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The Quite Interesting Ignorant Books #1
The Book Of General Ignorance
'The Book of General Ignorance' is an indispensable compendium of popular misconceptions, misunderstandings and common mistakes culled from the hit BBC show, QI.
282 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
John Lloyd
187 books136 followersJohn Hardress Wilfred Lloyd is an English television and radio comedy producer and writer. His television work includes Not the Nine O'Clock News, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Spitting Image, Blackadder and QI. He is currently the presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 793 reviews
June 6, 2022
At the beginning of this book, I enthusiastically felt a lot of facts, etc., but then I struggled to finish. Finally, it happened, I finished.
I liked this book because of a lot of facts and anecdotes. It was fun to have this book just somewhere near me, so I could spend ten to fifty minutes reading a paper version.
I got to know about this book from my English teaching workbooks. Sure it would recommend to people who are going through the IELTS exam.
I liked this book because of a lot of facts and anecdotes. It was fun to have this book just somewhere near me, so I could spend ten to fifty minutes reading a paper version.
I got to know about this book from my English teaching workbooks. Sure it would recommend to people who are going through the IELTS exam.
March 29, 2022
4.0 out of 5 stars
Once upon a time, I was smart...then I got this book. Now I am reduced to a mere mouth-breathing lump of proteins and acids and the majority of them aren't even human.
Abandon all sense of smug superiority, foolish mortal, if you succumb to the desire to get your triviality tested against The Elves. Ask not how I know.
Once upon a time, I was smart...then I got this book. Now I am reduced to a mere mouth-breathing lump of proteins and acids and the majority of them aren't even human.
Abandon all sense of smug superiority, foolish mortal, if you succumb to the desire to get your triviality tested against The Elves. Ask not how I know.
June 6, 2022
At the beginning of this book, I enthusiastically felt a lot of facts, etc., but then I struggled to finish. Finally, it happened, I finished.
I liked this book because of a lot of facts and anecdotes. It was fun to have this book just somewhere near me, so I could spend ten to fifty minutes reading a paper version.
I got to know about this book from my English teaching workbooks. Sure it would recommend to people who are going through the IELTS exam.
I liked this book because of a lot of facts and anecdotes. It was fun to have this book just somewhere near me, so I could spend ten to fifty minutes reading a paper version.
I got to know about this book from my English teaching workbooks. Sure it would recommend to people who are going through the IELTS exam.
July 22, 2014
*The book is inspired by a BBC comedy quiz show. Go to YouTube and watch it! It's funny.
How much you think you know? And even if you think you know enough information, do you think all of them are true?
This is what the book is about; it corrects the misconceptions that everyone thinks they're true basically because they are "a common knowledge". There are so many things that will shock you and make you wonder how much we really know? And, most importantly, how much of it is true?
I loved getting to know that Mount Everest isn't really the tallest mountain on earth, it is the Mauna Kea it's 10,000 m (33,000 ft) tall while Mount Everest is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). Another thing that I liked is that piece of information about the driest place on earth, do you know that the driest place on earth is Antarctica and it's considered as a desert? Some of the continent parts have seen no rain since two million years (desert defined as a place that receives less than 25mm of rain a year) o_o!
I found it entertaining to read this book because it's comprehensive; you can find information about anything and everything in it: animals, science, sports and places which all are divided to questions and then followed by a paragraph answering the Q. You may find "some" silly things, things that you think are not important to know, but generally the book is good, light and simply written. I only wished it contained a source of the informations that are mentioned.
How much you think you know? And even if you think you know enough information, do you think all of them are true?
This is what the book is about; it corrects the misconceptions that everyone thinks they're true basically because they are "a common knowledge". There are so many things that will shock you and make you wonder how much we really know? And, most importantly, how much of it is true?
I loved getting to know that Mount Everest isn't really the tallest mountain on earth, it is the Mauna Kea it's 10,000 m (33,000 ft) tall while Mount Everest is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). Another thing that I liked is that piece of information about the driest place on earth, do you know that the driest place on earth is Antarctica and it's considered as a desert? Some of the continent parts have seen no rain since two million years (desert defined as a place that receives less than 25mm of rain a year) o_o!
I found it entertaining to read this book because it's comprehensive; you can find information about anything and everything in it: animals, science, sports and places which all are divided to questions and then followed by a paragraph answering the Q. You may find "some" silly things, things that you think are not important to know, but generally the book is good, light and simply written. I only wished it contained a source of the informations that are mentioned.
October 2, 2018
Before I start, let me say that I have a Master of Science degree in Paleontology, a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, and a Bachelor of Science in Ecology & Evolution.
Some things wrong in this book:
1. [page 58] The three-toed sloth and the two-toed sloth are related to each other. Saying they are not means that the author has a misunderstanding of phylogenetics. They are sister taxa, meaning that they are more closely related to each other than they are to their next closest extant relative (anteaters). They are also more closely related to each other than to any other taxon. Therefore the two types of sloth are related. To say they are not just because their skeletal anatomy is different is grossly negligent [a side note: they say that the two-toed has 6 cervical (neck) vertebrae. It does, but only because three are fused together. Sloths are xenarthrans. This means they belong to a group of mammals that have weird fusions in their skeleton. Most xenarthrans have fused tibiae and fibulae, a heavily fused pelvis (called a synsacrum), and fused cervical vertebrae.]. A tinamou and a swan have different skeletal anatomy (the swan has many more vertebrae than the tinamou and there are different bones fused in the swan's pelvis compared to the tinamou) but I'm not sure who would say they aren't related. (Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic... Figure 1: Bradypus (three-toed) and Choloepus (two-toed) are sister taxa)
2. [page 62] "Most other mammals" do not have baculi (penis bones). The authors state that whales and "most other mammals" have them.
