Trivia - Books - Magic Bean Dip

Page 1 of 184 - Go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 12

An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't

Judy Jones, William Wilson

Amazon Price: $23.10
List Price: ~~$35.00~~
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: Ballantine Books
Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $20.73

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Reference -> Education -> Research
Subjects -> Reference -> Encyclopedias -> General
Subjects -> Reference -> Encyclopedias -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 90 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When it was originally published in 1987, An Incomplete Education became a surprise bestseller. Now this instant classic has been completely updated, outfitted with a whole new arsenal of indispensable knowledge on global affairs, popular culture, economic trends, scientific principles, and modern arts. Here’s your chance to brush up on all those subjects you slept through in school, reacquaint yourself with all the facts you once knew (then promptly forgot), catch up on major developments in the world today, and become the Renaissance man or woman you always knew you could be!

How do you tell the Balkans from the Caucasus? What’s the difference between fission and fusion? Whigs and Tories? Shiites and Sunnis? Deduction and induction? Why aren’t all Shakespearean comedies necessarily thigh-slappers? What are transcendental numbers and what are they good for? What really happened in Plato’s cave? Is postmodernism dead or just having a bad hair day? And for extra credit, when should you use the adjective continual and when should you use continuous?

An Incomplete Education answers these and thousands of other questions with incomparable wit, style, and clarity. American Studies, Art History, Economics, Film, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Science, and World History: Here’s the bottom line on each of these major disciplines, distilled to its essence and served up with consummate flair.

In this revised edition you’ll find a vitally expanded treatment of international issues, reflecting the seismic geopolitical upheavals of the past decade, from economic free-fall in South America to Central Africa’s world war, and from violent radicalization in the Muslim world to the crucial trade agreements that are defining globalization for the twenty-first century. And don’t forget to read the section A Nervous American’s Guide to Living and Loving on Five Continents before you answer a personal ad in the International Herald Tribune.

As delightful as it is illuminating, An Incomplete Education packs ten thousand years of culture into a single superbly readable volume. This is a book to celebrate, to share, to give and receive, to pore over and browse through, and to return to again and again.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009 (World Almanac and Book of Facts)

World Almanac Books

Amazon Price: $10.39
List Price: ~~$12.99~~
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: World Almanac
Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $10.39

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Reference -> Almanacs & Yearbooks -> Almanacs
Subjects -> Reference -> Fun Facts -> Trivia
Subjects -> Reference -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

New for 2009—The World Almanac and Book of Facts includes the complete 2008 U.S. election results, and World Series statistics. Every family needs this New York Times best-selling reference book.
The World Almanac is the #1 best-selling American reference book of all time. It is the source for essential and authoritative facts for entertainment, reference and learning. The book contains thousands of facts and statistics that aren’t publicly available which are sourced and double-checked by the staff of World Almanac experts.
The 2008 Edition spent 12 weeks on the NYT Bestseller list reaching #2; 10 weeks on the USA Today Bestseller List reaching #51; and 9 weeks on the Book Sense List reaching a high of #11.

Features in The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009:
·         The World at a Glance: The most fascinating facts of the past year in science, economics,     sports, arts and media, and more
·         World Almanac 2008 News Quiz: For news junkies and snorers alike
·         Election 2008 Coverage and Results: Twenty-four pages dedicated to the complete coverage of key issues, pivotal primaries, memorable moments, and election results from the presidential campaign.
·         Beijing Olympics Recap: faces, Places and records from the Summer 2008 games.
·         World Series: For the first time in 5 years, the World Almanac will contain facts covering the World Series.
·         Celebrity Picks: notable names serve up their very own lists of Favorite People, Places, and Things
·         Year in Pictures: 16 page color photo section of the top stories of 2008, as well as 16 pages of world maps and flags and easy-to-use side abs.
·         Plus thousands of facts and statistics that aren’t publicly available; sourced and double-checked by our full-time editorial staff who are reference experts by category

World Almanac Online: www.WorldAlmanac.com
2009 will feature the third year of Bonus Content Online, extended reading to the printed edition for the same combined price of $12.99. This year will feature the Election Results from 2008, plus lots more free information available year-round at worldalmanac.com: historical presidential information, health news and features, and early access to WA09 info.

Once online, look for The World Almanac Blog, launched in 2006 and every weekday featuring
·         New original entries, including provocative postings such as Unbreakable Sports Records; fascinating scientific and historical trivia; and new links to online tools and archives for almanac fans ·         This Day in History, Notable Birthdays and unusual anniversaries such as when Nixon met Elvis Presley in the Oval Office (1970)
·         More useful links and tags to essential reads

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

List Price: ~~$29.50~~
By: Random House Large Print
Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $12.84

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Reference -> Fun Facts -> Trivia
Subjects -> Reference -> General
Subjects -> Reference -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 636 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

One of the world’s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.

The Book of General Ignorance

John Mitchinson, John Lloyd

Amazon Price: $13.57
List Price: ~~$19.95~~
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: Harmony
Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $11.12

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General AAS
Subjects -> Reference -> Education -> Questions & Answers

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Think Magellan was the first man to circumnavigate the globe, baseball was invented in America, Henry VIII had six wives, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain? Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong again.

