We have done a number of previous book lists that have featured some very popular books. It seems, with Christmas just around the corner, that we ought to do a special list of books that are perfect as gifts for the kinds of people that frequent out site – people seeking after new knowledge and trivia. This list is books is hand picked by me for no reason other than I have either read them and enjoyed them, or they have been extremely big sellers amongst our readers. Be sure to buy some for your friends or loved ones, or buy one for yourself for some reading over the Christmas break.
This is history candy — the good stuff. Here are 100 tales to astonish, bewilder, and stupefy: more than two thousand years of history filled with courage, cowardice, hope, triumph, sex, intrigue, folly, humor, and ambition. It’s a historical delight and a visual feast with hundreds of photographs, drawings, and maps that bring each story to life. A new discovery waits on every page: stories that changed the course of history and stories that affected what you had for breakfast this morning. Some surprising things you will encounter: the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer, Three cigars changed the course of the Civil War, and Some Roman officials were so corrupt that they actually stole time itself.
If you enjoy trivia and unusual facts, then Charles Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, is the perfect book. I have read other trivia books and I can say without hesitation that Mr. Panati produces the best of the genre. Many trivia books list a dry and uninspired fact sheet. Panati, however, avoids this common pitfall and instead entertains us with unusual and well researched trivia about the history or origin of many everyday items and customs. I own this book and highly recommend it – it has even come in handy as a research tool for some of our previous lists.
Did you know there’s a secret daily flight from the United States to Cuba? Or, that in 1966, the U.S. government smashed a bacteria-laden light bulb inside the New York subway system? Thomas Eaton’s Book of Secrets reveals hundreds of clandestine, covert, surreptitious, furtive, hush-hush, and taboo pop-cultural and historical curiosities, from government cover-ups to marketing tricks to Colonel Sander’s secret recipe. Practical secrets are also revealed, such as how to obtain a flight upgrade, speak in public, or win friends and influence people. Production features include a Kivar cover with rounded corners and foil stamping.
If you like our lists on myth debunking and fascinating facts, you will love this book. This surprisingly lengthy book is jam-packed with real answers to a number of less-than-burning questions-camels store fat, not water, in their humps; only five out of every 100,000 paper clips are used to clip papers; the first American president was in fact Peyton Randolph-that you nevertheless may be embarrassed to have completely wrong. Although some of the entries rely on technicality more than actual excavation of obscure fact (Honolulu is technically the world’s largest city, despite the fact that 72% of its 2,127 square miles is underwater), these page-length entries prove entertaining and informative, perfect for trivia buffs and know-it-alls; it also makes a fine coffee table conversation piece and a handy resource for prepping clever cocktail party banter.
King Tut was buried with 145 pairs of loincloth underwear; the average newborn baby spends 113 minutes a day crying; Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young stole a truck to get to Woodstock in time to perform; players on the Chicago White Sox haven’t worn white socks since 1948; garlic and onions are both members of the lily family. These are but a few of the fascinating tidbits in this follow-up to the best-selling Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Extraordinary Book of Facts. Handily organized into hundreds of topics from sports and entertainment to word origins and science, the book is equally useful for short stays or extended visits.
From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. To accomplish this daunting literary task, Bill Bryson uses hundreds of sources, from popular science books to interviews with luminaries in various fields. His aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate how we have used science to understand the smallest particles and the unimaginably vast expanses of space.
This comprehensive compilation references myths and fantasies from around the world and spanning human history. Detailed yet succinct, the very readable articles are collected under seven topics and arranged alphabetically by subject. The diverse coverage examines myriad imagined powers and creatures from historical, sociological, cultural, and artistic perspectives, and while many of the ghosts, wizards, gremlins, gods, fairies, and so forth are familiar, many more, e.g., Hyperborea, Alulei, and Phaeton, are not. Each article summarizes the identity, definition, and aspects of the entity, drawing on material derived from classic studies in myth and lore.
True to our love of all things obscure and bizarre, here is An Underground Education. Forget the history you were taught in school; Richard Zacks’s version is crueler and funnier than anything you might have learned in seventh-grade civics–and much more of a gross-out, too. Described on the book jacket as an “autodidact extraordinaire,” Zacks is also the author of History Laid Bare, making him something of an expert guide through history’s back alleys and side streets. There’s no fact too seamy or perverse for Zacks to drag out into the light of day, from matters scatological and sexual to some of history’s most truly bizarre episodes. Curious about ancient nose-blowing etiquette? What about the sexual proclivities of Catherine the Great? Throughout chapters such as “The Evolution of Underwear” and “Dentistry Before Novocaine,” Zacks proves a tireless debunker of popular myths as well as a muckraker par excellence.
In this book, Weir neatly dispatches many of the most treasured stories to be found in the schoolbooks and repeated elsewhere. He relates that Emperor Nero did not fiddle as Rome burned because the fiddle or violin wasn’t invented until the 16th century (you heard that here first!) His enemies are the source of that story and he had plenty of them. Paul Revere did his best to alert the extensive Colonial militia that the British were coming, but they got to him first, holding him for awhile as the word was spread by a variety of means. The Bastille was stormed because the crowd wanted to get at its store of gunpowder. Its political prisoners actually lived in comfortable quarters. All things considered, this book provides a very interesting new look at history.