Nope. Baculi are found in Primates (minus humans), Rodentia (mice, rats, squirrels, gophers, porcupines, beavers), Insectivora (shrews, moles, hedgehogs), Chiroptera (bats), Carnivora (dogs, cats, raccoons, weasels, mongooses, hyenas, bears, seals, walruses), and Lagamorphs (rabbits, hares, pikas; although this was discovered in 2014). The baculum is not found in Edentata (anteaters, sloths, armadillos), Pholidota (pangolins), Macroscelidae (elephant shrews), Scandentia (tree shrews), Dermoptera (colugos or flying lemurs), Artiodactyla (pigs, deer, cattle, goats, sheep, hippos, camels), Cetacea (whales, dolphins, porpoises), Tubulidentata (aardvark), Perissodactyla (horses, tapirs, rhinos), Hyracoidea (hyraxes, dassies), Sirenia (manatees, dugong, sea cows), and Proboscidea (elephants, mammoths, mastodons). There are several extinct clades of eutherian mammals that also lack baculi (Creodonta, Condylarthra, Desmostylia, and Embrythopoda).
Most eutherian (placental) mammals do not have baculi.
3. [page 63] Rhino horns do leave evidence of their existence on rhino skulls. Yes, there is no stub of bone protruding from the nasal bones on the skull, but the nasals have thickened, rough bone marking the base of the horn. This is an indication that some sort of soft tissue sits there.
4. [page 121] Humans did evolve from apes. This is another instance where the author does not have an understanding of phylogenetics. The sentence in question reads as such, "This creature [what humans evolved from] descended from squirrel-like tree-shrews, which in turn evolved from hedgehogs, and before that, starfish." HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. The fallacies in that sentence. That sentence implies that we know direct ancestry. In paleontology under the phylogenetics framework, it is not possible to know that one species directly led to another and so on. It is not possible to know that the population of fossil specimens you just found is the ancestral population that led to another species. There is nothing that differentiates that population from another found, say, 10 miles away as being the ancestral population.
Another sentence: "The latest comparison [the book was published in 2006] of genomes of humans and our closest relative, the chimpanzee, shows that we split much later than was previously assumed. This means we quite possibly interbred to produce unrecorded and now extinct hybrid species before the final separation 5.4 million years ago." A few things here. What is a "hybrid species"? I have three science degrees including a Masters in Paleontology. I have never heard of this. If it is different enough to be called a species, then call it such. Also, the authors clearly have not heard of ghost lineages. A ghost lineage exists when a divergence dating analysis puts the date of speciation (divergence) before the age of the oldest known fossils from either of the resulting lineages (species). The time between the divergence date and when the first fossils show up is the ghost lineage. Paleontologists might not find the fossils in this period of time for a number of reasons. The area where the fossils should be found may not have any sediments (rocks) dating from that time. Maybe they were deposited but then the environment changed and they were eroded away. Maybe they were never deposited in the first place: during the time in question, the environment was erosional rather than depositional. In erosional environments, nothing can fossilize. Fossilization can only happen in depositional environments where the dead can be quickly buried and stay covered. Another reason why we may not have found the fossils in the ghost lineage is that we may not have searched all of the sediment dating from that time. Which just means we need to go searching some more.
Another thing wrong in the last sentence I quoted: If the supposed "hybrid species" are unrecorded, absence of evidence is evidence of absence. You can't just go making them up if there is not evidence that they ever existed.
5. [page 127] Maybe its use is waning in the UK, but the Bunsen burner is going strong in the US. So to say that it has largely been replaced by the hot plate is false. As a biochemistry major in undergrad, I can assure you that there are some experiments in high school and college that can only be done with the heat of an open flame. In high school, I remember being tested multiple times on my ability to start a Bunsen burner and keep it going.
6. [page 149] The author states that because the Doberman pinscher was created as a breed in 35 years, this "flies in the face of the Darwinian evolution of species, a process thought to operate over thousands or even millions of years." 1) A Doberman is not a different species of animal than the animals that the breed was created from. All are dogs. The same species. 2) The process of Darwinian evolution of species takes a long time in nature, when it is not influenced by humans. The creation of dog breeds is an example of artificial evolution, in which the creation of new breeds or sometimes species is often accelerated. -Because of the blatant conflation of "breed" and "species", I am subtracting one star from my rating. Originally, I was going to give this book 2/5. Now it gets 1/5. If I could give it 0 stars, I would.
I really thought QI was better at science than this. These errors are disgraceful.
Additionally, I don't like that some of the facts are repeated. A question will be asked and in the answer, the authors will mention the answer to another question that is asked later. I also don't like how pedantic some of the questions are, as if they are written with the purpose of tricking you based on the wording.
I have to say that in the end, I regret reading this. As someone with three science degrees, I found that I already knew a third to a half of this book. Additionally, my view of QI and the books that spawn from it is much less favorable considering how horrible they were at explaining some aspects of science in this book. I understand that they are trying to explain complex subjects such that everyone could understand them. However, especially when it comes to anything having to do with evolution, they either didn't care, didn't understand themselves, intentionally got it wrong, or simplified it too much because all of their explanations in this field of science are wrong.
Some things wrong in this book:
1. [page 58] The three-toed sloth and the two-toed sloth are related to each other. Saying they are not means that the author has a misunderstanding of phylogenetics. They are sister taxa, meaning that they are more closely related to each other than they are to their next closest extant relative (anteaters). They are also more closely related to each other than to any other taxon. Therefore the two types of sloth are related. To say they are not just because their skeletal anatomy is different is grossly negligent [a side note: they say that the two-toed has 6 cervical (neck) vertebrae. It does, but only because three are fused together. Sloths are xenarthrans. This means they belong to a group of mammals that have weird fusions in their skeleton. Most xenarthrans have fused tibiae and fibulae, a heavily fused pelvis (called a synsacrum), and fused cervical vertebrae.]. A tinamou and a swan have different skeletal anatomy (the swan has many more vertebrae than the tinamou and there are different bones fused in the swan's pelvis compared to the tinamou) but I'm not sure who would say they aren't related. (Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic... Figure 1: Bradypus (three-toed) and Choloepus (two-toed) are sister taxa)
2. [page 62] "Most other mammals" do not have baculi (penis bones). The authors state that whales and "most other mammals" have them.
