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“Lots of wierd facts that even i didn't know”
Kieran G wrote this review 15 hours ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“this book is so cool it tells you the answer to things that people wonder about but they don't have the answer to this book says it all.”
Maria J wrote this review Sunday, October 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Very good for showing off you're new knowledge after you have read!”
Caity F-B wrote this review Thursday, August 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Great Knowledge!”
Mitch F wrote this review Wednesday, August 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“http://ganimede.dreamwidth.org/16069.html”
Ganimede wrote this review Thursday, May 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“this is the perfect book to read before going to a party: it's full of (basically) useless information that will either make you look like a genius, or a pain in the butt. either way, you are sure to learn some interesting info. read with some caution; some content is a little inappropriate.
Zoe K wrote this review Wednesday, April 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
oh, and you'll definitely realize that "everything you think you know is wrong."”
“the irish hatched the kilt, (though word
mundivagant wrote this review Tuesday, April 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
origins must be credited to the danish),
centipedes motor between 15 and 191
pairs of legs, henry viii tyrannized only 2
legal wifies, ozone smells faintly of geraniums,
baseball 'n bubbly are british inventions
+ there iz reeeeally only 46 states.”
“A gem of a book, everything you thought you know is wrong...is a great way to describe the reading material. Sets the record straight on a number of historical facts.”
Katherine C wrote this review Sunday, April 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Back in the ‘60’s, there was, as I recall, a comedy troupe called, “The Firesign Theater.” They were (and still are, for that matter) a Very Strange Bunch. One of their records was entitled, “Everything You Know Is Wrong.”
Bob F wrote this review Wednesday, March 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
It was my introduction to meta-knowledge.
Which brings us to “The Book of General Ignorance.” The sub-title is, “Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong.” And the book mostly gets it right. Despite the perversity of the authors, I actually did know the answers to a couple of their diabolical questions, some of which await you further along in this review.
The book is a by-product of a British TV Show called “QI” (Quite Interesting, or so the jacket tells me). It’s also an inversion of “IQ,” so there’s some nerd humor in there (although it’s a little more accessible than the kind proffered by the Firesign Theather. I never got into those guys! :)
And the book is an entertaining, and educational, read, even if some of the 230 question remind you of bar bets, where the “question” is posed in such a way to mislead you.
Here are a couple of examples: “What’s the driest place on Earth?” “What is the Name of the Tallest Mountain in the World?” Go ahead, think about these for a second. Or two. Not that it will help much.
Are you ready?
You’re wrong.
When you were thinking about the driest place on Earth, you were thinking “desert,” weren’t you? Some place that doesn’t receive much rain. But the clever fellows who framed the question were thinking “precipitation,” as in rain, sleet, hail, or snow. Especially, they were thinking about snow.
Would you like to change your answer?
It would be prudent to do so. Trust me on this one.
OK, so what’s the name of the highest mountain in the world? Everyone knows it’s Mount Everest, don’t they?
Well, yes. It is.The the highest mountain in the world is Mount Everest. But go back and re-read the question: they weren’t looking for “highest” mountain, they were looking for “tallest” mountain.
There’s a difference, you see. “Highest” is “the one that stands above all the others,” while “Tallest” is “the one whose measurement from its base to its peak is the largest.” So, to answer this question, you’ll have to consider all those mountains whose bases are on the floor of the ocean.
But, don’t worry. The book also has the question, “Where is the Highest Mountain?” Now we are getting somewhere! And the authors even thoughtfully placed this question after the one about the tallest mountain. So considerate of them, really.
Well, if you’re still game, give it a shot!
Sorry, you’re wrong. Again.
You see, this time, you were assuming “highest mountain on Earth.” The fellows who framed the question are a little more cosmopolitan than that, and weren’t confining themselves to this planet.
Oh well, another bar bet. And more insight in to the character of the authors, who are beginning to get on my nerves. I suppose if you adore British Crossword Puzzles, you will love these types of questions.
Fortunately, the entire book is not filled with trick questions like these, or it would be hardly worth reading (unless, of course, you had decided to earn a living hanging out in saloons and scoring free drinks with your new found supply of bar bets.)
The book has bunches of relatively straightforward questions about animals (“What do Dolphins Drink?”), science (“Who Invented Relativity?”) geography (“What is the Largest Man Made Structure on Earth?”), and history “What Was Billy The Kid’s Real Name?”)
There’s a lot of British history, as befits a book of questions written in the UK, but no so much that it dominates the book. Anglophiles will find them quite interesting.
Along with every question, the authors provide all sorts of ancillary knowledge about the subject of the question. Did you know, for example, that Dolphins sleep with half of their brain at a time? The right brain and left eye go to sleep for 20 minutes or so, and, when they wake up, the left brain and the right eye sleep. The ocean is a pretty nasty place,if you think about it, and it wouldn’t do to have both eyes and both halves of your brain go to sleep at the same time, now would it?
As for the answers to those other questions, well by now you should know: you’re wrong.
Dolphins do not drink sea water. Einstein did not invent Relativity. The Great Wall of China is not the largest structure on Earth (the answer to this one falls into the category of “bar bet,” sorry about that :), and Billy the Kid’s real name was not William H. Bonney.
I’ll be happy to supply you the answers, so the next time you see me in a bar, be sure to ask!
”
