The Book of General Ignorance
by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson
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Book Reviews of The Book of General Ignorance
Book Review: Excellent work!
Summary: 4 Stars
I think this is "a-now-day-must-be-in-every-home-library-masterpiece". I've found in it what I thought and so much more. I loved the way they put together all that information to make it nice, funny and serious in the same time. Works like this should be spread around the world, to every child in every school. An important remark: in the text about Colón (or Columbus) shows SantA (spanish female for saint) Domingo,Cuba; instead of SantO (spanish male for saint) Domingo.
Go to Google Maps Home
Your search for "santa domingo, cuba" around this map area did not match any locations.
©2007 Google - Map data ©2007 LeadDog Consulting, NAVTEQ(tm) -
In spanish all the days of the week are male gender.
Include a "Fe de errata" in the next editions.
LA FAMA©
Book Review: Don't believe everything you read
Summary: 1 Stars
I found an error right in the first few paragraphs: the authors take the Nepali name of Mt Everest (Sagarmatha) as Tibetan, and the Tibetan name (Chomolungma) as Nepali. This is such a simple, easily verifiable fact (a quick check with Google or Wikipedia would do) that a competent fact-checker would have corrected it right away. It makes one wonder just how cavalier the authors are about facts.
Or logic for that matter. Example: the authors simply assert that "Chop Suey" was originally a local dish of Canton. Based on what? One wonders. The authors cite no evidence except that the fact the name "chop suey" was of Cantonese origin. By the same logic, "Big Mac" would have been originally a local dish of England!
This is not to say that the book is no fun. As usual: caveat lector.
Book Review: I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a cool skip around book. My husband and I are both "skipping around" in it. It's neat that we've both read different parts and we always end up telling each other interesting things we've learned as they come up (or not) in conversation. (We keep it in the bathroom) We've even broke it out at parties and everyone can't help but to turn it into a trivia game. Which in turn makes for a great drunken theological/philosophical group discussion. It's just fun. We love it. It does have a couple entries that might greatly surprise the Bible thumper. It did me.
It's easy, easy to recommend this book to my friends. All I have to do is read them, or have them read, the short and "INTERESTING" preface. That in itself is an excellent hook. I can't think of anyone that would not love this book.
Book Review: A great read
Summary: 5 Stars
I often buy books that I have every intention of reading and never quite make it through the first few chapters. But because this book is broken up into some many brief topics, and each is so interesting to read I was amazed to find that I had read through the whole thing within a few days of recieving it.
A lot of the topics are "technicalities" and will appeal to those who delight in proving common knowledge wrong. But I really enjoyed the more obscure information just because it highlighted such interesting information about things I hadnt really considered before. The author does a great job of selecting from a wide range of topics and it wont be hard to find some that interest you (and you cant wait to tell others about) regardless of your personal preferences.
Book Review: Quite Interesting, you know
Summary: 5 Stars
If you know and like the British Quiz Show 'Quite Interesting' then this book is a must. General Ignorance is a regular part of this hilarious panel quiz hosted by Stephen Fry and the book puts together all the suprising information that the panellists forfeit their hard-earned points supplying a common but wrong answer.
If you don't know QI (make your cable TV get it), then it's still a well-written, informative and amusing collection of facts that are quite contrary to those ones known as General Knowledge.
If you think that Edison invented the lightbulb, Henry the VIII had six wives and the tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest you're in the wrong.
Quick, go and read this book before somebody spots you for the bloody ignorant you're really are.