Nope. Baculi are found in Primates (minus humans), Rodentia (mice, rats, squirrels, gophers, porcupines, beavers), Insectivora (shrews, moles, hedgehogs), Chiroptera (bats), Carnivora (dogs, cats, raccoons, weasels, mongooses, hyenas, bears, seals, walruses), and Lagamorphs (rabbits, hares, pikas; although this was discovered in 2014). The baculum is not found in Edentata (anteaters, sloths, armadillos), Pholidota (pangolins), Macroscelidae (elephant shrews), Scandentia (tree shrews), Dermoptera (colugos or flying lemurs), Artiodactyla (pigs, deer, cattle, goats, sheep, hippos, camels), Cetacea (whales, dolphins, porpoises), Tubulidentata (aardvark), Perissodactyla (horses, tapirs, rhinos), Hyracoidea (hyraxes, dassies), Sirenia (manatees, dugong, sea cows), and Proboscidea (elephants, mammoths, mastodons). There are several extinct clades of eutherian mammals that also lack baculi (Creodonta, Condylarthra, Desmostylia, and Embrythopoda).
Most eutherian (placental) mammals do not have baculi.
3. [page 63] Rhino horns do leave evidence of their existence on rhino skulls. Yes, there is no stub of bone protruding from the nasal bones on the skull, but the nasals have thickened, rough bone marking the base of the horn. This is an indication that some sort of soft tissue sits there.
4. [page 121] Humans did evolve from apes. This is another instance where the author does not have an understanding of phylogenetics. The sentence in question reads as such, "This creature [what humans evolved from] descended from squirrel-like tree-shrews, which in turn evolved from hedgehogs, and before that, starfish." HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. The fallacies in that sentence. That sentence implies that we know direct ancestry. In paleontology under the phylogenetics framework, it is not possible to know that one species directly led to another and so on. It is not possible to know that the population of fossil specimens you just found is the ancestral population that led to another species. There is nothing that differentiates that population from another found, say, 10 miles away as being the ancestral population.
Another sentence: "The latest comparison [the book was published in 2006] of genomes of humans and our closest relative, the chimpanzee, shows that we split much later than was previously assumed. This means we quite possibly interbred to produce unrecorded and now extinct hybrid species before the final separation 5.4 million years ago." A few things here. What is a "hybrid species"? I have three science degrees including a Masters in Paleontology. I have never heard of this. If it is different enough to be called a species, then call it such. Also, the authors clearly have not heard of ghost lineages. A ghost lineage exists when a divergence dating analysis puts the date of speciation (divergence) before the age of the oldest known fossils from either of the resulting lineages (species). The time between the divergence date and when the first fossils show up is the ghost lineage. Paleontologists might not find the fossils in this period of time for a number of reasons. The area where the fossils should be found may not have any sediments (rocks) dating from that time. Maybe they were deposited but then the environment changed and they were eroded away. Maybe they were never deposited in the first place: during the time in question, the environment was erosional rather than depositional. In erosional environments, nothing can fossilize. Fossilization can only happen in depositional environments where the dead can be quickly buried and stay covered. Another reason why we may not have found the fossils in the ghost lineage is that we may not have searched all of the sediment dating from that time. Which just means we need to go searching some more.
Another thing wrong in the last sentence I quoted: If the supposed "hybrid species" are unrecorded, absence of evidence is evidence of absence. You can't just go making them up if there is not evidence that they ever existed.
5. [page 127] Maybe its use is waning in the UK, but the Bunsen burner is going strong in the US. So to say that it has largely been replaced by the hot plate is false. As a biochemistry major in undergrad, I can assure you that there are some experiments in high school and college that can only be done with the heat of an open flame. In high school, I remember being tested multiple times on my ability to start a Bunsen burner and keep it going.
6. [page 149] The author states that because the Doberman pinscher was created as a breed in 35 years, this "flies in the face of the Darwinian evolution of species, a process thought to operate over thousands or even millions of years." 1) A Doberman is not a different species of animal than the animals that the breed was created from. All are dogs. The same species. 2) The process of Darwinian evolution of species takes a long time in nature, when it is not influenced by humans. The creation of dog breeds is an example of artificial evolution, in which the creation of new breeds or sometimes species is often accelerated. -Because of the blatant conflation of "breed" and "species", I am subtracting one star from my rating. Originally, I was going to give this book 2/5. Now it gets 1/5. If I could give it 0 stars, I would.
I really thought QI was better at science than this. These errors are disgraceful.
Additionally, I don't like that some of the facts are repeated. A question will be asked and in the answer, the authors will mention the answer to another question that is asked later. I also don't like how pedantic some of the questions are, as if they are written with the purpose of tricking you based on the wording.
I have to say that in the end, I regret reading this. As someone with three science degrees, I found that I already knew a third to a half of this book. Additionally, my view of QI and the books that spawn from it is much less favorable considering how horrible they were at explaining some aspects of science in this book. I understand that they are trying to explain complex subjects such that everyone could understand them. However, especially when it comes to anything having to do with evolution, they either didn't care, didn't understand themselves, intentionally got it wrong, or simplified it too much because all of their explanations in this field of science are wrong.
November 7, 2013
I may not be the next Ken Jennings upon finishing this book, but it's possible I could stand a reasonable chance to win a few bucks should I ever appear on a trivia-based game show. Short, witty, and cleverishly devil- wait, that's not right. Whatever. The Book of General Ignorance is a perfect book to test the contents of your brain to see what floats...and if it floats, it should be flushed. (Too gross an analogy? Sorry.) To be honest, since I have a trivial brain (and, yes, I mean every word of that), I actually knew quite a few of the tidbits presented within the book, although if someone had asked me to name them directly, the most intelligible answer they would've received would've been something along the lines of, "Um, wait, I know who/what/where/when that is, I just can't quite remember. I definitely know it's not who/what/where/when you think it is. Give me a minute, 'kay?" (At least that's a more coherent response than if I actually did appear on a game show; with the glare of the bright lights and glittering eyes of a studio audience, I would be reduced to a quivering mass unable to say anything more than "Durumdedumyoupdedoodleedoododulawhat?" Or something equivalent.) However, there were enough surprises sprinkled throughout the entries to have me gasping out a "No way!" every few pages.
For a quick read or as something to scan in between reading projects, The Book of General Knowledge is a perfect book for that most entertaining of past-times, that of stuffing your brain with useless information (and risking the possibility of losing important information along the way) just to whip out said trivia to entertain your friends. Hey, it makes for great fun at parties! Especially when you start drooling and can't remember your own name...but at least you know how many penises a European earwig has. (Curious to know how many too? Read the book to find out!)
