The Book of Random Oddities

by Publications International

The Book of Random Oddities is a massive 704-page hardcover volume that is packed with stories, lists, anecdotes, and quotes about words and language. Explore 16 chapters of fascinating information about the quirks of language, unusual vocabulary, word games, etymology, and more. Find out the origins of words from "juggernaut" to "meh," discover the intricacies of baseball lingo, and laugh at poorly worded headlines and spell-checker mistakes.

Gorgeous leatherette binding with gilded accents makes The Book of Random Oddities a great addition to any library.

Genres: Nonfiction, Trivia

704 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2014

About the author

Publications International, Ltd. (PIL) is a leading North American publisher, producing hundreds of new titles each year and printing millions of books annually. CEO Louis Weber founded the company in 1967 with a mission to provide high-quality, high-value products for consumers worldwide.

PIL publishes books in many categories, including the popular Brain Games® series of puzzle, sticker and coloring books, in addition to cookbooks, children’s books, craft, reference and much more.

PIL's bestselling Brain Games® product line features a wide array of puzzle books, including standards such as word searches, crosswords, sudokus, codewords, and cryptograms, as well as variety puzzle books themed around crime, Christmas, summer, celebrities, and more.

The New Seasons® division publishes a variety of stationery products that combine unique formats with the latest trends in design. Among these are Sticker by Number titles, Color and Frame books, notepad sets, journals, and recipe keepers. These products are the perfect vehicle to de-stress and relax, organize your day, and record and share memories.

Collectible Automobile® magazine, another division of PIL, presents an in-depth look at the cars and trucks that Americans have known and loved for decades. First published in 1984, Collectible Automobile® magazine is released six times a year.

PIL's cookbooks feature visually outstanding presentations of culinary classics and world cuisine, including books that focus on the Mediterranean diet, plant-based cooking, restaurant recipes, and the best in entertaining.

Reviews

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. It wasn’t at all what I expected, but I enjoyed it and learned buckets of fun trivia about words and U.S. Presidents and many other things. This is a wonderful resource that I’m sure I’ll revisit many times in the course of the years.

Content: expletives, profanity

[Andrew Yeager · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Book of Random Oddities has a lot of quotes by famous people. The one that caught my attention was this one "Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor" by Benjamin Franklin. In other words a rich person who has a lot of money but always has to have a brand new car and/or house with the most expensive material possessions will always be broke or even in debt. While the poor man who watches his money, buys a used vehicle, lives in a mediocre home or appartment, does not live beyond their means, and does not spend their money until they have it can save and invest and will never be broke!

[C.M. Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is very good if you are interested in the origin of words and phrases.

[Dan Stern · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the title and the cover, I thought this would be a book about interesting trivia. It is about grammar, words, language, etc. Still interesting, but not at all what I thought I was ordering.