REFERENCE

1,339 Quite Interesting Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop

by John Lloyd
& others. Norton. Sept. 2014. 368p. index. ISBN 9780393245608. $15.95; ebk. ISBN 9780393245615. REF
COPY ISBN
While many fact books can be dull, Lloyd and coauthors John Mitchinson and James Harkin, creators of the BBC's successful Quite Interesting show, offer here a quirky, humorous gem. While the book is impractical, readers will enjoy browsing its pages and will find within many short facts (one to two sentences each) that will impress friends. Among them are the information that an Olympic gold medal is 92.5 percent silver, that Abraham Lincoln was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame, and that the "tiny arms" of Tyrannosaurus rex could lift the equivalent of two adult humans. The book is by no means a serious scholarly work—its facts, which cover a huge variety of subjects, are presented without verification or remarks.
VERDICT Titles like this are somewhat addictive, providing entertainment and plenty of laughs. Teachers may wish to use this volume to entice their students to learn and to stimulate lively discussions. This affordable purchase is recommended for high school and public libraries.
Reviewed by Bobbie Wrinkle, McCrackern Cty. P.L., Paducah, KY , Aug 01, 2014
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