For a quick read or as something to scan in between reading projects, The Book of General Knowledge is a perfect book for that most entertaining of past-times, that of stuffing your brain with useless information (and risking the possibility of losing important information along the way) just to whip out said trivia to entertain your friends. Hey, it makes for great fun at parties! Especially when you start drooling and can't remember your own name...but at least you know how many penises a European earwig has. (Curious to know how many too? Read the book to find out!)
February 12, 2023
An avalanche of interesting facts (and some already known or not really that interesting ones) presented in a very short and ‘matter-of-fact’ manner with the occasional dry British humour sprinkled in.
A lot to wish for, some ‘facts’ are obviously wrong, some are just given and leaves you hanging for a punch line. No references are given, so misconceptions are countered, but never ‘debunked’. Still, you pick up enough gold nuggets to make it a worthwhile read.
A lot to wish for, some ‘facts’ are obviously wrong, some are just given and leaves you hanging for a punch line. No references are given, so misconceptions are countered, but never ‘debunked’. Still, you pick up enough gold nuggets to make it a worthwhile read.
January 17, 2010
What's the tallest mountain in the world? Think you know right, Mount Everest, at 29,029 feet? Nope, it is Mauna Kea. Though it is a modest 13,799 above sea level, measured from its seabed base to its summit, it is a whopping 33,465 feet in height, almost three-quarters of a mile higher than Mount Everest. What's the driest place in the world? The Sahara right? It is dry alright, getting just one inch of rain a year but it is the third driest place on Earth. The driest in fact is Antarctica, as some areas of the continent have not seen rain for two million years. The second driest is the Atacama Desert in Chile, which averages 0.004 inch of rain a year, and some areas have not seen rain for four hundred years. You have been told that Eskimo is a rude term right, that the preferred term now is Inuit? True, Inuit is the preferred term in Canada, but Alaskan Eskimos are perfectly happy with the name as they "are emphatically not Inuit, a people who live mainly in northern Canada and parts of Greenland." In fact there are many types of Eskimo, of which the Inuit are just one type (the others include the Kalaallit of Greenland and the Yupiget and the Alutiit of Alaska). Think the first turkeys eaten by English-speaking peoples were the Pilgrims? Nope, Turkeys first reached Europe in the 1520s, brought from their native Mexico by Spain and sold throughout Europe by Turkish merchants, by 1585 becoming a Christmas tradition in England. Perhaps you have heard that chop suey is actually an American dish. Not so, according to this book, it is a local dish of southern Canton, where it is called tsap seui, which means "miscellaneous scraps" in Cantonese, brought over by early Chinese immigrants to California. How many states of matter? Three right, solid, liquid, and gas? Nope, more like fifteen, as the list includes such states as plasma, superfluid, degenerate matter, fermionic condensate, Bose-Einstein condensate, and strange matter.
Others questions and answers deal with just plain odd things that I didn't know. Croatia for instance gave the world the necktie, as Hravat is the Croation word for "Croat" and where the word cravat comes from. In the 17th century, Louis XIII of France kept a regiment of Croatian mercenaries during the Thirty Years War who as part of their uniform wore a wide, brightly colored neck cloth by which they became known, a style that was later much copied in Paris. St. Bernard dogs have never, ever carried barrels of brandy around their neck; the myth comes from an 1831 painting by a young English artist named Sir Edwin Landseer, who in his work ‘Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler’ painted two St. Bernards, one with a miniature brandy barrel around its neck which he added "for interest." ‘Ursus arctos’ is not the scientific name for the polar bear, it is the name for the brown bear, as ursus is Latin for bear and arctos is Greek for bear. The Arctic, interestingly enough, is named after the bear, not the other way around, as it is "the region of the bear."
I have only one complaint about the book. Though it does include a helpful index, it lacks any mention of sources. Though not presented a serious scholarly work but merely a fun book to read, it might have nice to include some list of references.
Others questions and answers deal with just plain odd things that I didn't know. Croatia for instance gave the world the necktie, as Hravat is the Croation word for "Croat" and where the word cravat comes from. In the 17th century, Louis XIII of France kept a regiment of Croatian mercenaries during the Thirty Years War who as part of their uniform wore a wide, brightly colored neck cloth by which they became known, a style that was later much copied in Paris. St. Bernard dogs have never, ever carried barrels of brandy around their neck; the myth comes from an 1831 painting by a young English artist named Sir Edwin Landseer, who in his work ‘Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler’ painted two St. Bernards, one with a miniature brandy barrel around its neck which he added "for interest." ‘Ursus arctos’ is not the scientific name for the polar bear, it is the name for the brown bear, as ursus is Latin for bear and arctos is Greek for bear. The Arctic, interestingly enough, is named after the bear, not the other way around, as it is "the region of the bear."
I have only one complaint about the book. Though it does include a helpful index, it lacks any mention of sources. Though not presented a serious scholarly work but merely a fun book to read, it might have nice to include some list of references.
September 19, 2008
If you've never seen an episode (or even a clip) of QI, the british panel show from the BBC, you owe it to yourself to head straight to YouTube and start watching. (I highly recommend the Mannequin Bird clip, and the Parthenon clip. These two made me cry with laughter) Stephen Fry is a delight to watch, Allen Davies is hysterical, and many of the guests add unexpected wit. Series regular Bill Bailey (who is also a regular on Nevermind The Buzzcocks, a similar show about pop music) stands out amongst the many other outstanding guests.
What does this have to do with "The Book of General Ignorance?" Well first, those two ugly characters on the front of the book are badly done drawings of Fry and Davies. And second, many of the questions from the show's General Ignorance part of the episodes, are in this book. Its a collection of the most random tidbits of knowledge you probably think you know, but don't.
This is the kind of book you take on a long road trip with your family, to entertain everyone as you drive. It might even pair well with an edition of Trivial Pursuit, though I suspect a few of the answers may contradict eachother. Its up to you to decide which one is correct.
What does this have to do with "The Book of General Ignorance?" Well first, those two ugly characters on the front of the book are badly done drawings of Fry and Davies. And second, many of the questions from the show's General Ignorance part of the episodes, are in this book. Its a collection of the most random tidbits of knowledge you probably think you know, but don't.