You’ll find everything you forgot from school–as well as plenty you never even learned–in this all-purpose reference book, an instant classic when it first appeared in 1987. Think of this book as one-stop shopping for your brain. So you never studied philosophy? Turn to page 306. You can’t tell Keats from Shelley? Page 195. Spanning 10,000 years of knowledge, featuring 3,684 things you should have learned but didn’t (or forgot somewhere along the way), it covers world history, art history, economics, literature, science, political science, religion, psychology, even film (what’s the big deal with Citizen Kane? See page 174). We have sold hundreds of copies of this book through the site – it is extremely popular.
This book is added as a bonus out of humility! If it wasn’t our own book it would be number one. The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists combines all of the best lists from Listverse and presents them in a very easy to read format. In addition to enjoying many of our lists at times when the computer is not available, every entry in the book has been professionally edited and checked. This is the perfect gift for the person who has everything – and Christmas is just around the door! Get shopping!
If, after going through this list, you are still not sure you want to buy any of these books, check out Amazon’s trivia section for many many more.
i love uncles johns bathroom readers
Great list!
Barring the bonus, I think the rest of ‘em are useless
There’s more to be added on to my christmas list. :O
Thanks JF~ :3
2nd the first time and great list, (now to actually read it)
And two lists in consecutive days.. By JF..as in the good ‘ol days
@The boy from troy (3): Correction, #2 would make great reading!
Nice gift ideas. Thanks!
A SHAMELESS bit of self promotion, you sneak! :-p
Me wonders why this list is titled ‘For inquiring minds’?
The cover page of Bonus looks somewhat similar to #9
@The boy from troy (6): Books devoid of illustrations or pictures are completely useless. Apart from these books, Great Illustrated Classics are great christmas gifts.
‘This book is added as a bonus out of humility!’
hahahahaahaha – good marketing technique.
@El the erf (12): So you read books only with illustrations? And pictures? ..as in comics?lol What a baby you are– kiddy boy
JFrater- Love the list, but may I humbly submit a suggestion? Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts. It was written in the early 80′s, so a few of the facts are outdated, but damn is there a lot of awesome crap in there! It is also the source of approx. 75% of my own trivial knowledge. Check it out.
When I read the list title I knew the LV book would be here
Great list anyway, I’m gonna start saving up for these, they do look interesting
once again a great list. thanks for the gift ideas.
p.s Jfrater- can you please make a list of top 10 boxing matches
I don’t think any of the people here are interested in that bonus item. After all, if we liked that sort of thing, we would visit websites about that very topic…
@BravehisTickle (10): Because it is for people who wish to make an investigation into unusual facts, myths, etc. I am not sure I understand why you are asking – do you think it should be “enquire”? The two are virtually interchangeable these days with enquire being more common in British English and Enquire in American.
@Bob (15): I will happily do so – I happen to be a great fan of Asimov! Did you know he died of AIDS? Very sad.
@The boy from troy (14): Coz Alice said so! Even if she says jump into the rabbit hole… with all my heart I will jump in!
@jfrater (19): No, it was concerned with the first point you made-I knew about ‘enquire’.I was just thinking would inquisitive sound better..but of course I may be wrong.
How could Nero’s enemies be responsible for that rumor considering they were all dead by the time the instrument was invented as well.
The only book I’ve read is the Bryson one. I was disappointed. I expected “everything”. I got science. That is not “everything”.
Nero played the lyre (in general). The wikipedia article reports that the “lyred/fiddled” story was reported by Suetonius and Cassius Dio. Tacitus, however, asserts that Nero was in Antium at the time of the fire and that that the report of him playing and singing while the city burned was only rumor.
Let’s wait and see what Randall has got to say on Nero, he must have something interestin’ to say..
@BravehisTickle (24): to tell
My mum usually buys me a book for Christmas and they often happen to be quite awful (Da Vinci Code, shudder), maybe I should forward her this list. Also, I don’t have as much time to read as I used to, unless it’s work-related, so books of facts and lists are perfect for me so I can just dip in and out of them. Still have to get back to At Swim Two Birds from last Christmas!
(22 – Dipity): Exactly what I thought… I can’t really see them going: “Let’s make up a story about Nero playing some fake instrument”
This is one of the most amazing lists ever…. second only to mystery lists!
I strongly feel The World’s Greatest series should be up there…The World’s Greatest Unsolved Crimes creeped me out,like totally. P.S. EVERY book of secrets is ALWAYS a black diary, I wonder why.
Just bought `Book of secrets` online, looking forward to read it
Great finds… just in time, too, as I start my Christmas shopping today! I was half-expecting to see the Anarchist’s Cookbook on here.
I am not used in prasing Listverse, but this list in particular is a good one.
praising, I mean.
I already own 9 of the 11 listed. I knew there was a reason I liked this site.
