Trivia Books

nice layout, could have used better quality paper and more color print, but all in all a good series of books, great for older kids.

Thanks for the book. Quick shipping and the condition was as stated. The title of the book is a little misleading though. This trivia is tough!!! It's nice to be challenged though. We'll ALL (not just kids) enjoy learning some of the more obscure trivia from the Bible.

The 6th edition of "Famous First Facts" continues the format that was used in the 5th edition. Entries are assigned a four-digit number. In the previous edition, starting with #1001, the final entry was 8155, on page 629. In the present edition, the final entry is 8549 on page 755.

The five indexes (which take up 551 additional pages) use these reference numbers to guide the reader to information. A reader can look up items by subject, year, calendar date, personal names, and place names. The personal names index was changed for this edition. The 4th edition listed the subjects of the firsts attached to a person's name along with the entry numbers. Now only the entry numbers are given. I'm sure this was done to save space. The great majority of names have only one entry number listed with them. Other names have several numbers (e.g., Thomas Alva Edison has 19, and Dwight David Eisenhower has 25), which can make the task of finding a specific first a bit frustrating.

The arrangement of categories has also been changed. In the 5th edition, broad categories were listed in alphabetical order from Agriculture to Writing Implements. In the new edition, categories have been reorganized into broad chapter headings. Agriculture is now included in the chapter on Business and Industry, along with, among others, Fishing and Whaling, Hospitality, and Shipping.

Within chapters, the number of sections has been reduced. For example, the 5th edition's chapter had firsts associated with various religions listed (i.e., Religion-Buddhist, Religion-Catholic, Religion-Jewish, Religion-Mormon Church, etc.). Now these items are listed in a single, chronological list. The only division in the Religion chapter is Publications.

Pictures have been added, and short trivia items are set off in boxes. The pictures are captioned, but there is no indication as to numbered item with which they are associated.

Some of the various quibbles I had with the 5th edition have been cleared up, while others have not. I found at least one new entry that deserves inclusion, but isn't exactly correct. Anyway, here are comments on specific items, in no particular order, keyed to entry numbers in the 6th edition where appropriate:

"7720. Sportscaster who was a woman to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was Lesley Visser, who received the organization's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award on August 5, 2006 in Canton, OH." This was probably a case of news reports that didn't get the story correct. As the first woman to receive the Pete Rozelle Award, she was the first woman honored by the Hall of Fame, but was not "inducted" into it.

In 2006 the National Baseball Hall of Fame did induct its first woman, but she is not listed. Effa Manley, a Negro Leagues executive, was one of 17 inductees last year who were associated with the Negro Leagues.

Just as there has been a Sergeant Major of the Army since 1966 (5451. William O. Wooldridge was first), who serves as the enlisted advisor to the army chief of staff, there has been a person of equivalent rank each of the other services. However, the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard have never received their due in any edition of the book.

The Grammy Award to Milli Vanilli, which became the first to be retracted, is listed (1282), but there is no mention of the first Academy Award to be revoked. On April 14, 1969, the film "Young Americans" was awarded the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for 1968. It was declared ineligible on May 7, 1969, when it was discovered that the film had been first exhibited in a theater in October 1967, thereby making it ineligible for the 1968 award. On May 8, 1969, "Journey Into Self", which finished second in the voting, was announced as the official winner.

There is at least one item of misinformation from the 4th edition that has not been corrected. The first postage stamp depicting a Jew (4739) was NOT the 3-cent commemorative honoring Samuel Gompers, issued January 27, 1950. It was, in fact, the Four Chaplains 3-cent stamp issued May 28, 1948. The stamp was a tribute to the four military clergymen who went down with the S.S. Dorchester, so that others could take seats in lifeboats. One of the chaplains pictured is Rabbi Alexander D. Goode. Gompers was the first Jew to be honored on a postage stamp by himself.

This entry has not been changed (3941): The first "Pope to visit the White House in Washington, DC, was Pope John Paul II, who flew across the Atlantic in Shepherd 1, landing in Boston, MA, on October 1, 1979. In six days he visited Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Urbandale, IA, Chicago, and Washington. He returned to Rome from Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, on October 6." Here's a question: On which date did Pope John Paul II visit the White House? The entry doesn't say.

One interesting aspect of the previous edition was retained. Entries within a category or subcategory are arranged chronologically, rather than alphabetically. So, under NEWS, the first four items are "Opinion poll" (in 1824), "News dispatch by telegraph" (1844), "News dispatch by commercial telegraph" (1844), and "Press censorship by military authorities" (1861). When items are read in order, the reader follows a time line of the firsts in a given subject.

The biggest drawback of this book is the steep price increase. If you can afford it, it's worth it.

