The Best, Worst, & Most Unusual: Noteworthy Achievements, Events, Feats & Blunders of Every Conceivable Kind

by Bruce Felton, Mark Fowler

In this, the biggest volume of bizarre knowledge ever, seekers of unique trivia will find the answers to many fascinating questions. It includes every possible field, from astronomy to taxidermy, sculpture to sociology. The authors have scoured hundreds of public records, news reports, critical opinions, and statistics to cull the absurd, the great, and the not-so-wonderful from all walks of life. The findings are often humorous, occasionally appalling, sometimes downright strange—but always compelling.

Genres: Trivia, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Humor

562 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Julio The Fox]

Back in the Seventies, I treasured this book like the Bible (more, actually), then lost my only copy while traveling the U.S.A. in search of academic pastures. However, hallelujah! I recovered a copy in New York City. Felton is a brilliant, zany guide to everything the human race has ever produced, staged, or imagined. Some samples: Best Play: OTHELLO ("King Lear and Hamlet are marred by lack f psychological explanation"). Worst Play: DESIRE CAUGHT BY THE TALE by Pablo Picasso ("combines the surrealist Avant-Garde with medieval smut"). Most Unusual Play: BREATH by Samuel Becket ("Features no characters, no dialogue and lasts only thirty seconds"). Most Unusual Vice President: Spiro Agnew ("Although Thomas Marshall, Woodrow Wilson's vice-president showed unusual promise by saying 'what this country needs is a good five-cent cigar', Agnew wins by virtue of both racism and corruption"). Worst Movie: MYRA BRECKENRIDGE ("about as funny as a child molester").
Best Rock and Roll Song: "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles ("featuring a last chord that seems to go on forever"). Best Cure for the Cramps: Cannabis. ("Queen Victoria smoked a bowl to relieve hers"). Agree or disagree with Felton, you will never, having read this book, want to lose it as I did once, and even then I received redemption.

[Amy Howard]

I love trivia books. I especially love super dated trivia books, and this one reeks of the seventies!

[Bfox]

One of the more entertaining trivia books that I've read, if a little lumpy and awkwardly-organized. Open it up to any page and find yourself lost in whatever wacky anecdote Felton and Fowler provide!

[Michael Patton]

My favorite entry? "Worst editing": a Korean theater owner thought "The Sound of Music" was too long. So he edited out all the songs.

[Damian]

i love this book because it had all sort of fuuny achievement that made me laugh alot while reading this big 562 page book in few days.

what i like about this book is that it had some very unusal event on thier like one unusual event is how the captain of a ship had to use chesse as cannon balls because they run out or how a best assault with a deadly weapons deals with a guy and a soda machine shouldnt say more about this one read the book and how can i forget the worst suicide where a guy had a chage of heart after he lit him self on fire.

i should say no more on this book because in my opinion when you feel bad on any day read this book and it will make you better and thier more unsual thing in thier that will make you say say oh "my god how can this happen to anybody"

happy halloween guys who ever reads this.

[Andrew]

Not a book that I'd ever recommend to sit down and read straight through; but great for brief waits in doctors' offices or as a "bathroom" book.