floss Presents Forbidden Knowledge: A Wickedly Smart Guide to History's Naughtiest Bits. Wow, what a great book. This is a must have for history buffs (especially the ones who think they already know everything there is to know about history) and trivia mavens alike. Ever wondered which President was the laziest? Thought Madame Curie was as pure as the driven snow? Called Meat Loaf anything besides 'international superstar'? Forbidden Knowledge will take care of that for you. Never let anyone say "History isn't interesting!" Downside to this book: While some will be impressed with your knowledge of band frontmen who sold their souls to the devil and rulers who died of syphillis, some will find it just annoying. Don't let that keep you from reading it, just consider covering your mouth with duct tape for a few days afterwards. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Curiosities & Wonders    2. Curiosities and wonders    3. Encyclopedias    4. General    5. History (Specific Aspects)    6. Reference    7. Wonders And Curiosities    8. Humour    9. Reference / General    10. Reference works   

Reviews (7)

Good Reading When You Have Nothing Else To Do
Provides interesting information on a number of topics that you never realized you needed to know - like "Why do horses in an open field always seem to stand head to tail?"Then there's "Why do roaches always die on their backs?"And "Why do women in the U.S. shave their armpits?"

Answering life's deeper questions...
The Imponderables book series by David Feldman is the pinnacle of interesting and useful bathroom reading! Since the beginning of the series, Feldman has been highlighting questions that we didn't even know we had (like exactly why is it that a mile is 5,280 feet? and where is Donald Duck's brother?) then he finds "the experts" on any given subject to answer the question. At the end of each question and answer, you are left with a little better insight into the world around you (and you can go out and impress your friends with an expanded catalog of obscure anecdotes). Entertaining book filled with useless trivia
"When do Fish Sleep" is a book of "Imponderables" (a term invented by the author meaning a question that cannot be answered by conventional means of reference books, calculations, or tangible means such as measuring).An example of an imponderable is "Why don't birds tip over when they sleep on a telephone wire?" or the like the title, "When do fish sleep?"
Read more

Subjects:  1. Curiosities & Wonders    2. Humor    3. Questions and answers    4. Reference    5. Trivia    6. Reference / Curiosities & Wonders   

Reviews (38)

I dont feel smarter, really. But I am sure I become less foolish!
When I picked it up, I was very skeptical. In this internet age I could simply search and browse for anything I can think of, or simply go to Wikipedia, if not a volume of Britannica. Luckily enough, the Campbell Soup like front cover gave me the final purchase push.
Actual readable reference book
The folks at mental floss have a fun new book in the same style as their magazine. You will be reading from a chapter on literature, chemistry, art history, pop culture or economics and suddenly, there it is, you can't stop laughing.Fifteen chapters written by experts in their fields and all with that classic mental floss flavor. Would be a great graduation gift but keep one for yourself.Condensed Knowledge is better than an almanac, 'cause you can pick it up and begin reading at any point. It's full of facts, but it's funny too.
Informative and Entertaining
Yes, you can have a good read, enjoy it, and come out a bit more knowledgeable...atleast in trivia.The book is written in the same sarcastic and humorous style as the Mental Floss magazine.So if you've read an issue before, you will like Condensed Knowledge too.Don't expect any glossy pictures though. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Books of lists    2. General    3. Handbooks, vade-mecums, etc    4. Reference    5. Trivia    6. Reference / Trivia    7. Trivia & quiz question books   

Reviews (4)

Not the Best Hard to follow
You know those books that use too many of these. . .1888 (ci) [belg.] having to do with or related to: (types of) {relative to}. . .Kinda hard to follow with all that jargon.Simple phrases aren't in there.Index doesn't really organize the words or phrases well.It is almost written like a dictionary but not in alphabetical order.The book didn't focus on phrases as much as it did single words like "cannibal" and "catacomb" and so on.
Informative and fun
What a fun book!We often pull this one off the shelf when we use an expression and wonder where it comes from.It is a book that invites browsing, and is hard to close once you are into it.We've learned all sorts of great stuff from this book, and since language does not develop in a void, what we have gleaned from this book has led us to research and learning about other areas as well.