Now in an updated sixth edition with roughly 1,000 new entries and a few new black-and-white images, Famous First Facts is a massive hardcover compendium of amazing achievements, discoveries, and events in world history. More than 7,500 entries total stretch from 10,000 B.C. (earliest human artifacts found in America) through 2006 A.D. Featuring multiple entry indexes by year, subject, day, name, or geographical area, and organized into 16 sections on subjects ranging from social and scientific realms to technology, arts, sports, religion, literature, and much more, Famous First Facts remains a solid reference especially recommended for public and school libraries. A sample famous first fact: in 1658 New Amsterdam (now New York City), the first police force was employed, consisting of eight men.

I thought this book gives you a tremendous amount of information. However I took a star off my rating because I think it gives a little to much to stomach per chapter. Overall it is a great Intro to Business text book.

This text, I found, to be easy to read and understand. Following along through the fundamentals of business was a snap and made the semester much more enjoyable (if college can be).

Guinness World of Records is a Fascinating Voyage of Discovery to facts, figures, feats and lots more! It's amazing to know about the Greatest, Smallest, Heaviest, Tallest, fastest, first and all about the exceptionally 'The Best of the Best'. As far as I remember, the First US edition appeared in New York in 1956 followed by editions in various languages later like the French, German in around 1962/63 and other editions in Japanese, spanish, etc. taking the flight to more than 250 plus editions in various languages. Indian dish 'Dhosa' by Sankalp in Ahmedabad, as the longest and largest size, is also on the Food Category which itself is Hall of Fame in Guiness World Records with more and more records to amaze us. Another Hotel Crown Plaza from Ahmedabad too, is featured for the Biggest Menu. The Book is divided into Categories on various topics with unique occurences and interesting peculiarities. Watching Guinness World Records on Television & Ripleys is just Great viewing but reading and possessing the Book is a Prize Collection. I recommend such Books as they make a good Useful Book Shelf Possession.

I love to have a copy of the Book of World Records handy when I knkow I may need help starting a comversation. All I have to do is open up the book and start asking questions to someone, like "Hey, guess who was 8 ft. 11.1 in. tall?"

Within minutes the ice is broken. Even though I don't always buy a copy every year, I eventually update. I can't stand to be estranged from the current record-holders.

--George Stancliffe

Very interesting, just what the title suggests. Would recomend.

Abbot Fay's I Never Knew That About Colorado: A Quaint Volume Of Forgotten Lore is a fascinating compendium of bits and pieces of obscure Colorado history. Here are to be found the true stories of such little known events personalities as Colorado's post-Civil War slavery; Adolph Hitler's Colorado ranch; Mark Twain and Denver censorship; when it literally snowed ducks on I-70; the bombing of Colorado during World War II; "The Man Who Word Out His Coffin"; and many more such astonishing history-based tales. I Never Knew That About Colorado is highly recommended reading for students of Colorado history, and anyone who enjoys relatively unknown, odd and dramatic historical anecdotes.

This is a simple introduction for a small child or older child who's not into history. Written in question and answer format it makes the information accessible, if however, disjointed. There is nothing in here about the ideas of Greece or her military campaigns or why she's important to western civilization. But information on how Greeks drank wine, when they married, etc. gives the child familiarity with Greeks as people. The answer to why Greeks built temples is to provide homes for their gods. If you're looking for a painless introduction to the word "Greece", this book is it.

Ancient worlds are revisited in Greeks Built Temples by Fiona MacDonald. Youngsters will smile at the rollicking illustrations of days long past, while they visit the site of the world's first shopping mall, and see what Emperor Augustus did about high-rise apartments.

Published in the Kingfisher series "I Wonder Why," this amazingly complete text leaves little to wonder about as data is skillfully woven into sometimes comically recreated scenes from early everyday life.

One can quibble about some of the information presented here,but the format and text got my five year old's attention, and I'mgrateful for any history book that can appeal to someone this young. Some of the facts were suitably "gross", (vomitoria, communal bathrooms) but they generated discussion, and isn't that the idea?

Ancient worlds are revisited in Romans Wore Togas by Fiona MacDonald. Youngsters will smile at the rollicking illustrations of days long past, while they learn what Roman children played with, visit the site of the world's first shopping mall, and see what Emperor Augustus did about high-rise apartments.

Published in the Kingfisher series "I Wonder Why," this amazingly complete text leaves little to wonder about as data is skillfully woven into sometimes comically recreated scenes from early everyday life.

This book is very useful for children who ask a lot of earth science questions. In fact the whole series of these books is quite nice. I've used them successfully with preschoolers through elementary school age children. The books are not designed as "sit down at group time and read to the class," but in small groups or one-on-one, they work very well.

This book is written for children, I'm 31 and while reading with my son I learned things I didn't know! I recommend it to any parent.

My husband and his best friend have this "thing" about the Pope (which is too elaborate to explain). I bought this book for him as an Xmas gift. The surprise was that I ended up reading the darn thing myself! It does have the full gamut of information in it. If you're looking for something easy to read, and a book you can just pick up, open and enjoy on a rather strange topic, this is the purchase you need to make!

