Intends to provide you great wisdom in the morning, several conversational bons mots for the afternoon, and many an enlightened smile after dark. This book contains the 13 principles of witchcraft, the structure of military hierarchy, clothing care symbols, a list of the countries where you drive on the left, and a nursery rhyme about sneezing.

Presented in handy pocket-size, this title catalogues the various misconceptions, mistakes and misunderstandings in 'common knowledge' that can make you wonder why anyone bothers going to school.

The first and best compendium of facts weirder than fiction, of intriguing information and must-talk-about trivia has spawned many imitators. This edition brings together some entertaining and informative of these. It contains lists written specially for each country, and aims to have something for everyone.

As an editor at Esquire , AJ Jacobs had built up knowledge of celebrity trivia - and the cure was going to take a long time. While others read a broadsheet at the weekend, or become casual newsnight enthusiasts, Jacobs elected to read the Encyclopaedia Britannica . Part assemblage of trivia, part journey through adulthood, this is fun to read.

What time is it at the North Pole? Should you pickle your conkers? Why does my aubergine look like Elvis? This title compiles readers' answers to the questions in the Last Word column of New Scientist , one of the world's best-selling science weeklies.

Just how big is a crocodile? What about a tiger, or the world's largest spider? Can you imagine a tongue that is two feet long or an eye that is bigger than your head? This book illustrates animals both large and small at their actual size.

Presents an off-road safari through a hundred interesting members of the animal kingdom, with illustrations and diagrams. This title covers: the water bears that can live in suspension for hundreds of years, the parasite carried by your cat that makes men grumpy and women promiscuous, and the woodlouse that drinks through its bottom.

A full colour illustrated book packed with over 450 amazing instructions, items of information, advice, tips and directions, which explains how to do all sorts of improbable and practical things. Learn how to make a flower change colour, avoid the evil eye, and make buttons stay on longer! Discover the secrets of easing backaches, causing rain, extracting a broken cork and making bird's nest ...

If you think that this is just another compilation of useless information, then think again. It weaves together an eccentric course between fact-for-fact's-sake and that display of superior knowledge which is more vulgar than the display of superior wealth .

A successor to Schott's Original Miscellany .

Bill Bryson describes himself as a reluctant traveller, but even when he stays safely in his own study at home, he can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. This book is his quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization.

Following the phenomenal success of Does Anything Eat Wasps? and the even more spectacularly successful Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze? , this collection includes a bumper crop of wise and wonderful answers.

Contains maths and science facts and figures. This book provides an overview of these subjects, while also illuminating some of the more interesting thoughts and discoveries. It contains information on numbers, algebra and geometry, physics and chemistry, computer science and logic and even chaos theory.

Contains rankings on more than 200 topics in subject areas as geography, population, business, the economy, trade, transport, finance, industry, demographics, the environment, society, culture and crime. This book also contains facts on more than 200 topics, data on 182 countries and profiles of more than 65 of the world's major economies.

Stellaluna is a fruit bat, separated from her mother before she can fly. Looked after by birds, she learns about similarities, differences and the essence of friendship.

This perfectly portable bathroom companion features highlights from the perennially popular collection of humorous stories, interesting facts, jokes, and trivia about film, literature, music, entertainment, education, and life in contemporary America.

Contains hundreds of questions you'd only ask your doctor after your third martini.

Every year, readers send in thousands of questions to New Scientist magazine in the hope that the answers to them will be given in the 'Last Word' column. This title presents a collection of the best that have appeared, including: why can't we eat green potatoes; why do airliners suddenly plummet; and, does a compass work in space.

American democracy is the world's most beloved form of government, which is why so many other nations are eager for it to be imposed on them. But just what exactly is it? Jon Stewart and his fellow patriots from the Emmy-winning The Daily Show finally deliver the answer. They offer their insights into a unique system of government, dissecting its institutions, explaining its history and processes,