This is the kind of book you take on a long road trip with your family, to entertain everyone as you drive. It might even pair well with an edition of Trivial Pursuit, though I suspect a few of the answers may contradict eachother. Its up to you to decide which one is correct.
August 20, 2021
This book is for the people who know they don't know very much.
—Introduction by John Lloyd, p.xix
The Book of General Ignorance was lively and fun, and it's chock-full of gotchas and trick questions you can use on the people in your life who haven't read the book... but the glaring absence of a bibliography or, indeed, any sources for its assertions, combined with a number of worrisome typos (several with pencilled-in corrections in the copy I read—to which I did not add, because this was a library book and I'm not a barbarian), make John Lloyd and John Mitchinson's compendium substantially less authoritative than it might have seemed otherwise.
I believe it was a reference to this particular entry that led me to the book in the first place:
Who was the most dangerous American in history?If this style intrigues and entertains you, then you're in luck: there are 229 more articles, all very much like this one, on subjects ranging from "the name of the tallest mountain in the world" to "How many wives did Henry VIII have?"
J. Edgar Hoover? J. Robert Oppenheimer? George W. Bush?
It was probably Thomas Midgely {sic—it's actually "Midgley"—one of those disturbing errors I mentioned}, a chemist from Dayton, Ohio, who invented both CFCs and lead in gasoline.
Born in 1889, Midgely trained as an engineer. Early in his career he discovered by chance that adding iodine to kerosene slightly reduced knocking in engines. But slightly was not good enough for him. So he taught himself chemistry from scratch and, over six years, worked through the entire periodic table looking for the perfect solution. In 1921 he found it.
By then, the company he worked for had merged with General Motors, which eagerly began adding his completely "knock-free" answer to fuel for car engines. It was tetraethyl lead. Ethyl gasoline transformed the modern world. But it was also toxic, and pumped billions of tons of lead into the atmosphere over seven decades, poisoning thousands of people—including Midgely himself (though he always denied it).
Some think it was Midgely's guilt over lead gasoline that motivated him to develop a safe alternative to the noxious chemicals, like sulfur dioxide and ammonia, that were used in refrigeration. His discovery of dichlorofluoromethane—the first of the Freons—took three days. CFCs seemed like the perfect solution: inert, nontoxic, beneficial. Unfortunately, we now know they destroy the ozone layer and, since 1987, their production has been banned internationally.
By any standard, Midgely was an extraordinary man. He held 171 patents, loved music, and wrote poetry. But his inventions were lethal. At fifty-one he contracted polio and lost the use of his legs. In a final irony, the harness he designed to help him get in and out of bed got tangled one morning and in the ensuing struggle, America's most dangerous man inadvertently strangled himself. He was fifty-five.
—p.197
The Book of General Ignorance is very British, too, which is of course part of its charm—John Lloyd also collaborated with Douglas Adams on The Meaning of Liff.
So, bottom line on this one: worth a read, to be sure, but... "Citation needed."
July 7, 2019
It's a fine thing to discover after a lifetime of acquiring facts that every schoolboy/educated adult should know that almost all of these common knowledge gems are wrong. Well, at least according to the authors of this excellent "stout book".
Leafing through the volume just doesn't work because as soon as you start to read a snippet, you become totally engrossed and find yourself reading compulsively on.
Never mind that the new views are somewhat skewed, the information about every point is fascinating and absorbing. A highly recommended addition to any household.
Leafing through the volume just doesn't work because as soon as you start to read a snippet, you become totally engrossed and find yourself reading compulsively on.
Never mind that the new views are somewhat skewed, the information about every point is fascinating and absorbing. A highly recommended addition to any household.
May 31, 2009
Bathroom reading this might be, but you can learn a lot in a few minutes and the writer's style is engaging. Learn the criteria for the most dangerous animal, hardest material, tallest mountain. Trivia in many cases, but it is stuff you can use.
July 20, 2020
A good book for the small library. Easy to dip into for five minutes whilst multi tasking. Fascinating snippets and factoids.
February 9, 2017
QI: The Book of General Ignorance (The Noticeably Stouter Edition)
As the Book name indicate this a general knowledge book I haven’t seen the show and I’m not sure I will. I got interested in this because I want something light to read as I was reading a lot and need some space and this book is an excellent idea to do that.
As of the content of the book it’s targeting the Native English speaking community misconceptions so if you are not native you might not have these misconceptions
In general:
- Con:
- It target English speaking community.
- There are errors in some of the info they introduce.
- They introduce a lot of boring and unnecessary stuff regarding the Question they answer.
- Some of the items are theoretical unproven answers.
- No citation for references and sources.
- Some time all they did was argue semantics.
- There are a lot of old news kind of Info
- Not that funny.
+ Pro:
- It sure gives you the space to read slowly since the info take from 1 to 3 pages only.
- It gives you the necessary motive to go a check the info from more reliable sources.
- There some fascinating and interesting information
I think 2/5 is fare assessment for such book.
As the Book name indicate this a general knowledge book I haven’t seen the show and I’m not sure I will. I got interested in this because I want something light to read as I was reading a lot and need some space and this book is an excellent idea to do that.
As of the content of the book it’s targeting the Native English speaking community misconceptions so if you are not native you might not have these misconceptions
In general:
- Con:
- It target English speaking community.
- There are errors in some of the info they introduce.
- They introduce a lot of boring and unnecessary stuff regarding the Question they answer.
- Some of the items are theoretical unproven answers.
- No citation for references and sources.
- Some time all they did was argue semantics.
- There are a lot of old news kind of Info
- Not that funny.
+ Pro:
- It sure gives you the space to read slowly since the info take from 1 to 3 pages only.
- It gives you the necessary motive to go a check the info from more reliable sources.
- There some fascinating and interesting information
I think 2/5 is fare assessment for such book.
June 22, 2012
This was an interesting book full of trivia that nobody knows. Now if only I had friends geeky enough to quote it at. :D
I didn't really find this all that humorous, except for the one bit towards the end about the theory of the wise man visiting Jesus who put off getting a gift for the savior until too late and the shops were closed, so had to go halfsies on the frankincense. I giggled at that.