Misconceptions, misunderstandings, and flawed facts finally get the heave-ho in this humorous, downright humiliating book of reeducation based on the phenomenal British bestseller. Challenging what most of us assume to be verifiable truths in areas like history, literature, science, nature, and more,

The Book of General Ignorance is a witty “gotcha” compendium of how little we actually know about anything. It’ll have you scratching your head wondering why we even bother to go to school.

Revealing the truth behind all the things we think we know but don’t, this book leaves you dumbfounded about all the misinformation you’ve managed to collect during your life, and sets you up to win big should you ever be a contestant on Jeopardy! or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Besides righting the record on common (but wrong) myths like Captain Cook discovering Australia or Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone, The Book of General Ignorance also gives us the skinny on silly slipups to trot out at dinner parties (Cinderella wore fur, not glass, slippers and chicken tikka masala was invented in Scotland, not India).

Thomas Edison said that we know less than one millionth of one percent about anything: this book makes us wonder if we know even that much.

You’ll be surprised at how much you don’t know! Check out THE BOOK OF GENERAL IGNORANCE for more fun entries and complete answers to the following:

How long can a chicken live without its head?
About two years.

What do chameleons do?
They don’t change color to match the background. Never have; never will. Complete myth. Utter fabrication. Total Lie. They change color as a result of different emotional states.

Who invented champagne?
Not the French.

How many legs does a centipede have?
Not a hundred.

How many toes has a two-toed sloth?
It’s either six or eight.

How many penises does a European earwig have?
a)Fourteen
b)None at all
c)Two (one for special occasions)
d)Mind your own business

Which animals are the best-endowed of all?
Barnacles. These unassuming modest beasts have the longest penis relative to their size of any creature. They can be seven times longer than their body.

What is a rhino’s horn made from?
A rhinoceros horn is not, as some people think, made out of hair.

Who was the first American president?
Peyton Randolph.

What were George Washington’s false teeth made from?
Mostly hippopotamus.

What was James Bond’s favorite drink?
Not the vodka martini.

Uncle John's Unsinkable Bathroom Reader (Uncle John's Bathroom Reader)

Bathroom Readers' Institute

Amazon Price: $12.89
List Price: ~~$18.95~~
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: Portable Press
Amazon Marketplace: 14 new & used starting at $12.89

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General AAS
Subjects -> Reference -> Fun Facts -> Curiosities & Wonders

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Reading!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am a reader and I sure love all of Uncle John's books. So much information can be gleaned from them. All of them are fascinating and filled with knowledge. Someone really has done a lot of research in writing these books. I highly recommend all of them. They're worth it!!

Great Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Uncle Joh's Unsinkable Bathroom is a fun book to add to your collection collection. Easy to read and full of a unique combination of information. Full of humor with a little bit of trivia and tips added, this is a great book for your winter reading. Definitely recommend.

Editorial Review:

Uncle John's Unsinkable Bathroom Reader is jam-packed with over 500 pages of humor, history, science, pop culture, and more. This all-new 21st edition in this popular series is divided into short, medium, and long sections that explore topics including: Breaking the Mayan Code, Cycads: The Most Ancient Plants on Earth, The History of the Library of Congress, Return to Chernobyl, An Untold Story of WWII: The Fighting 442, The Origin of Lasers, Japanese Scholar Rocks, The Heart of the Andes, The Luniverse, and The Truth About Jumping Beans. With Uncle John’s trademark trivia, obscure facts and figures, forgotten histories, and unknown origins, this book provides readers with hours of fun.

The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge, Second Edition: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind

The New York Times

Amazon Price: $23.10
List Price: ~~$35.00~~
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: St. Martin's Press
Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $11.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Reference -> Fun Facts -> Curiosities & Wonders
Subjects -> Reference -> Fun Facts -> Trivia
Subjects -> Reference -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A Complete Revision and Thorough Updating of the Ultimate Reference from the Newspaper of Record

Whether you are researching the history of Western art, investigating an obscure medical test, following current environmental trends, studying Shakespeare, brushing up on your crossword and Sudoku skills, or simply looking for a deeper understanding of the world, this book is for you. An indispensable resource for every home, office, dorm room, and library, this new edition of The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge offers in-depth explorations of art, astronomy, biology, business, economics, the environment, film, geography, history, the Internet, literature, mathematics, music, mythology, philosophy, photography, sports, theater, film, and many other subjects.

This one volume is designed to offer more information than any other book on the most important subjects, as well as provide easy-to-access data critical to everyday life. It is the only universal reference book to include authoritative and engaging essays from New York Times experts in almost every field of endeavor.

Time for Kids: Almanac 2009 (Time for Kids Almanac)

Editors of Time for Kids magazine

Amazon Price: $11.19
List Price: ~~$13.99~~
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: Time For Kids
Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $7.54

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> Almanacs

Editorial Review:

Full of information on everything from animals to inventions, cutting-edge technology for the environment, this handy, colourful resource is a must-have for 8- to 12-year-olds. "The Time For Kids Almanac 2009" features more than 650 new photos of kids' favourite stars, athletes, leaders, and other newsmakers, not to mention pictures of people and places from all around the world (and spanning history!). Engaging articles from the award-winning "Time for Kids" magazine bring the facts to life while quizzes, games, puzzles, fun factoids and more make for an interactive read. The ultimate in edutainment, the thoroughly up-to-date facts, charts, statistics and maps will engage readers while boosting their brainpower.