If I were a pregnant Roman, there is one challenge in this treasury of trivia that I would not be able to resist. According to the author, Nino Lo Bello, no baby has ever been born in the Vatican. (The timing would have to be just right, but here's some mother-to-be's chance to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.)

Actually, I was rather surprised that no infants at all had been born in the Vatican since some of the popes were not exactly celibate. This author mentions a few who had mistresses and children. He does not skip over the immoral bits, but this book is sweetly gossipy rather than malicious. The anecdote that I found most startling concerned the late Pope John Paul II: one of the first things he did upon ascending to the Throne of St. Peter was watch back-to-back showings of "The Exorcist."

Here is a sample of the type of questions you will find answered in this book:

* What size shoe did Jesus wear?

* Over what did the Vatican go to 'war' with another ministate [San Marino in 1978]?

* Which European queen is buried in the Vatican?

* Why didn't Sam Snead get his putter blessed by the Pope?

* Which U.S. comedian was arrested at the Vatican?

Do not neglect to read this book's appendixes, as these are where you will find some of the best anecdotes. The author relaxes out of the question-and-answer format of the previous 162 pages and tells some very interesting stories. One of my favorites is "John Paul II Gives Galileo a Second Chance." There is also a fascinating appendix on "The Making of a Saint," although this author contradicts John Cornwell (author of "Hitler's Pope") in some of the particulars, most especially concerning the continuing existence of a "Devil's Advocate."

Oh, and one of the facts that I thought I knew about the Vatican was firmly contradicted by this author: Michelangelo did NOT design the uniform for the Swiss Guards, as is stated in all the guide books. A Vatican seamstress whipped up the colorful costume in 1914 at the request of the Pope.

I have every Laurel and Hardy book there is, but this is one of my favorites. It is fun reading, enjoyable and enlightening. If you are a fan, this is a must. Everything from trivia to costars and everything in between. It is hard to find and out-of-print, so if you come across one, grab it!

A year ago, we learned about a LaureI & Hardy trivia book which was in the works. Frankly, we weren't expecting much, since most such books are - well, trivial. So, we were very happily surprised with Laurel & Hardy in "Big Quizness". Written by siblings Robert and Tracie McFerren and copiously illustrated by Robert, the book is an entertaining parade of unusual aspects of the L&H Þlms. Only the Þrst third of the book is the expected Trivia Contest. Questions are posed about almost every L&H Þlm, going chronologically from the Þrst (Lucky Dog) to last (Atoll K). Some of the questions are fairly easy for L&H buffs (in Come Clean, which þavors is ice-cream vendor Charlie Hall out of? Orange, gooseberry and chocolate!), while others are head-scratchers even for longtime aÞcionados (in what month does Way Out West take place?). The authors are kind enough to refrain from asking about the lost L&H Þlms Hats Off - a vitally important but long-gone 1927 two- reeler - and The Rogue Song, a 1930 Technicolor musical starring Lawrence Tibbett with Stan and Ollie in support. However, in one of the most valuable portions of the book, these two lost gems are recreated in detailed descriptions of each Þlm's action. Chapters four through ten are probably the most enjoyable, focusing on unusual facts about the Þlms. Films with "Weird or Uncontrollable Laughter" are listed, along with the perpetrator; all of the gags involving feet are described; all of the scenes in which the telephone is used for laughs are summarized. We found only a couple of mistakes (Pardon Us at its original 56 minutes is the boys' shortest feature, not the 58- minute Block-Heads; Roy Seawright did not win four Oscars for special effects in L&H movies) and a few omissions (Stan sings - brieþy - in Busy Bodies as well as the eight listed Þlms; the most outrageous double-entendre in an L&H Þlm is delivered by Ollie to Mae Busch during Tit For Tat, not listed in the "Read Between the Lines" section). Sections about the Boys' characteristics are quite interesting; we learn that Stan scratched his head 256 times, doing it Þrst in 1928's From Soup to Nuts, and most frequently - 15 times - in 1935's Bonnie Scotland. Stan's greatest quotes, collected here, are as funny as ever. A chronology of the boys' lives will prove useful to the more scholarly L&H admirers, as will a lengthy listing of non-L&H Þlm appearances made by the supporting players. Not only are regulars such as Charlie Hall thus documented; even Fred "Snowþake" Toones - who appears in just one brief shot of Way Out West - gets a listing of notable Þlms. Although there are a few stills and bits of memorabilia reproduced, most of the illustrations are charming drawings by Robert McFerren. This book is obviously a labor of love by two devoted L&H fans. It's an entertaining, amusing and enlightening read that any devotee of Stan and Ollie should own, and it's certainly going to enliven future meetings of the Sons of the Desert (The Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society). This review previously appeared the nostalgia entertainment newsletter Past Times (Managing Editor Randy Skretvedt) and is reprinted with permission.