Search results for ""Author William Hartston""

Useless information - we can't get enough of it. Everywhere you look these days, there is a new book of trivia, a new web page, a new column in the newspaper, all containing a wealth of fascinatingly useless tidbits. Finding the answers to questions you'd never thought to ask, reading an off-the-wall statistic, or browsing through lists of zany facts is always a refreshing and amusing distraction from the tawdry details of everyday life. But this is no ordinary list of random facts. Unlike other books of useless information, it is organised alphabetically and full of cross references so that all those hilarious entries can be enjoyed and shared with other like-minded trivia fanatics. This is a treasure chest of a book for anyone whose curiosity extends beyond the worthy and dull to the eccentric and amusing!

Read more less

There are many, many more things that nobody knows...!Why do we have five fingers? Do animals have a sense of humour? Did the universe have a beginning? What causes déjà vu? Why do cats purr? How fast did dinosaurs move?In Even More Things That Nobody Knows, William Hartston once again explores the limits of human knowledge, revealing 501 further mysteries in subjects as diverse as cosmology, mathematics, animal behaviour, medical science, music, art, language and literature.From the trivial to the profound, this is an enthralling and enlightening investigation into the things we just don't know, and which lurk tantalizingly beyond the bounds of our understanding.

Read more less

HERE ARE MANY, MANY THINGS THAT NOBODY KNOWS . . .Why are so many giraffes gay?Has human evolution stopped?Where did our alphabet come from?Can robots become self-aware?Can lobsters recognize other lobsters by sight?What goes on inside a black hole?Are cell phones bad for us?Why can't we remember anything from our earliest years?Full of the mysteries of life, the universe and everything, The Things that Nobody Knows is a fascinating and unputdownable exploration of the limits of human knowledge of our planet, its history and culture, and the universe beyond.

Read more less

From ancient riddles to modern Sudoku, people have been fascinated by puzzles. Whether they are seen as a glorious waste of time, a harmless way to spend a train journey or a valuable way of exercising the mind, the lure of puzzles has been irresistible. By using over a hundred examples of the most mindbending, the most challenging, the most satisfying, or simply the most humorous of puzzles throughout the ages, William Hartston traces the development of brainteasers of all varieties and the increasing ingenuity of puzzle setters from ancient civilisations to modern puzzle crazes.

Read more less

'A wise, witty and insightful guide to clear thinking amid a deluge of percentages and probabilities.' Ian StewartLike it or not, our lives are dominated by mathematics. Our daily diet of news regales us with statistical forecasts, opinion polls, risk assessments, inflation figures, weather and climate predictions and all sorts of political decisions and advice backed up by supposedly accurate numbers. Most of us do not even pause and question such figures even to ask what they really mean and whether they raise more questions than they answer. In this simple guide for anyone numbed by numbers, William Hartston reveals with clarity and humour why the figures being flung at us may not tell the whole story. Along the way he explains commonly misused mathematical terms, solves everyday mathematical problems and shows how to steer a safe path through the minefield of mathematics that surrounds us.

Read more less

A delightful and witty treasure trove of utterly useless information by the author of The Things That Nobody Knows.Most encyclopaedias are boring. They are so packed with worthy but dull facts that a great deal of weird and wonderful material is squeezed out. The Encyclopaedia of Everything Else takes the opposite approach and leaves out all the dreary stuff you can find elsewhere. The result is the most fascinating, astonishing, varied and utterly useless collection of information ever assembled and organized between two covers. From aardvark tooth bracelets to the genus of tropical weevils known as Zyzzyva, via Mark Twain's views about cabbages, this is a quarter of a million words of sublime pointlessness.

Read more less

There are many, many things that nobody knows... Do animals have a sense of humour? Why do we have five fingers? What did Jesus do in his youth? Has human evolution stopped? Can robots become self-aware? What goes on inside a black hole?Bringing together The Things That Nobody Knows and Even More Things That Nobody Knows, this bumper volume takes us on a guided tour of 1,001 gaps in our knowledge of cosmology, mathematics, animal behaviour, medical science, music, art and literature.

Read more less

How old is the sloth? How do sloths have sex?How did a sloth save Dublin?The answers to these questions, and more, are found in this wonderfully entertaining celebration of the sloth. Walking readers through the sloth's evolutionary history - from the prehistoric ground sloth to modern pygmy - William Hartston reveals the sloth's fascinating journey from maligned mammal to cause célèbre. Playfully peppered with science and filled with factoids, Sloths is a love-letter to the most anachronistic, and just a little bit ridiculous, of animals.'Riveting... Sloths is as comprehensive a look at the instincts, lifestyle and capacities of this curious creature as you are ever likely to need.' Daily Express

Read more less

Renowned presenter, author, and journalist William Hartston unveils the first mainstream history of humor in his latest book Knock, Knock: In Pursuit of a Grand Unified Theory of Humour. Packed with meticulous research and delightful anecdotes, this book presents a captivating journey through the enigmatic realm of laughter. Humor, an essential aspect of the human experience, has always evoked curiosity and perplexity. Why do familiar catchphrases trigger laughter while repeated jokes fall flat? What's the connection between humor and words containing the letter K? William Hartston ventures into uncharted territory, skillfully exploring the evolution of humor and our ever-shifting perceptions of it, as he embarks on a quest for a Grand Unified Theory of Humour. In this captivating exploration, Hartston delves into a multitude of topics, from the comedy of ancient Greece and the jests of ancient Rome, to the profound significance of laughter in biblical texts. Unearthing the secrets of comic delivery and unveiling how humor transformed in the aftermath of the American Civil War, the book also examines Mark Twain's profound impact on written comedy in the English-speaking world. No stone is left unturned as Hartston strives to comprehend the essence of what tickles our funny bones. Knock, Knock: In Pursuit of a Grand Unified Theory of Humour is a meticulously crafted and highly entertaining work that sheds light on the fascinating history of humor. With its insightful exploration and witty storytelling, this book promises to engage readers from all walks of life. As the perfect gift for those seeking laughter and knowledge, Hartston's latest masterpiece guarantees an unforgettable reading experience.

Read more less