How much do we really know about anything? It’s a question which has obsessed philosophers, scientists, and men in pubs for most of human history. Thomas Edison thought we knew less than one millionth of one percent about anything; Mark Twain thought it would take eight million years to master mathematics alone; Ambrose Bierce believed knowledge was just the small bit of ignorance we arrange and classify. So, we don’t know that much. But, as someone else once said, it isn’t what you don’t know that does you harm, it’s what you know that’s wrong. Enter The Book of General Ignorance, a book that sets out, calmly and humbly, to show you that a lot of what you think you know is wrong, incorrect, piffle, nonsense. If, like Alan Davies, you still think the Henry VIII had six wives, the earth has only one moon, that George Washington was the first president of the USA, that Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, that the largest living thing is a blue whale, that Alexander Graeme Bell invented the telephone, that whisky and bagpipes come from Scotland or that Mount Everest is the world’s tallest mountain, then there are at least 200 reasons why this is the book for you.
QI: The Pocket Book of General Ignorance
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Review
"This UK bestseller redefines `common knowledge' with factoids that will inform and entertain (or at least liven up your next cocktail party)." -- OK! Magazine
"This book would make even Edison feel small and silly, for it offers answers to questions you never thought to ask or had no need of asking as you already knew, or thought you knew, the answer." -- The Economist
"To impress friends with your cleverness, beg, borrow or buy John Lloyd and John Mitchinson's The Book of General Ignorance, an extraordinary collection of 230 common misperceptions compiled for the BBC panel game QI (Quite Interesting)." -- Financial Times
"Trivia buffs and know-it-alls alike will exult to find so much repeatable wisdom gathered in one place." -- The New York Times
"Eye-watering, eyebrow-raising, terrific . . . moving slightly faster than your brain does, so that you haven't quite absorbed the full import of one blissful item of trivial information before two or three more come along. Such fine and creative research genuinely deserves to be captured in print." -- Daily Mail
"This book would make even Edison feel small and silly, for it offers answers to questions you never thought to ask or had no need of asking as you already knew, or thought you knew, the answer." -- The Economist
"To impress friends with your cleverness, beg, borrow or buy John Lloyd and John Mitchinson's The Book of General Ignorance, an extraordinary collection of 230 common misperceptions compiled for the BBC panel game QI (Quite Interesting)." -- Financial Times
"Trivia buffs and know-it-alls alike will exult to find so much repeatable wisdom gathered in one place." -- The New York Times
"Eye-watering, eyebrow-raising, terrific . . . moving slightly faster than your brain does, so that you haven't quite absorbed the full import of one blissful item of trivial information before two or three more come along. Such fine and creative research genuinely deserves to be captured in print." -- Daily Mail
Book Description
The indispensable compendium of popular misconceptions, misunderstandings and common mistakes culled from the hit BBC show, QI.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 61 people found the following review helpful
By sn123
Format:Hardcover
If you thought you knew everything, think again :P
After reading this book I know about 100 times more than I did before.
This book is filled with lots of little questions which you think you know the answer to - some of the answers are just to obvious, or so it would seem. One of the joys about reading it is having the ability to just pick the book up and open on any page and you'll be amazed by one fact or another
I won't give away any of the secrets within the book, but whether you are a fan of QI, whether you're not - it's a great book and well worth reading.
After reading this book I know about 100 times more than I did before.
This book is filled with lots of little questions which you think you know the answer to - some of the answers are just to obvious, or so it would seem. One of the joys about reading it is having the ability to just pick the book up and open on any page and you'll be amazed by one fact or another
I won't give away any of the secrets within the book, but whether you are a fan of QI, whether you're not - it's a great book and well worth reading.
248 of 255 people found the following review helpful
By A. Sunnucks
Format:Hardcover
I read the Book of General Ignorance over the week-end. Although I have hundreds of trivia books they all pale into insignificance against this brilliant work which I shall genuinely enjoy forever.
Trivia books leave you feeling you're lacking something. There's something frustrating about a three line `fact' which is unsubstantiated and unexplained.
The Book of General Ignorance is a completely different animal, it awakens curiosity, is hilariously written, illuminating and leaves you desperate to fascinate your friends and family with your newly discovered wonders of the world around us. For once you can explain the background to your discovery and WHY it is so.
A fantastic read, highly recommended.
Trivia books leave you feeling you're lacking something. There's something frustrating about a three line `fact' which is unsubstantiated and unexplained.
The Book of General Ignorance is a completely different animal, it awakens curiosity, is hilariously written, illuminating and leaves you desperate to fascinate your friends and family with your newly discovered wonders of the world around us. For once you can explain the background to your discovery and WHY it is so.
A fantastic read, highly recommended.
121 of 127 people found the following review helpful
By J. Chippindale
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
The books is a spin off from the enormously successful BBC2 series QI. If you love the programme you will certainly love the book. If you have never seen the programme, you will probably still love the book.
For those people who enjoy trivia and most people do, myself included, this is a great book to sit down and relax with by the fireside on a cold winter's night. It takes commonly held beliefs and runs them full pelt through the shredder (was Santa Claus really Turkish).
The book is written in a witty way, and the great thing is that armed with all the new facts you now know, you could if you so desired win a few quid in bets and get the price of the book back. Now there's a thought.
For those people who enjoy trivia and most people do, myself included, this is a great book to sit down and relax with by the fireside on a cold winter's night. It takes commonly held beliefs and runs them full pelt through the shredder (was Santa Claus really Turkish).
The book is written in a witty way, and the great thing is that armed with all the new facts you now know, you could if you so desired win a few quid in bets and get the price of the book back. Now there's a thought.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating review of what I have always misunderstood.
This is a rollercoaster ride in bitesized chunks of so many things that I have either not known or misunderstood. Great to read and reread.
Published 12 days ago by P. Donovan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quite Interesting
Exactly what you'd expect! Perfect book to fill 10 mins or to keep in the spare room. If you have blokes in your house, it will probably end up in the loo!
Published 20 days ago by A. Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating!
This is a truly wonderful book! Each section takes a theme, related in some way to the last, and then expands upon it endlessly! Read more
Published 28 days ago by William Axtell
5.0 out of 5 stars
The pocket Book of general ignorance
This was a gift for a friend and I understand he really enjoyed reading through the many interesting items in the book and referring to them time and again.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. Susan M. Sovary-soos
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great books
I find these books very informative- even if a lot of my knowledge I found to be misinformed to say the least. I like the fact I can pick it up choose a random page..... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. M. F. V. Mcknight
5.0 out of 5 stars
Verg good
Excellent read on the tube, loo or waiting for people to get on or off escalators fascinating stuff and interesting how urban myth spreads
Published 2 months ago by Mr. D Field
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book of general ignorance
Great book. Very illuminating.Who would have thought that so many of the "truths" we have known for years were,in fact Chinese Whispers.
Published 3 months ago by old tuss
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Humorous but Amazingly Fascinating Gems of Information and Fact on...
As most people are aware that this book was written after the highly acclaimed and successful BBC 2 TV series entitled QI. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Matloub Husayn-Ali-Khan
4.0 out of 5 stars
good book
it is that good I have it in hardback,,read it you wiil enjoy it it is what it says on the cover
Published 4 months ago by allen hall
5.0 out of 5 stars
easy to read
I read the book top to buttom in one afternoon and it is an interesting book. With loads of things that make you wonder how wrong you were. Yes, in a few, i was ignorante.
Published 5 months ago by mopc
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