The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World - Couverture souple

Jacobs, A. J.

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0743250621 ISBN 13 : 9780743250627

Editeur : Simon & Schuster, 2005

Synopsis

The Know-It-All 33,000 PAGES 44 MILLION WORDS 10 BILLION YEARS OF HISTORY 1 OBSESSED MAN Part memoir and part education (or lack thereof), "The Know-It-All" chronicles NPR contributor A.J. Jacobs's hilarious, enlightening, and seemingly impossible quest to read the "Encyclopaedia Britannica" from A to Z. To fill the ever-widening gaps in his Ivy League education, A.J. Jacobs sets for himself the daunting tas... Full description

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Part memoir and part education (or lack thereof), The Know-It-All chronicles NPR contributor A.J. Jacobs's hilarious, enlightening, and seemingly impossible quest to read the Encyclopaedia Britannica from A to Z.

33,000 PAGES
44 MILLION WORDS
10 BILLION YEARS OF HISTORY
1 OBSESSED MAN

To fill the ever-widening gaps in his Ivy League education, A.J. Jacobs sets for himself the daunting task of reading all thirty-two volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His wife, Julie, tells him it's a waste of time, his friends believe he is losing his mind, and his father, a brilliant attorney who had once attempted the same feat and quit somewhere around Borneo, is encouraging but unconvinced.

With self-deprecating wit and a disarming frankness, The Know-It-All recounts the unexpected and comically disruptive effects Operation Encyclopedia has on every part of Jacobs's life -- from his newly minted marriage to his complicated relationship with his father and the rest of his charmingly eccentric New York family to his day job as an editor at Esquire. Jacobs's project tests the outer limits of his stamina and forces him to explore the real meaning of intelligence as he endeavors to join Mensa, win a spot on Jeopardy!, and absorb 33,000 pages of learning. On his journey he stumbles upon some of the strangest, funniest, and most profound facts about every topic under the sun, all while battling fatigue, ridicule, and the paralyzing fear that attends his first real-life responsibility -- the impending birth of his first child.

The Know-It-All is an ingenious, mightily entertaining memoir of one man's intellect, neuroses, and obsessions, and a struggle between the all-consuming quest for factual knowledge and the undeniable gift of hard-won wisdom.

Quatrième de couverture :

'A jape of a book...with Jacobs...coming across as a slightly younger and Jewish Bill Bryson. Some of his quips are worthy even of Woody Allen... Hilarious' Guardian

On leaving school or university, you feel pretty pleased with yourself. You've learnt a lot. You're erudite, well-read, and know a whole bunch of facts guaranteed at some stage to appear in the questions on Mastermind or University Challenge. Then you get a job, and ten years later you know more about Britney and Big Brother than Beckett and the Brontes. Sound familiar?

Well, it happened to AJ Jacobs too. As an editor at Esquire, he built up an impressive knowledge of celebrity trivia - and the cure was going to take some time. While others might read a broadsheet at the weekend, Jacobs chose to read the Encyclopaedia Britannica. All 33,000 pages of it...

'For those who enjoy learning about some of the stranger facts about the world in which we live and who appreciate having a guide of some charm, The Know-It-All will be something of a treat. ' Sunday Times

'The Know-It-All is one of the most informative humorous books and one of the funniest collections of information that I have seen in a long time. (Note to publishers: that's the sentence you can put on the back of the next edition if you like).' Daily Express

'Frequently funny and sometimes downright hilarious, but this is also an unexpectedly moving book.' Daily Mail'
'A terrific book. It's a lot shorter than the encyclopedia, and funnier, and you'll remember more of it. Plus, if it falls off the shelf onto your head, you'll live' P.J.O'Rourke

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Simon & Schuster
• Date d'édition: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0743250621
• ISBN 13: 9780743250627
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 400