This is one of those books to keep in the car and, when you have to wait in a doctor's office, dine alone, or wait in line for something, this book will entertain you over and over again with its fascinating (and often amusing) facts. Yes, it is a book you can pick up and put down, but you'll always enjoy it when you open it and read. As an example that made me laugh out loud... one of the ten songs with outrageous titles that were actually published is one titled, "It's Hard To Say I Love You, When You're Sitting On My Face!" I'd have bought it for that one alone.

Before people had the Internet as a source of trivia, this book was the next best thing. The lists, a masterpiece of compilation, are still a delight: they include a summary of Creasy's Most Decisive Battles, the world's greatest libel suits, the biggest recipients of cold war military aid, and famous virgins. The sequel was somewhat racier than the original but just as good. This book - if you can get hold of it - still has the power to keep you happy during down-time in your summer hammock or your winter chalet.

This book is amazingly interesting, it shows the unbelievable origin of ordinary events and names through history. It is great to share with friends and for readings at parties. It's also very easy to read since you can pick any piece of the book without loosing meaning or context. I saw this book first when I was in high school, some 13 years ago. I liked it so much that I bought it for my dad then, though we lost it on a moving about 8 years ago. I've tried to find the Spanish edition ever since with no success, now I'm eager to find it whether in Spanish or English. It's a great gift for any kind of reader!

This book is a treasure trove of completely usless information, presented in list form. Everything from the 10 worst places to hitchhike (avoid Salt Lake City, it tops that list) to the 26 most amusing acronyms (BOPEEP, an electronic sheep tracking device, is the winner there). Great for triva buffs of all kinds.

If you want to read a novel that's truly unlike anything you've ever experienced, I'd suggest tracking down a copy of Amy Wallace's DESIRE - sadly, you'll have to hit the local library or used bookstore, since it's not in print any more. Love, obsession, pearls, and sea monsters (yes, that's right, SEA MONSTERS) are just a few of the elements that Ms. Wallace ably weaves into this alternately terrifying, erotic, disturbing, and - finally - supremely moving book; not only an extraordinary first novel, but just an extraordinary novel, period.

Probably the most interesting and compulsive books I have ever read. Everything you didn't know you always wanted to know. Some of the information is a bit out of date, but the amount of useful trivia, facts and nonsense makes up for that. Written in true "People's Almanac" style, the dispassionate viewpoints of the authors is makes for an unique reading experience and makes it impossible to put the book down. If you have even the slightest interest in trivia, this is the book for you.

This book contains simple, straight forward information about how to understand and utilize your psychic abilities. It is helpful for beginners and practioners alike, as it covers a great deal territory on just about any subject you can think of in the psychic arena. Most important of all, it teaches the ethics and responsibilities of being psychic, far too many books leave out this important information, which can lead to all kinds of complications for the unwary. So if you are a seeker, looking for information on being psychic and what it means to be psychic, as well as how to get started on this path, this is your book. I am a practicing psychic and this is one of the books I recommend to my clients.

Really, even though its got a lot of mindless fluff in it (that's fun to read I'll have you know) it also has lists that are fascinating and important from a historical or geographical standpoint, such as thirty new names for old places (i.e. Ethiopia for Abyssinia.) Besides that, the other lists are interesting even if inconsequential (like "seven remarkable messages in a bottle.") And I bet you didn't know that Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII, had three breasts! Just another amazing fact that one can find in this praiseworthy book to discuss on long car trips . This book seems to have the affliction of becoming ragged through overuse, as almost every reviewer it seems will soon have to buy a new one. I guess that's just a testament to its fortitude and quality.

I stole this book off of my father's bookshelf when I was 9 years old, and have pored through it over and over since then. It has so many different kinds of lists in it.. everything from magazine and celebrity compiled lists to obscenely obscure trivia, and of course, those morbidly fascinating ones! My husband and I make an occasional game of opening to random pages and seeing if we can guess what's on the lists. I've bragged about this book to friends more often than any other and I'm shopping for another copy now because my poor copy's about to fall apart. Beware buying this one.. it's a longtime addiction. ;)

not sure what our "they're all screaming lefties" friend is talking about. why does an entry that mentions countries that 'could blow up the world' necessarily correspond with left or right? the list could include countries from all over the political spectrum that have that ability. does being actually concerned about arms mean that you're to the left of the political spectrum? duh... or "countries that have recieved aid from..." how is that politically aligned one way or the other?

This is definitely a good read.

Although I have just barely finished reading half of the book, I felt compelled to say something about it.

Sometimes it just pains my heart to see how the society, in a sense, failed the genius. It comes natural for "normal" people (people with such genes tend to have an edge in survival perspective in terms of natural selection) to deride and hurt (sometimes on purpose, sometimes unwittingly) a person who is superior in non-social matters but lacks adequate development in social matters. William James Sidis clearly fell victim in this category.

