Scan barcode
frogie's review
4.0
A enjoyable collection of random facts that are just really entertaining to read/discover.
And it feels even more fun because I've been watching QI lately <3
And it feels even more fun because I've been watching QI lately <3
millie_rose_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Facts aren't always as immutable as we like to think, especially if you have to compile a book filled with over a thousand of them without it reading like an unedited Wikipedia article. That means a lot of these sentence-long facts pique the interest more from deliberate phrasing than their actual substance—which, awkwardly, requires a separate website by the authors to fuly understand.
Some facts are just arbitrary correlations: "Men who watch a lot of porn have smaller-than-average brains." Others are salvaged into quasi-facts by using mitigating language: "Half of all museum specimens are thought to be wrongly labelled." Most are obscure or pedantic trivia that covers every imaginable subject. While this does mean a majority of the facts are forgettable, there were about forty or so that genuinely interested me.
Some facts are just arbitrary correlations: "Men who watch a lot of porn have smaller-than-average brains." Others are salvaged into quasi-facts by using mitigating language: "Half of all museum specimens are thought to be wrongly labelled." Most are obscure or pedantic trivia that covers every imaginable subject. While this does mean a majority of the facts are forgettable, there were about forty or so that genuinely interested me.
rachelcabbit's review
3.0
Lots of fascinating facts here as with the other books but once again many of the sources are either behind pay walls or are links that no longer work so validating some of the facts or seeking further details can be frustrating!
thiefofcamorr's review against another edition
5.0
I got so much joy from this book. Some of the facts I knew already, either through life or because I'm addicted to their wit and delivery. I watch QI and No Such Thing as the News, and listen to the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish. Several of the QI elves (James Harkin, Dan Schreiber, Andrew Hunter Murray and Anna Ptaszynski...) are responsible for the last two (with guest appearances from other elves at times, such as Alex Bell or Stevyn Colgan) and it's easily my absolute favourite podcast in the world (and I listen to quite a few), so it was already pretty clear I'd love this book.
Fangirling aside, in addition they have part of their website dedicated to providing more information - if you go to qi.com/1342 (once published, as the link currently isn't working) and put in the page number, it then gives you a link to where they sourced the fact so you can read more about it. Such as, the fact 'The wake-up call on the Mir space station made the same sound as the emergency alarm', is backed up by a link from The Guardian (here), and sure enough...
This was a more rudimentary space age. The crew travelled in a Soyuz craft designed in the 60s. Once there, contact with Earth was limited to a few hours a day. Most disconcertingly, perhaps, the morning alarm was the same as the emergency siren.
“You’d wake up unsure if it was time to get up or if you were leaking oxygen,” says Sharman. “It got us out of our sleeping bags pretty quick.”
The book of facts sparks your interest and makes it easy for you to find out more. It's also easy for the pages to fly by as one usually links on to the next fact, for instance, on page 16 a fact about walnuts leads to one about almonds, and then the cost Britain spends on the Large Hadron Collider in comparison to on peanuts, and the cost of fuel needed to carry peanuts on a plane, and then on page 17 about how a farting sheep caused a freight plane to make an emergency landing, onto how Harper Lee was an airline booking agent... and so on. It's addictive!
This would make an excellent kris-kringle gift, or for any relative you're not sure about - there's something for everyone in here, and it's an excellent book to hopefully spark someone's interest in trying out their other books, or perhaps their very excellent podcast.
Fangirling aside, in addition they have part of their website dedicated to providing more information - if you go to qi.com/1342 (once published, as the link currently isn't working) and put in the page number, it then gives you a link to where they sourced the fact so you can read more about it. Such as, the fact 'The wake-up call on the Mir space station made the same sound as the emergency alarm', is backed up by a link from The Guardian (here), and sure enough...
This was a more rudimentary space age. The crew travelled in a Soyuz craft designed in the 60s. Once there, contact with Earth was limited to a few hours a day. Most disconcertingly, perhaps, the morning alarm was the same as the emergency siren.
“You’d wake up unsure if it was time to get up or if you were leaking oxygen,” says Sharman. “It got us out of our sleeping bags pretty quick.”
The book of facts sparks your interest and makes it easy for you to find out more. It's also easy for the pages to fly by as one usually links on to the next fact, for instance, on page 16 a fact about walnuts leads to one about almonds, and then the cost Britain spends on the Large Hadron Collider in comparison to on peanuts, and the cost of fuel needed to carry peanuts on a plane, and then on page 17 about how a farting sheep caused a freight plane to make an emergency landing, onto how Harper Lee was an airline booking agent... and so on. It's addictive!