For trivia buffs, crossword addicts and etomologists everwhe
I came across this book at a local bookstore that had a selection of books for word lovers.I perused it while I drank my frappacino, and soon was convinced I had to take it home with me.It is the most intriguing book I have ever read.It is formatted like a dictionary, but for everyone who loves word origin and other trivia, you will come back to it time and again.It is an example of useless knowledge at its best.The history of the word "omelette" is absolutely fascinating, and the evolution in the pronunciation of "one" intrigues me.They still can't decide where "hobo" comes from.Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    3. English language    4. Etymology    5. Sale Adult - Reference    6. Terms and phrases    7. BG-REFERENCE - BG-REFERENCE    8. English    9. Historical & comparative linguistics    10. Reference / Curiosities & Wonders    11. Trivia & quiz question books    12. Sale Books   

Reviews (21)

so much to know
I love this book and now have to find the rest of his books. This book alone explains tidbits of things like the origin of the comb, or the napkin, holidays... so much. People @ my work couldn't wait to read it since I'd give out a history here and there.

Quite simply, an extraordinary book!
One of my favorite reference books. It's pithy writing style is guaranteed to make learning about the many things we take for granted seem remarkable!

For The Curious-Minded, This Is What You've Been Looking For
This review needn't be long, for the title tells it all.Whether you want to know the origin of blue jeans, dental floss or a comb, you'll find it here.Because for some reason or another, I am on an unfulfillable quest to always know more and more, this is the type of book I love, and one I'd recommend more than any of the others I've read.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Curiosities & Wonders    2. Encyclopedias and dictionaries    3. Reference    4. Trivia    5. Reference / General    6. Trivia & quiz question books   

Subjects:  1. Curiosities and wonders    2. General    3. Lists    4. Reference    5. Trivia    6. Word Lists    7. Reference / General   

Reviews (3)

Outstanding
I love these books..... keep them coming. For the people that love useless knowledge and short form styles of reading these books rock!!!

Two Thumbs Up for Uncle John's Latest!
I have been a fan of the Uncle John series since the very first Bathroom Reader came on the scene. The series is perfect fodder for trivia-craving minds like mine! I have especially enjoyed their "Plunges Into" books - Great Lives, History, etc.
Another great book
I really love these books. They are interesting and a really quick read.(I never read them in the bathroom, though!).I have all the other Bathroom Readers and I look forward to every new one they create.Keep the great books coming! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Form - Essays    2. History - U.S.    3. Humor    4. Topic - Adult    5. Trivia    6. Humor / Topic / Adult   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Curiosities and wonders in lit    3. Curiosities and wonders in literature    4. General    5. Literature    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Philosophy    8. Psychoanalysis and literature    9. Semiotics & Theory    10. Social Psychology    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Supernatural in literature    14. Social & cultural anthropology    15. Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural    16. Sociology, Social Studies   

Reviews (7)

Just Eat It!
An excellent little book with sensational illustrations.This book explores some of the foods from around the world which different cultures enjoy, but which may seem disgusting to us.Everything thing eaten is not in here but there is a good selection. What was eaten throughout history around the world is also included. Amazing what human beings will eat, even if not on a TV show
If you thought that after watching the tribe members on "Survivor" trying to eat local insects and assorted delicacies the past few years there was nothing left to turn your stomach at the dinning table, then this book will quickly set you straight."It's Disgusting and We Ate It!: True Food Facts from Around the World and Throughout History" has author James Solheim and artist Eric Brace giving young readers a taste of what can be done with seaweed, squirrels, spiders, earthworms, maggots, birds' nests, violets, and even mammoths (Hey, it could happen: remember the episode of "Northern Exposure"?). Totally Gross! And That's COOL!
I've got to meet this author! He's got a wonderful sense of humor and is able to capture the "just gross enough" aspect of human nature. If you have a child who loves to pretend he's eating real worms in front of his little sister just to gross her out, you NEED this book. I love it, cover to cover. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Cooking & Food    4. Curiosities & Wonders    5. Food    6. Food habits    7. History    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. People & Places - General    11. Juvenile Nonfiction / Cooking   

Reviews (6)

My shelf grows with another addition
The Bathroom Readers are, as always, fun and informative. I find myself using the factoids as conversation-starters and, like one reader mentioned in a prior edition, have won radio contests because of something I learned in the books.
Great books
As others have said, this is a perfect book! No more reading from old magazines, newspapers, or the label of your shampoo (just kidding). I'm so glad that my mom bought this for me, they're great. Even if you just don't want to read them in the bathroom!