Also, this biography tells us that intelligence needs to be accompanied by wisdom to fulfill its due expectations.

Clearly W J Sidis is very intelligent (intelligent in some specific areas like maths and languages); but he does not seem to be very wise in a broader, higher sense; that is, his intelligence helps him see "trees" in a much clearer way than his fellow beings, but lack of wisdom fails him in seeing the "forest/wood", i.e. the BIG PICTURE. His own version of a constitution in a fictitious "perfect" (in his eyes) society (Hesperia), notwithstanding sophisticated in logical rules and bearing some other merits in terms of form, is naive and myopic in content.

In a way, he is very stubborn to have such notions as "The word art means very little to me" and "why will people waste so much energy on statuary, painting, drawing, etching and the like" (p. 109 of the book). Frankly, I fail to note similar traits in other accomplished prodigies like Stuart Mill, Wiener, Russell and Einstein. -- Lack of appreciation (and even contempt) for other forms of achievements in humanity will sooner or later limit a prodigy's success in one way or another because it denotes an unbalanced development among numerous dimensions of human nature.

As of the root of the Sidis "tragedy" (saying tragedy might be overstated), clearly the way his parents raised him contributed largely to the outcome. And the inappropriate amount of attention had been directed to him since his very early childhood, a fatal error in comparison to the shrewd way John Stuart Mill was brought up by his father...

I might have more to say when I finish the book.

I've read this book once and I always enjoy leafing through it. However, I am always saddened that so much that Mr. Sidis did was lost (for example his science fiction story). A group of us individuals have started compiling information on him and are in the process of getting his "The Animate and th Inanimate" online for all to peruse. One and all are invited to email to get more information. Good day. [Thanks also to the reviewer below for the recommendation for the book "Accidental Genius"]

This is the second time that I've been drawn to this unique book. Having just enough in common with Billy Sidus (membership in two high IQ societies and extreme introversion) I can recognise the "ring of truth" to this account. I know from first hand experience how this society, especially the public schools, go out of their way to haze and torture the gifted and the "different"- no matter how hard one tries to keep a low profile. Indeed, Sidus's motto, "The only perfect life is one lived in seclusion" is also my own, learned from hard experience.
As for William James Sidus himself, here was a person who lectured on 4th dimensional mathematics at Harvard at the age of 11. It was said that he probably spoke every language of mankind- and actually invented entirely new languages of his own. He wrote the first book on cosmology that ever theorised the existance of black holes. He was the first to see the correlation of the 11 year sunspot cycle on both climate and human behavior. He wrote some of the first "alternative histories" of the United States (rejecting official proganda.) He had absolute contempt for capitalism and corporations (he seems to have been incapable of telling lies or exploiting other people.) He recognised the fundamental contribution of Native Americans to mainstream American culture long before anyone else. He was absolutely convinced not only that extraterestrial intelligence existed, but that it had to exist. He wrote seriously of Atlantis while "serious" scholars scoffed at the idea. He totally rejected formal theology and religion- while having no doubt that a higher power existed...
One of the chapters of this book is entitled "Sidis an Avatar?" While William Sidis himself would have automatically and violently rejected such a claim, I personally wonder if it might have not been close to the truth....

This is a very intriguing book for those who are interested in history beyond a candy coated look back in time through rose-colored glasses. It contains hundreds of biographies whose details don't stop at the bedroom door. The authors carefully documented significant historical personalities, discerning between rumors and facts and siting their sources.

IDEAL COFFEE TABLE, BATHROOM BOOK, SHORT CONCISE ANTEDOTES OF MANY OF THE WORLD CELEBRITES AND POLITICAL LEADERS...YOU'LL WISH THERE WAS ANOTHER VOLUME ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE.. LENT IT OUT ONE TO MANY TIMES..NOW I'M LOOKING FOR A NEW COPY MYSELF..TALKS ABOUT HILTER, ERROLL FLYNN EVEN FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM ANCIENT TIME..CLARE BOW, WHO THE USC FOOTBALL TEAM WAS BANNED FROM SEEING...GO GIRL... GREAT LITTLE BOOK HOPE YOU GET A COPY AND SHARE ITWITH A FRIEND ...JNC

I found the book a fascinating look into the extremely private parts of famous people's lives. The book is chocked full of mini biographies of famous people. Writers, artists and movie stars. All of them have a private life that most have tried to hide from the public.

This book must have taken forever to research the facts. The book was written by almost all the same people that wrote the Peoples Almanac and The Book of Lists.

I actually wore out three copies of this book. It's one of those books that you pick up again and again.

For anyone looking into the "true history", this book is a must have. Through the years, I have gone through three paper backs and now have a hard back copy of this book. A real "keeper".