This would make an excellent kris-kringle gift, or for any relative you're not sure about - there's something for everyone in here, and it's an excellent book to hopefully spark someone's interest in trying out their other books, or perhaps their very excellent podcast.
ljbentley27's review against another edition
4.0
I love this series of books. I have read them all and adored all the tidbits of information found within their pages. 1342 QI Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted does exactly what it says on the tin – the facts do leave you flabbergasted.
If you are a fan of the television show or just a bit of a nut about facts then this latest compendium is definitely for you.
I also think this series is perfect if you work in a school. The writers cover a list of topics that can be used across the curriculum as starters. It will also make a great stocking filler for the person in your life who just likes to know stuff.
1342 QI Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin I available from now.
For more information regarding Faber and Faber (@FaberBooks) please visit www.faber.co.uk.
If you are a fan of the television show or just a bit of a nut about facts then this latest compendium is definitely for you.
I also think this series is perfect if you work in a school. The writers cover a list of topics that can be used across the curriculum as starters. It will also make a great stocking filler for the person in your life who just likes to know stuff.
1342 QI Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin I available from now.
For more information regarding Faber and Faber (@FaberBooks) please visit www.faber.co.uk.
steamy_earl_of_grey's review against another edition
4.0
Fact: Pinball is illegal in Beacon, New York.
Fact: This book contains lots of facts.
Fact: It is a good book.
Fact: This book contains lots of facts.
Fact: It is a good book.
balancinghistorybooks's review
4.0
I have a soft spot for QI and all that comes with it (though I must admit, I'm still mourning the loss of Stephen Fry). As always with books like this, I shall compose my review of ten facts which I found very interesting indeed, and hope you do too.
1. A 'batman' was a unit of weight in the Ottoman Empire.
2. Making all the chain mail for The Lord of the Rings wore the costume designers' fingerprints away.
3. The inventors of silly-string were trying to make a spray-on cast for broken bones.
4. The Queen owns a drive-thru McDonald's in Slough.
5. The Dalai Lama is frightened of caterpillars.
6. A can of Coke uses ingredients from all seven continents except Antarctica.
7. In 1841, Robert Browning used the word 'twat' in his poem 'Pippa Passes'.
8. Quidditch, digestive biscuits, and overdrafts were all invented in Edinburgh.
9. In 1547, men with moustaches were banned from Dublin.
10. In 1996, two neighbours in Devon spent a year hooting at owls, unaware they were actually hooting at each other.
Go on, you've got this far; have a bonus five facts. (Yes, I found it difficult to choose. Don't judge me.)
11. Siberian Christmas trees get so cold they can turn into glass.
12. Japanese railways have underpasses for turtles.
13. Men called Nigel are twice as likely to vote for UKIP.
14. As a small boy, Roald Dahl made a pilgrimage to see Beatrix Potter. When he got there, all she said was: 'Well, you've seen her. Now, buzz off!'
15. In the Middle Ages, bras were called 'breastbags'.
You're welcome.
1. A 'batman' was a unit of weight in the Ottoman Empire.
2. Making all the chain mail for The Lord of the Rings wore the costume designers' fingerprints away.
3. The inventors of silly-string were trying to make a spray-on cast for broken bones.
4. The Queen owns a drive-thru McDonald's in Slough.
5. The Dalai Lama is frightened of caterpillars.
6. A can of Coke uses ingredients from all seven continents except Antarctica.
7. In 1841, Robert Browning used the word 'twat' in his poem 'Pippa Passes'.
8. Quidditch, digestive biscuits, and overdrafts were all invented in Edinburgh.
9. In 1547, men with moustaches were banned from Dublin.
10. In 1996, two neighbours in Devon spent a year hooting at owls, unaware they were actually hooting at each other.
Go on, you've got this far; have a bonus five facts. (Yes, I found it difficult to choose. Don't judge me.)
11. Siberian Christmas trees get so cold they can turn into glass.
12. Japanese railways have underpasses for turtles.
13. Men called Nigel are twice as likely to vote for UKIP.
14. As a small boy, Roald Dahl made a pilgrimage to see Beatrix Potter. When he got there, all she said was: 'Well, you've seen her. Now, buzz off!'
15. In the Middle Ages, bras were called 'breastbags'.
You're welcome.
cspiwak's review
4.0
Read nightly for a year. Some were interesting, others, not as much, and some send you to the net to learn more.
kristin's review
3.0
I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I found some facts interesting, some I already knew and the others boring.
·152 pages read
·5/7 books read
·A blue book
= 157 house points
#HHCup #SHHCup
I found some facts interesting, some I already knew and the others boring.
·152 pages read
·5/7 books read
·A blue book
= 157 house points
#HHCup #SHHCup
More...