The Areas of My Expertise - Couverture rigide

Hodgman, John

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0525949089 ISBN 13 : 9780525949084

Editeur : Dutton, 2005

Synopsis

Book by Hodgman John

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

In the great tradition of the American almanac, The Areas of My Expertise is a brilliant and hilarious compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom on all topics large and small. Although bestsellers such as Poor Richard’s Almanack and The Book of Lists were certainly valuable, they also were largely true. Here is a different kind of handy desk reference, one in which all of the historical oddities and amazing true facts are sifted through the singular, illuminating imagination of John Hodgman—which is the nice way of saying: He made it all up.

John Hodgman brings his considerable expertise to bear in answering all of the questions book buyers have been asking:

-What are the mottoes of the 51 United States?

THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED

-Who were the U.S. presidents who had hooks for hands?

THE ANSWER IS PROVIDED

-What role does the Yale secret society “Skull and Bones” play in the secret world government?

THERE IS NO SECRET WORLD GOVERNMENT

-What was the menu at the first Thanksgiving, and did it include eels?

Technically, that is two questions, but do not apologize, for John Hodgman shall answer them both... LATER.

-Aside from a compendium of fake trivia, what is the best kind of book to write?

A SIMPLE TABLE OF THE 55 MOST DRAMATIC LITERARY SITUATIONS PROVIDES THE ANSWER, and John Hodgman is the author of that table.

Imagine if The Book of Lists had been rewritten by Peter Cook and Jorge Luis Borges under the pseudonym of “John Hodgman” and then renamed The Areas of My Expertise, and you will only begin to have a sense of the dizzying, uproarious, sublimely weird, and strangely wise journey that is contained within this book (along with all the pages and words).

Perfect for anyone who thirsts for knowledge, and especially for collectors of books of fake trivia, The Areas of My Expertise offers through absurdity a better understanding of the world we share—and recognizes that while the truth may be stranger than fiction, it is never as strange as lies...or as true.

Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.

Revue de presse :

"Wonderfully absurd." - New York Times
"Hilarious...Nabokov's Pale Fire as directed by Wes Anderson." - Time Out New York
"If Borges and Ben Franklin got drunk and decided to write a book together, the result might have been something a lot like this freaky 'almanac'." - Tom Perrotta
"Even if you buy this book for the 700 hobo names alone, you will have gotten more than your money's worth." - Dave Eggers
"A book of absurd tall tales, tables and charts spun from the warped brain of John Hodgman...Impressively eclectic." - Los Angeles Times

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Dutton
• Date d'édition: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0525949089
• ISBN 13: 9780525949084
• Reliure: Relié
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 240