More info than a person should know!
I got this book for Christmas and have literally made unnecessary trips to the restroom just to read some more. It is filled with thousands of pieces of useful and not-so-useful information. For example, did you know that a penny, because of the extra weight on "heads" will come up "heads" just a little more often than "tails"? Some of Cliff Claven's best quotes from Cheers? That the first videogame was created in 1958? How about the legend of Lincoln's ghost at the Whitehouse? There are also articles on the JFK and Priness Diana conspiracies as well. The author is good at not preaching or putting in his own opinions and the info covers the entire gamut from politics, to true crime, funny stories, strange facts and everything else. Read more

Subjects:  1. American wit and humor    2. Curiosities and wonders    3. General    4. Humor    5. Reference    6. Trivia   

Reviews (3)

So much fun and really interesting :-)
Do you know how stuff works?If not this book is choc-full of information about everything you could think of.How emails work, questions you have about ATM's, and everything in between.He talks about it all using laymans terms, so it's fairly easy to understand.It's full of vibrant pictures as well and is his second book about How Stuff Works (this has made me want to go get the first book).Read this and then go and impress all your friends - they'll think you're even smarter than before.Great book and I highly recommend this.

Very informative book
This is a very informative book and it explains everything so you can understand it. you can learn how everything from video games toan apache helicopter and is great for all ages. It includes detailed illustrations and side panels with extra information. If you have a curious mind you should purchase this book.

Just as good sequel!
I bought the first "How Stuff Works" for my son.He is into the hows and whys of almost everything and he enjoyed the book very much.So when he asked for "More How Stuff Works",I got it without hesitation.This second book includes a lot of material that are now part of our everyday life.Even my husband and I found it useful when we had to open my computer to reset a jumper and we found what the jumper looked and where it is in the computer.I encourage adults to read this book, too.It's not full of technical jargon so it's real easy to understand. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Applied Sciences    2. Curiosities & Wonders    3. Inventions    4. Personal & Practical Guides    5. Popular works    6. Reference    7. Technology    8. Popular science    9. Reference / General    10. Science    11. Technology: General Issues   

Reviews (55)

Not the book that I thought it would be
This book was extremely disappointing.A great volume of the book was filled with details about individuals who have an interest in cryptozoology.Perhaps three names belonged in the book, if even that.Some of these people do not belong in a cryptozoology book any more than I do.Take away the sections on people pursuing bigfoot and other oddities and you are left with a scant book.I have enjoyed the author's books in the past, but this book fell short.

Informative and a very good start off point for those interested in cryptozoology
Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark's book, Cryptozoology A to Z is a very informative encyclopedia that clearly and simply states the facts about the cryptids (animals of interest to cryptozoologists) and those who investigate and study such animals. There's other books that deal in much ore detail about specific cryptids, but for those whose interest in the subject of cryptozoology is still in the basic stage will find this book helpful in starting them out on a very interesting and fun hobby or calling.

An Excellent Reference Point
Not only deals with the many cryptids you've probably heard of, (Yeti, Bigfoot, Nessie, etc.) but others like the Shunka Warak'in, Chuchunaa, and Nguoi Rung most probably have not. The many tales of recent zoological discoveries, will also infuse fans of the still-waiting-to-be-classified, with new hope. But more than just an encyclopedia of Cryptozoology, it is also a greatbiographical reference source to the who's who of researchers. Not the most exhaustive work by far, but for the price, a great place to start. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Controversial Knowledge    2. Cryptozoology    3. Encyclopedias    4. Encyclopedias and dictionaries    5. General    6. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    7. Monsters    8. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Unexplained Phenomena    12. Wonders And Curiosities    13. Body, Mind & Spirit / General    14. Science fiction