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The Book of Useless Information
by
Noel Botham
Thousands of things you didn't think you needed to know-and probably don't.
All you never needed to know, and couldn't be bothered to ask.
One person's useless information could prove invaluable to someone else. Then again, maybe not. But to The Useless Information Society, any fact that passes its gasp-inducing, "not-a-lot-of-people-know- that" test merits inc...more
All you never needed to know, and couldn't be bothered to ask.
One person's useless information could prove invaluable to someone else. Then again, maybe not. But to The Useless Information Society, any fact that passes its gasp-inducing, "not-a-lot-of-people-know- that" test merits inc...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
June 27th 2006
by Perigee Trade
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Fantastic bathroom reading. Here, have some random facts:
Every time Beethoven sat down to compose music, he poured ice water over his head.
Eosophobia is the fear of dawn.
Coca-Cola was originally green.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
The average woman consumes six pounds of lipstick in her lifetime.
Charles de Gaulle's final words were "It hurts."
The national anthem of Greece ...more
Every time Beethoven sat down to compose music, he poured ice water over his head.
Eosophobia is the fear of dawn.
Coca-Cola was originally green.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
The average woman consumes six pounds of lipstick in her lifetime.
Charles de Gaulle's final words were "It hurts."
The national anthem of Greece ...more
I love trivia but I simply couldn't keep reading this book only 89 pages in.
At first I found the book enjoyable, and used the trivia as a jumping off point for further research. But the research usually revealed a whole other side to the story. For example, the book says David Rice Atchison was President of the US for one day. Some of the circumstances around that day are extraordinary, but he was never sworn in or officially assigned President.
I got upset when I read the...more
At first I found the book enjoyable, and used the trivia as a jumping off point for further research. But the research usually revealed a whole other side to the story. For example, the book says David Rice Atchison was President of the US for one day. Some of the circumstances around that day are extraordinary, but he was never sworn in or officially assigned President.
I got upset when I read the...more
Not really a book, so much as it is a list of facts. I mean, it literally just lists facts. "Nutmeg is poisonous if injected intravenously." Done. Next fact. "Penguins are the only bird that can swim but can't fly." Bam. Next fact. Repeat.
So it's actually great for bathroom reading or for those quick, couple minute waits. I actually moved this book from my tablet to my phone for that reason.
But as a book it's pretty lame, and I also have a problem with som...more
So it's actually great for bathroom reading or for those quick, couple minute waits. I actually moved this book from my tablet to my phone for that reason.
But as a book it's pretty lame, and I also have a problem with som...more
I loved this book, but let's be honest, I love all things random. Fill 300 pages with useless information, and you have one very happy reader. The reason this book is not five stars is that Botham spent too long on the animal kingdom. I much rather would learn that Tommy Lee Jones and Al Gore were freshman roommates at Harvard or Louisa May Alcott hated children. She only wrote Little Women because her publisher asked her to. On that note, I better go get out Trivial Pursuit because at leas...more
Noel Botham's The Book of Useless Information, mesmerized my mind but giving me facts I found out and I didn't need to find out. Did you know that 2 out of 5 guys admit that they don't say I love you to their wife. You get filled with wonderful knowledge about facts from U.S. Presidents to Egyptians from 500 B.C. You may know some facts and yet you may be dumbfounded about learing a new fact. I recommend this book for the fact of you will become a more knowledgeable person full of useless inform...more
As a connoisseur of useless fact books, this one is unimpressive. Some facts within the book contradict other facts within the same book, for instance, on page 249, it states "the penguin is the only bird that can swim, but not fly." However, on page 244, it is stated that "the emu...can't fly, but it can swim."
Compared to the ultimate (my choice of descriptor - not referring to the specific book) Uncle John's Bathroom Readers, Mental Floss and the newer Armchair Read...more
Compared to the ultimate (my choice of descriptor - not referring to the specific book) Uncle John's Bathroom Readers, Mental Floss and the newer Armchair Read...more
I was surprised by this book. It is really not a book in a sense. It is just list after list of odd facts. It is broken up into sections of similar facts. Some of the facts are are very interesting, but after awhile the facts become a little mind numbing. It is a fun easy book to read. Only a 105 pages long. Could be a bathroom companion for some. The book is older and the some facts are dated. If your into trivia this could be the book for you.
Essentially just random facts about random things. Totally insane and amazing stuff in here, I read snippets all the time and bore people with my new facts. I have bought this book for a few people already and I'm always getting emails from them with great facts they found.
Example: In Saskatchewan, it is illegal to frown at a cow.
Waynes World was shot in 2 weeks.
And I'm forgetting all my facts already. Time for another re-read!
Example: In Saskatchewan, it is illegal to frown at a cow.
Waynes World was shot in 2 weeks.