Now, is it “great minds think alike,” or “mediocrity loves company”?!?!
Excellent list – I’ll be checking out several of these books.
However, I have to point out an incorrect claim in #7:
Peyton Randolph was NOT the first President of the U.S., literally or figuratively.
In a nutshell, first we declared independence – not yet a country, just an idea. Then we fought to establish our independence – still not a country. England said, “fine – ***** off.” Still not a country – but we DID have the Continental Congress – a group of men that had very good libertarian (back then, liberal) ideas and were the leaders of the movement. Peyton Randolph was the first president of this – which was ceremonial and had no real power.
The Continental Congress put forth the Articles of Confederation – our first constitution. The official ratification of this constitution is what actually made the U.S. a country – and the first President of the U.S. under the Articles of Confederation – with strong exectutive powers – was Samuel Huntington.
The Constitution that we now live under was merely a “reorganization,” if you will. Even George Washington referred to Samuel Huntington as the first President of the United States of America.
i hope i dont have to read anymore book lists till christmass ,conveniently having your book on bonus.
Love this list! I can’t wait to find the Book of Secrets. That sounds perfect. *sigh* I have only read two of these books listed, including the bonus (shameless plug twice now!) and can’t wait to add the rest of these to my collection.
I used have a book of the world’s dumbest criminals. That was a great read too. Cracked me up on how capers were (almost) pulled off by the not so bright.
@oouchan (37): What is the name of that book..? The one on the dumbest criminals?I wanna read it now!
Have about half of these on my bookshelf, will have to get the rest. Panati’s other books are also extremely worthwhile.
Since I have to be a grown-up and pay bills and provide for my family I rarely have money to treat myself to something, once a year I do this: After I get my tax refund I pay some debts and put money in savings. I reward myself by putting some of that money aside and I buy books. I go online and have a ball ordering books. I try to get pre-orders for the majority of them so that I get new books throughout the year and I look forward to getting something in the mail all year long.
This year I am going to get a couple of these and explore books with the same topic. Thanks for the idea!
@BravehisTickle (38): The World’s Dumbest Criminals is the name. There have been a few of them that are out there including America’s Dumbest Criminals and a stupid crimes one. They are all hilarious!
This list is amazing!
What a fantastical group of books!
Thanks a lot! <3
“He relates that Emperor Nero did not fiddle as Rome burned because the fiddle or violin wasn’t invented until the 16th century (you heard that here first!) His enemies are the source of that story and he had plenty of them.”
Were Nero’s enemies psyhic or time travellers?
Great list Jamie. I’ve read three of these: the Bill Bryson one, the Incomplete Education, and of course the Listverse book. That Book of Secrets looks like a good read though; hopefully I’ll get for Christmas!
I love this list,
i didn’t look at who wrote it and went back up to check,
of course, it’s JFrater, you always write the best lists!
It’s not quite in the same genre, but I would add ‘Last Chance To See,’ by Douglas Adams. The brilliant comic science fiction writer teams up with a biologist to visit locales with severely endangered species. It’s hilarious, but there is a lot of true and fascinating biological background.
@oouchan (41): Wasn’t there a tv show with that same name?
I love these lists…
Sice I live in Peru I can only order books online every once in a while since I have to order quite a few at the same time to avoid shipping costs… The Listverse book has been on a wishlist since it came out and now I have a few more to add to that same order! Merry Christmas to me!
Great list!
I’d also recommend checking out the Imponderables series.
what about the book of secrets, as in national treasure. do we have some book like that in reality.
Gahh… would love to suddenly have a “You Just Won All These Books Listed” pop-up on this site! And then, of course, have the delivery man hand it to me in a week! These books are tres fantastique!
I don’t know how the book of top ten lists would be anywhere on the list. The lists weren’t written by academic scholars. They’re just opinions by people who aren’t qualified to say what the best of anything is.
Good list, but #7 looks like a good way to be the guy at the party nobody wants to talk to.
I would sugest the book, ”pocket reference”.. it is simply amazing.
Great list, will have to check out some of these!
Excellent! I have been struggling with my Christmas list this year and you just made it for me! Thanks Jamie!
i would add “schott’s original miscellany”. just an interesting collection of things you didn’t know that you wanted to know.
@Davy (47): I think there is a TV show with a similar name. Hosted by a couple of comedians that are … losers themselves. Very entertaining to watch.
Got 2 stories to share:
One was about a guy (in London or thereabouts) who robbed a little old lady in front of her home. She beat the s*it out of him with her gallon size bag. He ended up dropping his wallet and she called the police to give it to them.
The second was a burglar broke into a woman’s home (and this was near where I lived at the time) and was attacked by her cat. No lie. The cat apparently didn’t like anyone but the lady and really did a number on him. He locked himself in the bathroom to escape while the cat kept watch outside the door. He had to call the police to come rescue him. When they found him, he was bleeding and crying. (this one is my personal favorite)
It’s the ultimate Xmas shopping list. Now i must get, like, a dozen of each. Thanks a bunch, Jamie, good job!