More Information Than You Require

by John Hodgman

book data

432 ratings, 3.87 average rating, 100 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		24%
4		44%
3		25%
2		4%
1		0%

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published

October 21st 2008 by Dutton Adult

binding

Hardcover, 368 pages

isbn

0525950346 (isbn13: 9780525950349)

description

The bestselling author of The Areas of My Expertise also known as The Daily Show's Resident Expert and the PC in the iconic Mac ads picks up exactly w...more

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10/22/08

brian tanabe rated it:

I am sooooo excited to get down to my local bookstore and pick this up. Hodgman's last book is brilliant and I am such a big fan of his intellect and wit. Can't wait.

Update: Finished the book. Great stuff, but on this second time around (not in reading this particular book, but in me indulging in Hodgman's brilliance), I think I would prefer *watching* Hodgman perform this book rather than me slogging through this read.

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32 comments

12/15/08

Jamie rated it:

Read in November, 2008

You may remember that fairly recently comedian and minor TV personality John Hodgman wrote a parody of reference books called The Areas of My Expertise, which I reviewed. Hodgman's dry wit and ability to generate random and sublimely absurd claims made that book funny enough, so when he released his follow-up More Information Than You Require I grabbed it up.

In just about every way, More Information is more of the same. Indeed, Hodgman even continues the page numbering from his prior b...more You may remember that fairly recently comedian and minor TV personality John Hodgman wrote a parody of reference books called The Areas of My Expertise, which I reviewed. Hodgman's dry wit and ability to generate random and sublimely absurd claims made that book funny enough, so when he released his follow-up More Information Than You Require I grabbed it up.

In just about every way, More Information is more of the same. Indeed, Hodgman even continues the page numbering from his prior book and claims that more volumes will follow, and that some day you will be able to combine them into some kind of Voltron-like omnibus full of jokes about hobos, mole men, and U.S. presidents with hooks for hands. The problem is, I feel like I've seen a lot of this before, and the freshness and absurdity of the first book is pretty worn off. As any carnival freak show owner who has spent too much time in one town will tell you, things get less absurd with repeat viewings. Hodgman even seems to be going back to the same well that watered his previous books. For example, instead of a list of 700 hobo names like in the first book, More Information the author includes an exhaustive list of mole men names, making use of pretty much the same kind of shtick.

That's not to say that the book isn't funny in places. Hodgman's dry wit still hits hard on occasion, and I did laugh out loud more than a few times. Most of the jokes are hidden in the footnotes of the text, as well as 365 little dated inserts that he includes so that when you're done with the book you can use it as a "fact a day" daily calendar.

The problem is that this is all starting to feel a little well worn. I also grew to hate Hodgman's habit of switching to all capital letters SEEMINGLY AT RANDOM throughout the BOOK, which was funny once or twice, but generally JUST BROKE UP THE FLOW and was ANNOYING. I'd like to see him tackle something in a little different style rather than than what seems to me to be stream of consciousness and joke making that just throws everything against the walls to see what sticks.(less)

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06/22/09

Alan rated it:

Read in June, 2009

recommends it for: The satire-impaired. No, really, you'll like it.

A REVIEW, comprising two LISTS (one True and one False), of John Hodgman's More Information than You Require.

List the first:
1. It has nothing but kind things to say about modern-day troubador and Internet sensation Jonathan Coulton.
2. Pages 296-299 are actually made from pressed prosciutto (in hardback; domestic bacon was used for the paperback edition, and the audiobook contains merely a bacon-scented backscratcher).
3. Every copy of said hardback edition comes pack...more

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06/16/09

Chris rated it:

bookshelves: humor

Read in June, 2009

FACT: The Declaration of Independence was not the original creation of Thomas Jefferson, but was instead inspired by the work of Mole-Man declarationists.

FACT: The true sport of kings, and the only one of which a professional gambler will avail himself, is that of hermit crab racing.