And I'm forgetting all my facts already. Time for another re-read!
The tittle of the book gave it all away! This is something I reccomend to read in homeroom or just to read just for fun. I personally loved it! I learned so much from it!! Did you know the avacado has the most calories then any fruit????!!!! Did you know the hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards??!! Shocking right? I reccomend this book everyone! I bet that anybody can find something intresting in this book!
I usually love this kind of "odd fact" book, but "The Ultimate Book of Useless Information" is nothing short of a train wreck. I noticed right away that even for a book of random facts, the sections are poorly written with almost no continuity or interesting detail. More importantly, though, it takes only a few minutes to spot errors that are so glaringly obvious, one wonders just what kind of rock this alleged author crawled out from.
For example, the author state...more
For example, the author state...more
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I love these books!! My father in law is already chock full of useless information, so this made his day to read all of these. I found this fun and enjoyable although there were some factual errors, myths or other issues. However, no matter the errors in here, it is a quick and fun read for people in the bathroom or out and about with not enough time to read chapter books.
This was a really fun book. It only took me a couple of hours to read it because it was so intriguing. It has all sorts of interesting from people not wanting Benjamin Franklin to write the constituition because they thought he would hide a joke in it to what the kings in a deck of cards represent. Everyone should have this book laying around to flip through. Lot's of random knowledge.
This book is filled with wonderfully random things that no one would even need to know, but find it fun to know it anyway. The only downside are the facts themselves... I find that some of them are wrong and others questionable. (Such as, Herman and Lily Munster were not the first American TV couple to share a bed.) A fun read, just don't take the trivia too seriously.
Thoroughly enjoyable. I actually read this as I would have any other book, even though it is just a bunch of one-liners. I'll keep it so I can read it again. Some factoids are repeated. Others argue with info on other pages, but I'll still read the other five (so far) books in the series.
lots of random things I never knew before. Things you never even thought to wonder about. Was a good read for those boring as heck moments in life, like line at the bank or waiting in the car for someone. Not a page turner per se, but its not written like a novel. Its really just listing of a bunch of useless facts, that at least are fun when they pop in your head and spark conversation. LOL. enjoyed it.
I love this book!!! Simply amazing!! I am a random person so reading a book of useless (random) information was a bunch of fun. There are so many things that I didn't know and now I do. I am going to have to buy my own copy so I can go about sputing random facts at people!
I've learned so much from this book,I don't know where to begin. The Book of Useless Information is jam packed with lots of facts. Even if you read it twice all the way through (like me) you still learn more facts each time!
Funny. This book points out all the oddities, serendipities, and just plain weird things that happen in our world. Not all of it is useless, either. Great fun to read aloud to an audience.
Lyndon Johnson was the first president to wear contact lenses. George Washington's false teeth were made of whale bone. Tons of useless information. What's not to love?? These books are great.
Perfect toilet reading. Surprisingly addictive, considering there is no story whatsoever, and most of the information as such, is uselessly useless. And sometimes bullshit haha. But, the exceptions are what makes up for it.
Don't consider it a book, rather a newspaper of sorts, and it will work.
The only question I have now is.. What the hell do I do with this huge amount of more or less useless information in my head?
Don't consider it a book, rather a newspaper of sorts, and it will work.
The only question I have now is.. What the hell do I do with this huge amount of more or less useless information in my head?
If you took all of the bathroom reader books, scrapped out all of their footer facts and consolidated them into one book, this would be the result.
Fun facts, but not heavy reading.
Fun facts, but not heavy reading.
Andy Garcia was a conjoined twin! Who knew!
No president was an only child! Who knew!
In Saudi Arabia, a woman can divorce her husband if he doesn't bring her coffee! Who knew!
No president was an only child! Who knew!
In Saudi Arabia, a woman can divorce her husband if he doesn't bring her coffee! Who knew!
I wouldn't necessarily call any of the information in this book useless, since once you use some of it your family and friends are bound to think your a lot smarter than they are.
I love books like this. I have always been a trivia buff and this was great for that. I plowed through it in a day and I can't wait to go grab another from the library.
This book is full of random, silly, cute, odd, useless, interesting and funny little facts.
I'll spare you all from summing up a few but I do recommend reading it. It's one of those ideal 'I have a few moments to kill' books.
Cute!
I'll spare you all from summing up a few but I do recommend reading it. It's one of those ideal 'I have a few moments to kill' books.
Cute!
view all 12 comments
This isn't so much a book as a list, but I like it, and it's nice bathroom material, or just for when I feel like learning something new.
Greatest book ever!! Its the funniest thing ever! I learned lots of things i didn't know and probably didn't need to!
Picked this up at a local church's used book sale. We have giggled incessantly since then!
I'm all about trivial, random and most likely useless knowledge, so this was a home run for me!
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