Triumph of the Straight Dope

by Cecil Adams (Editor), Slug Signorino (Illustrator), Ed Zotti (Introduction)

Why do parachute jumpers yell "Geronimo"?

Is it aerodynamically impossible for bumblebees to fly?

Will watching too much TV ruin your eyes?

Fresh from the popular newspaper column by CECIL ADAMS!

WHAT IS CECIL ADAMS'S IQ?

"Do you want it in scientific notation? Little Ed, get out the slide rule."

--Cecil Adams

For more than a quarter of a century Cecil Adams has been courageously
attempting to lift the veil of ignorance surrounding the modern world.  
Now, in his fifth book, he takes yet another stab, dissecting such classic
conundrums as

--If you swim less than an hour after eating, will you get cramps and die?
--What's the difference between a Looney Tune and a Merrie Melody?
--Can you see a Munchkin committing suicide in The Wizard of Oz?
--Was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre based on actual events?
--Did medieval lords really have "the right of the first night"?

And much more!

THE CRITICS: STILL RAVING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!

"Trenchant, witty answers to the great imponderables."

--Denver Post

Genres: Nonfiction, Trivia, Reference, Humor

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 1999

Reviews

[R.W. Erskine]

some very interesting information in here,

[Domenica Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago, but I keep it because it's one of those books to go back and look upon. It has great facts about real things. While it's done in a humorous way, a lot is probably true. Very interesting.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of random information you never thought you'd need to know.

[Angela Clayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

More straight dope now that your addicted to arcane facts and urban legends.