FACT: Andrew Jackson was the first president to wear a necklace of human skulls at his inauguration.

FACT: The first moon landing was achieved in 1802, when Napoleon Bonaparte stepped on...more

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01/03/09

Landstander rated it:

Read in January, 2009

recommends it for: All who desire knowledge

How could you be aware of it if THEY do not want you to know?

The second volume of John Hodgman's compendium of complete world knowledge is much the same as the first. As it turns out, this is a very good thing, as The Areas of My Expertise was surely the greatest work detailing both the strange but true saga of the hobos and pigeon foot and lobster claw deformities of our time. Mr. Hodgman's dry wit brings to mind a latter-day, less homosexual Oscar Wilde. His stunningly false infor...more

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11/28/08

Agathafrye rated it:

bookshelves: nonfiction

Read in January, 2009

The continuation of "The Areas of My Expertise," in fact, the book even starts on page 237, one page after "Areas" ends. Mr. Hodgman is still obsessed with ferrets and their cons, mole men, and hobos. A sample quote: "My name is John Hodgman; you live on the planet Earth; and everything is going to be fine."

Audiobook? CAN'T. WAIT.

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2 comments

03/07/09

Dawn rated it:

Read in March, 2009

Hobos and mole-men and nutrient slime, oh my! John Hodgman’s latest fake trivia opus (which doubles as a daily calendar) continues where "The Areas of My Expertise" left off, both in spirit and in page numbers (it begins with page 237). Among the COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE discussed are: the American electoral process (and the importance of nutrient slime); a summary of all the presidents (including which had hooks for hands); advice on how to be famous; and an examination of mole-man ...more

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02/10/09

Erica Schweizer rated it:

bookshelves: 2009

Read in February, 2009

I enjoyed this book much more than its predecessor, The Areas of My Expertise, which I found amusing but got tired of fairly quickly. I was concerned the same thing would happen with More Information Than You Require as it is a continuation, starting on page 237 where the first book left off. However, although I could have skipped over the parts dealing with mole-men or "What to Expect While Serving on A Jury", I really enjoyed the stories which could actually have been about John ...more

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04/19/09

Jamie rated it:

bookshelves: humor, non-fiction

The PC guy from the Apple ads is not just a minor television personality - he's a comedic writer! This book is a really enjoyable, although it's more of a coffee table book, because it's filled with random bits of information and advice. None of the information is factual, but Hodgman will have you believe they are rare secrets that may or may not benefit you. He tells you how to cook an owl, how to play roulette ("always bet on African American" according to Wesley Snipes), how to ...more

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10/24/08

Ryan rated it:

Read in November, 2008

John Hodgman is a funny, funny man. I liked this book, though it didn't quite approach the absurdist and hilarious shock value of his inaugural almanac of fake trivia, The Areas of My Expertise. (My favorite bit from that first book comes from a list of failed palindromes: "Slow speed, deep owls.")
While there are faux factual lists, tables, and footnotes aplenty here, there are also some anecdotes from Hodgman's life, which, while obviously exaggerated (running down the street af...more

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11/10/08

Suzie rated it:

Read in November, 2008

Were you aware?

This is the second compendium of complete world knowledge (a.k.a. fake trivia) from Hodgman. You may know him as The Daily Show's resident expert or as the PC from Apple's "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads. If you are someone who enjoys overeducated, referential jokes about subjects such as the AC/DC electricity battle between Westinghouse and Edison, you will enjoy this. If you enjoyed the last book, you will enjoy this. There are more modern references in "Mor...more

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12/14/08

Erica rated it:

Read in December, 2008

When I heard that John Hodgman was coming out with a new book, I was excited to read it. I probably should have listened to the rest of the interview to know exactly what I was getting myself into. Hodgman is at his funniest when sharing anecdotes or quirky stories but unfortunately that's only a small fraction of this book. This is an encyclopedia of fictitious "facts". While some of the facts are witty most are just ridiculous- like Hodgman jotted down whatever came to mind. (I'...more