I probably would have rated this higher had I read it instead of listening to the audio. The authors, John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, read this one, and while they didn't do nearly as badly as some authors I've listened to, I found them to be a bit boring. One of the Johns has a quite raspy/gravelly voice, and I kept hoping for someone to get him a glass of water or a lozenge or something. Then there were the accents given to quoted materials, which were... well, just not good.
I say it in almost every time I review an audiobook: Please stop doing voices. It is not necessary, and almost never adds to the performance. I'd rather the reader err on the side of too subtle than too much.
But, nonetheless, a good book full of interesting stuff. Recommended.
I didn't really find this all that humorous, except for the one bit towards the end about the theory of the wise man visiting Jesus who put off getting a gift for the savior until too late and the shops were closed, so had to go halfsies on the frankincense. I giggled at that.
I probably would have rated this higher had I read it instead of listening to the audio. The authors, John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, read this one, and while they didn't do nearly as badly as some authors I've listened to, I found them to be a bit boring. One of the Johns has a quite raspy/gravelly voice, and I kept hoping for someone to get him a glass of water or a lozenge or something. Then there were the accents given to quoted materials, which were... well, just not good.
I say it in almost every time I review an audiobook: Please stop doing voices. It is not necessary, and almost never adds to the performance. I'd rather the reader err on the side of too subtle than too much.
But, nonetheless, a good book full of interesting stuff. Recommended.
June 8, 2021
A quite entertaining book, despite an approach amounting to 'let's throw all our bits of arcane knowledge into the one bucket without benefit of thematic treatment.' Here are enlightening corrections to the things we know, or thought we knew. For example I learned that:
* Polar bears do not disguise themselves, are not left handers and the town of Churchill in northern Canada has a polar bear prison capable of holding up to 23 of the creatures who might wander into town (to be released later)
* Diamonds originate in volcanoes
* Most tigers live in the USA, usually in captivity and are mainly privately owned (partly because only 19 US states have banned private ownership (another 15 require a licence but 16 others have no regulations on the matter)
* The hottest part of a chilli is not the seeds but the central membrane to which the seeds are attached.
And this, which intrigued me greatly: we (Australians and others), believed that Captain Cook prevented his sailors getting scurvy by issuing lime juice, scurvy being caused mainly by lack of vitamin C. In fact Cook issued a boiled fruit juice mixture, but boiling robs fruit of most of its vitamin C. Lemon juice for sailors wasn't introduced until several decades later. It worked a treat. What is interesting, however, is that lemon juice was replaced by lime juice in the 1850s because limes were produced in British colonies and lemons were not. Scurvy returned with a vengeance, as limes have little vitamin C. The name 'limey' stuck though.
* Polar bears do not disguise themselves, are not left handers and the town of Churchill in northern Canada has a polar bear prison capable of holding up to 23 of the creatures who might wander into town (to be released later)
* Diamonds originate in volcanoes
* Most tigers live in the USA, usually in captivity and are mainly privately owned (partly because only 19 US states have banned private ownership (another 15 require a licence but 16 others have no regulations on the matter)
* The hottest part of a chilli is not the seeds but the central membrane to which the seeds are attached.
And this, which intrigued me greatly: we (Australians and others), believed that Captain Cook prevented his sailors getting scurvy by issuing lime juice, scurvy being caused mainly by lack of vitamin C. In fact Cook issued a boiled fruit juice mixture, but boiling robs fruit of most of its vitamin C. Lemon juice for sailors wasn't introduced until several decades later. It worked a treat. What is interesting, however, is that lemon juice was replaced by lime juice in the 1850s because limes were produced in British colonies and lemons were not. Scurvy returned with a vengeance, as limes have little vitamin C. The name 'limey' stuck though.
September 20, 2011
The tallest mountain is Mauna Kea in Hawaii from base to tip but some of it is below sea level so the highest mountain is Everest from sea level to tip. Henry VIII has 2 wives, his other 4 marriages were annulled. The most dangerous animal that ever lived is the mosquito, having killed an estimated 45 billion humans since we've been around. Hitler was not a vegetarian whose favourite dish was Bavarian sausage and who was not an atheist but a catholic.
Who invented champagne? The steam engine? The telephone? Where does ring a ring of roses come from? Who blew the nose off the Sphinx? What has a 3 second memory? How do lemmings die?
I'll stop there but if any of the above tickles your fancy, you'll love this book. Full of amazing facts disproving a lot of the common knowledge we take for granted, and written up very clearly by John Lloyd, this is a fantastic read and great for conversations. Some will say it's a bog book but I found myself taking it out of the bathroom and continue reading it until I was finished. Great stuff, highly recommended.
Who invented champagne? The steam engine? The telephone? Where does ring a ring of roses come from? Who blew the nose off the Sphinx? What has a 3 second memory? How do lemmings die?
I'll stop there but if any of the above tickles your fancy, you'll love this book. Full of amazing facts disproving a lot of the common knowledge we take for granted, and written up very clearly by John Lloyd, this is a fantastic read and great for conversations. Some will say it's a bog book but I found myself taking it out of the bathroom and continue reading it until I was finished. Great stuff, highly recommended.
May 27, 2012
I've been perusing this one for awhile, as I find that trivia books are best absorbed in small doses. This is one of the better efforts in the genre, a little more erudite than some.
The format is essentially this:
"Here's a piece of trivia you thought you knew. But you're wrong, there's more to it than that. And while we're on the topic, here are a few more facts and observations that are sort of related to the original subject but perhaps not so much."
You'll learn, among other things, that Henry VIII technically had only two wives, that marmots are the most deadly mammals humans have ever encountered, and that bees were the first animals to "realize" that the earth is round.
All in all, a useful resource for debunking those who presume to have knowledge of trivia that is superior to yours.
The format is essentially this:
"Here's a piece of trivia you thought you knew. But you're wrong, there's more to it than that. And while we're on the topic, here are a few more facts and observations that are sort of related to the original subject but perhaps not so much."
You'll learn, among other things, that Henry VIII technically had only two wives, that marmots are the most deadly mammals humans have ever encountered, and that bees were the first animals to "realize" that the earth is round.
All in all, a useful resource for debunking those who presume to have knowledge of trivia that is superior to yours.