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12/30/08

Dale rated it:

bookshelves: daily-show-correspondents, fiction-with-footnotes

Read in March, 2009

I'm really grooving on these books of fake trivia by John Hodgman, and it will be a dry three years or so waiting for the third and (hopefully not) final volume to be released. I enjoy this stuff so much that I scoured the book for extra material to read and found the taxonomic chart inside the dust cover, and read that, too. (TRUE FACT.) I was simultaneously delighted and horrified to realize that (a) Hodgman dropped a bunch of hardcore geek-speak, unexplained, into said chart, and (b) I did...more

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11/10/08

Dru rated it:

Read in November, 2008

The first half is better than The Areas of My Expertise. It's the sort of thing I could quote endlessly, especially his bit on the Founding Fathers ("Advocates of strong, central government, such as Alexander Hamilton, believed the president should serve for life and wear golden robes and live in a bank.") and facts about Teddy Roosevelt ("Roosevelt began every day by wrestling his entire cabinet and throwing them out the window. He accidentally killed Secretary of War Elihu Root ...more

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10/21/08

Brendan rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, fiction, non-fiction

Read in April, 2009

The title of the book gives you a sense of its breadth and scope. Hodgman’s book is truly a COMPENDIUM OF WORLD KNOWLEDGE. There are lots of hilarious bits, but I’ll comment on just a few themes and ideas:

* I love the continued numbering that puts this book in concert with the previous book, AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE. The last book in the series purports to be forthcoming: THAT IS ALL.
* Throughout the book, JH has “this day in history” almanac entries. Here’s ...more

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10/24/08

Caleb rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in October, 2008

recommends it for: people

John Hodgman's sequel to "The Areas of My Expertise," his complete compendium of all world knowledge, presented as a sort of almanac full of fake facts. Some of the topics covered in this second volume include Hodgman's new lifestyle as a minor television personality, the past (presented in an easy-to-adapt-to-a-desk-calendar format), and why a complete compendium of all world knowledge would need a sequel in the first place.

This book isn't quite as transcendentally funny a...more

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02/18/09

John rated it:

Read in January, 2009

This did turn out to be more 'information' than I required, at least in just a few sittings: the book feels overly long and padded. The mole-people name list is a considerably-less-funny retread of the hobo name list from his last book. Much better are some random bits damning the Brazil nut, contemplating legitimate Scrabble words, and describing the oddity that is Park Slope. Read it in bits over time, or stick with his Areas of My Expertise.

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12/03/08

Jil rated it:

Read in December, 2008

recommends it for: America the Book fiends

I read this book under the set of a student-written play, The Thing About Air Travel. Deep within the bowels of a plane-shaped stage, I chuckled and giggled and squinted, trying to absorb all the hilarity by the dim glow of a rope light.

John Hodgman is a very smart man. John Hodgman is funniest to smart people, namely American History lovers.

As someone that liked THE AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE, I knew I would like this. I did not know how much it would reaffirm my love of hab...more

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03/13/09

Cynical rated it:

Read in March, 2009

This book is total nonsense, and because of that it can be a lot of fun. Hodgman's narrative voice is pretty consistent, but its effect on me oscillated between amusement and irritation. More amusement, though. This is a strange sort of narrative. A novel will create a world and try to coax the reader into it. This book just acknowledges the reader and then insists on a bizarre world that only sort of resembles reality.

Hodgman's clever. This book has some really funny bits.

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11/10/08

Leigh rated it:

Read in February, 2009

Way more information than I required.

John Hodgman's deadpan has made his first book, The Areas of My Expertise, a roadtrip favourite, so when More Information Than You Require came out I had to give it a go. On the one hand, Hodgeman had me rolling on the floor with each tiny bit of hysterical false trivia, but on the other hand, he also left me quite weary every few pages. The book is quite dense, and unlike most comedy, you can't just read it straight through. Hodgeman has you f...more

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