January 8, 2012
Very good for reading just a bit of before bed, palate-cleansing during frantic essay writing, or sitting down with for an hour straight, thinking 'just one more page'... I haven't actually seen much of the TV show, but I do follow @qikipedia and have heard my mother hooting away with mirth when watching the tv show. The book isn't as funny, most of the time, but it does succeed in being Quite Interesting.
It covers a lot of facts I've read elsewhere in other books (some of which I suspect of taking their topics at least from here, if not the text) and a lot that I've never read elsewhere. If general knowledge sort of stuff is your thing, this and the New Scientist books are probably your best bet...
It covers a lot of facts I've read elsewhere in other books (some of which I suspect of taking their topics at least from here, if not the text) and a lot that I've never read elsewhere. If general knowledge sort of stuff is your thing, this and the New Scientist books are probably your best bet...
March 14, 2009
Bloody brilliant! One of the most fascinating books I have ever read. Highly enjoyable and highly recommended!
January 15, 2010
High-brow trivia. Very illuminating, especially for those who gloss over the educational bits of QI and watch purely for laughs. (Like me).
Like most trivia books, it's a dip-into only affair.
Like most trivia books, it's a dip-into only affair.
June 3, 2015
Okuması hızlı ve keyifli bir kitap. Boş zaman doldurmak için ideal.
September 23, 2016
John Lloyd and John Mitchinson’s book, The Book of General Ignorance, is an interesting collection of trivia. The subtitle on the book’s jacket says “Everything you think you know is wrong.” Each entry, a short page or page and a half, discusses some popular misconception covering such fields as history, botany, zoology, physics, geology, medicine, sports, etc. Some previous reviews have mentioned the lack of documentation. Undoubtedly, the vast array of topics would require endnotes nearly as long as the text itself. In general, the book appears to be well researched and reliable. However, no one can be an expert in every field of knowledge, and Lloyd and Mitchinson are not infallible.
On page 63, the authors state, “Rhinos are the only animal to have a horn that is entirely made from keratin; unlike those of cattle, sheep, antelopes, and giraffes, they don’t have any bone core.” Neither do giraffes. Giraffe “horns” are actually ossicones derived from ossified cartilage and covered with skin and fur.
On page 74 it is stated that “Nero also invented ice cream (runners brought mountain snow flavored with fruit juice) …” You cannot have ice cream without cream. Fruit flavored ice would be what Americans would call a snow cone.
In the discussion of Julius Caesar (p. 78), the authors tell us that “Romans pronounced ‘Caesar’ as kaiser (which is still the German word for ‘king’ …).” Wrong. The German word for king is koenig. Kaiser means emperor.
On page 243, it’s alleged that the biblical story of Jesus’ virgin birth was the result of Christianity absorbing “pagan ideas to broaden its appeal.” The authors assert that “Perseus and Dionysus in Greek mythology, Horus in Egyptian and Mithra, a Persian deity whose cult rivaled Christianity in popularity, were all ‘born of virgins.’” Wrong again. Perseus was born of Zeus and Danae, Dionysus of Zeus and Semele, Horus of Osiris and Isis, and Mithra from a rock.
Was Adolf Hitler a good Catholic? You would think so according to this book. To support their contention, the authors provide a 1928 quote from Hitler in which he said, “I am now, as before, a Catholic and will always remain so” (p. 194). At this point in time Hitler had not acquired full power and could not afford to alienate a large segment of the population. His real opinion is revealed in Hitler’s Table Talk, a collection of his private conversations compiled by a close aid during the war years. In it he calls Christianity one of the great “scourges” of history, and blamed the Jews for inventing Christianity.
On page 63, the authors state, “Rhinos are the only animal to have a horn that is entirely made from keratin; unlike those of cattle, sheep, antelopes, and giraffes, they don’t have any bone core.” Neither do giraffes. Giraffe “horns” are actually ossicones derived from ossified cartilage and covered with skin and fur.
On page 74 it is stated that “Nero also invented ice cream (runners brought mountain snow flavored with fruit juice) …” You cannot have ice cream without cream. Fruit flavored ice would be what Americans would call a snow cone.
In the discussion of Julius Caesar (p. 78), the authors tell us that “Romans pronounced ‘Caesar’ as kaiser (which is still the German word for ‘king’ …).” Wrong. The German word for king is koenig. Kaiser means emperor.
On page 243, it’s alleged that the biblical story of Jesus’ virgin birth was the result of Christianity absorbing “pagan ideas to broaden its appeal.” The authors assert that “Perseus and Dionysus in Greek mythology, Horus in Egyptian and Mithra, a Persian deity whose cult rivaled Christianity in popularity, were all ‘born of virgins.’” Wrong again. Perseus was born of Zeus and Danae, Dionysus of Zeus and Semele, Horus of Osiris and Isis, and Mithra from a rock.
Was Adolf Hitler a good Catholic? You would think so according to this book. To support their contention, the authors provide a 1928 quote from Hitler in which he said, “I am now, as before, a Catholic and will always remain so” (p. 194). At this point in time Hitler had not acquired full power and could not afford to alienate a large segment of the population. His real opinion is revealed in Hitler’s Table Talk, a collection of his private conversations compiled by a close aid during the war years. In it he calls Christianity one of the great “scourges” of history, and blamed the Jews for inventing Christianity.
March 23, 2015
Отличная книга для чтения в метро, короткие статейки как будто специально рассчитаны на длину перегонов и эскалаторов. Куча интересных и бесполезных фактов обо всём на свете: от анатомии до истории Англии. Что-то мне уже было известно, о некоторых явлениях прочитала впервые, например, о хамелеонах, изменяющих цвет в зависимости от настроения, а не от окружающей среды. На очереди ещё "Книга животных заблуждений", предусмотрительно подаренная мною П. =)
Сборник дурацких фактов ниже:
==========
шампанское – изобретение англичан.
==========
Сенбернары никогда – повторяем, никогда – не носили на шее бочонков с бренди.
==========
Пока на человечество не обрушилось чудовищное проклятие под названием «статистика», мы жили счастливой и безмятежной жизнью, полной веселья и радости, получая информацию в виде вполне сносных суждений. Хилэр Беллок
==========
Америка названа по имени уэльсца Ричарда Америка, зажиточного купца из Бристоля.
==========
Пластинка (или мембрана) перца содержит наибольшее количество так называемого капсаицина
==========
Никто никогда не видел, чтобы страус прятал в песок голову. Когда страусам угрожает опасность, они удирают прочь – как любое здравомыслящее животное.
==========
именно грязь/ пыль/пух, присутствующие в бокале, играют роль ядер конденсации для растворенного в напитке углекислого газа.
==========
Алкоголь не «убивает» клетки мозга. Он лишь мешает новым клеткам быстро расти.
==========
На животе черепахи был начертан семейный девиз Девонов: «Куда я попал? Что я наделал?»
==========
Нет ни одного надежного источника информации, который помог бы нам провести четкую аналогию возрастов между видами млекопитающих.
==========
Человек всецело поддерживает религию до тех пор, пока не побывает в по-настоящему религиозной стране. После чего он начинает всецело поддерживать канализацию, машины и минимальную заработную плату. Олдос Хаксли
Сборник дурацких фактов ниже:
==========
шампанское – изобретение англичан.
==========
Сенбернары никогда – повторяем, никогда – не носили на шее бочонков с бренди.
==========
Пока на человечество не обрушилось чудовищное проклятие под названием «статистика», мы жили счастливой и безмятежной жизнью, полной веселья и радости, получая информацию в виде вполне сносных суждений. Хилэр Беллок
==========
Америка названа по имени уэльсца Ричарда Америка, зажиточного купца из Бристоля.
==========
Пластинка (или мембрана) перца содержит наибольшее количество так называемого капсаицина
==========
Никто никогда не видел, чтобы страус прятал в песок голову. Когда страусам угрожает опасность, они удирают прочь – как любое здравомыслящее животное.
==========
именно грязь/ пыль/пух, присутствующие в бокале, играют роль ядер конденсации для растворенного в напитке углекислого газа.
==========
Алкоголь не «убивает» клетки мозга. Он лишь мешает новым клеткам быстро расти.
==========
На животе черепахи был начертан семейный девиз Девонов: «Куда я попал? Что я наделал?»
==========
Нет ни одного надежного источника информации, который помог бы нам провести четкую аналогию возрастов между видами млекопитающих.
==========
Человек всецело поддерживает религию до тех пор, пока не побывает в по-настоящему религиозной стране. После чего он начинает всецело поддерживать канализацию, машины и минимальную заработную плату. Олдос Хаксли
May 27, 2015
Se pensate che il motore a vapore sia stato inventato da James Watt (.. Pivello!), che il materiale più comune sulla terra sia l'ossigeno o l'azoto, che le possibilità di morire per un fulmine siano maggiori di quelle per un asteroide, che Fleming abbia scoperto la penicillina o vi chiedete perché le falene siano attratte dalla luce o di dove sia Babbo Natale (e no, non parliamo nemmeno dell'invenzione della Coca Cola!)..
ALLORA questo libro fa per voi!!!!
Mi sono divertita un sacco con alcune domande/risposte.. In altre ho assunto il cipiglio da: "MA CHE DAVVERO??? DOV'ERO IO QUANDO ACCADEVA?!" mentre per altre ero lì a gongolare dicendo: "Ah-ah. Ah-ah. Sì, sì, questa la sapevo! Olè!"
Insomma, ce ne è davvero per tutti i gusti e si legge in uno starnuto.. Consigliato! (Anche se "Il libro sull'ignoranza degli animali è molto più carino! :3)
ALLORA questo libro fa per voi!!!!
Mi sono divertita un sacco con alcune domande/risposte.. In altre ho assunto il cipiglio da: "MA CHE DAVVERO??? DOV'ERO IO QUANDO ACCADEVA?!" mentre per altre ero lì a gongolare dicendo: "Ah-ah. Ah-ah. Sì, sì, questa la sapevo! Olè!"
Insomma, ce ne è davvero per tutti i gusti e si legge in uno starnuto.. Consigliato! (Anche se "Il libro sull'ignoranza degli animali è molto più carino! :3)
September 27, 2012
How many penises does an European earwig have?
Two. The European or Black earwig carries a special one in case the first one snaps off, which happens quite frequently.
I love trivia (cue me spending hours on Cracked.com). I especially love strange trivia. Penis trivia? Booyah!
This book was easy to get through too - one can pick it up at any point again to discover something new about the universe. I'm a huge fan of the TV series QI. Any lover of the Stephen-Fry-run quiz show should enjoy this, as will anyone who likes, well, penis trivia. And who really invented the telephone, etc. etc.
February 28, 2008
Great little book of snippets of facts that one is unlikely to know. In fact it is written in such a way that it often turns misconceptions on their head with a touch of humour at the same time.
The result is normally something like, "Oooh i didnt know that! Would you ever!"
A great book for keeping in the toilet as there are lots of little sections to be read stand alone ;)
The result is normally something like, "Oooh i didnt know that! Would you ever!"
A great book for keeping in the toilet as there are lots of little sections to be read stand alone ;)
June 15, 2011
Fun book full of interesting facts and unique snippets of information. I was finding it hard to dedicate a lot of time to reading each day, so this book was ideal, being divided into short, fascinating segments -- because I was picking the book up irregularly, it meant I was not constantly having to remind myself of where I left up. Overall a fun, light read.
August 11, 2012
I watch the BBC's Quite Interesting comedy quiz show this book is based on (or is it the other way around?). After watching the show and reading this book, I want to know what exactly are we taught at school? So many misconceptions, for one. I found the book very interesting and also humourous. I definitely learned a lot of cool facts from it.
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March 25, 2018
An upgrade from the previous QI books featuring lovely snippets from the TV programme and more information for each fact.
Though apparently there's no such thing as a fact. Or a fish. So, just a book. Full of words that won't exist in ten years time because no one can spell any more. It'll just be smiley faces and poo with eyes. "The Queen is dead! 👻"
Why is this the world now.
Though apparently there's no such thing as a fact. Or a fish. So, just a book. Full of words that won't exist in ten years time because no one can spell any more. It'll just be smiley faces and poo with eyes. "The Queen is dead! 👻"
Why is this the world now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 793 reviews