Handily arranged by length — “short (a quick read), “medium (1 to 3 pages), and “long (for those extended visits) — the book covers everything from Americana to The Name Game to Pop Science and Wordplay. Readers can learn the origins of superglue, sample news stories about underwear, read about animals famous for 15 minutes, and learn of unknown heroes of the Wild West. This broad assortment eliminates ennui while wittily educating readers trapped in airports, cars, buses, or lavatories.

    No agonizing choices between light reading and the serious stuff. This 4-ply reader has it all: entertainment, humor, education, trivia, science, history, pop culture . and more! Of course, it's even divided by length - you can spend a minute with the Quickies, relax with Normal Length articles, or really get comfortable with long Items.With Uncle John's 4-Ply Bathroom Reader strategically placed in your home, you'll settle in happily and read about:The Origins of Common Words and PhrasesThe 7 Wonders of the Ancient WorldThe Real Difference Between Burger King and McDonald'sElvis's Letter to Richard NixonThe Curse of King TutWhat's in a TwinkieBizarre Lawsuits . and a whole lot more.

    The eponymous foods, famous last meals, and perfect martini proportions revealed in the bestselling Schott's Original Miscellany were only the tip of the iceberg: Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany is a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles from the culinary world. From food history to cooking terms, cocktail recipes to dining etiquette, grace before meals to after-dinner toasts-this olla podrida offers everything for the wine drinker, gastronome, and glutton. And Ben Schott's brilliant juxtaposition of delectable tidbits makes this new miscellany so hard to put down, it may even make you late for dinner. Ben Schott is a photographer, designer, and Miscellanist. He lives in Highgate, London. Also available: Schott's Original Miscellany hc 1-58234-349-7 $14.95 Praise for Schott's Original Miscellany "It's the ultimate book for browsing...as hilarious as it is addictive."-Newsweek "Ben Schott's utterly indispensable Schott's Original Miscellany is...scarily habit-forming, so caveat emptor!"-Vanity Fair "It is so pleasant just to have this book near."-Los Angeles Times "If nothing else, bathroom reading just got a lot smarter."-Daily Candy "Somehow Mr. Schott turns a collection of trivia into a window on the world that is hilarious, puzzling, and inspiring."- Wall Street Journal "An irresistible, irreplaceable, inexhaustible delight."-Baltimore Sun "Schott's Original Miscellany is a charmingly addictive curiosity cabinet...the first really great bathroom book of the 21st century."-Entertainment Weekly

    Farnsworth is not a household word despite the fact that he invented something found in most every household: television. Farnsworth is just one of hundreds of subjects in this hefty comic compendium that plumbs the depths in a survey of great lives. Readers also learn about T’sai Lun, the Chinese eunuch who invented paper — and by extension, toilet paper. Other clever unknowns include the inventors of Velcro, Bakelite, and the microwave oven. Of course, not all of the “great lives” here are anonymous. The “Fun with Heretics” section includes Thomas Paine and Rousseau, revealing some unexpected peculiarities. Liberace, Pancho Villa, and Freud happily coexist in this sometimes raunchy romp. Among the topics? “Philosophers Who Got Killed,” “Child Geniuses” (and its evil twin, “High School Dropouts”), and much more.

    Updated to include facts and photos from the unforgettable final season, this authorized guide answers all your Friends questions from the silly to the sublime.

    Now they present a new collection of their most fascinating, hilarious, and wholly trivial findings. The Ultimate Book of Useless Information includes such "did you knows" as:- Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite - The average person spends two weeks of their life kissing - And giraffes have no vocal cords

    Do you know, for example, what a 78 is? Here's a hint: like the old 78 rpm records, the term refers to a man who is ... well, on the fast side! Diligently researched, The Lover's Tongue is written in a light-hearted style. A dictionary of a different kind, this book is the perfect gift for that special someone, or for the connoisseur of language and history in your life.

    This Special issue is for Palladium's fans from all of us to all of you. Enjoy it. April Fool's Day News & Coming Attractions. Giga-Damage, the ultimate rules for power gamers! Ludicrous Mage O.C.C. and Ludicrous magic. Trickster Mage O.C.C. and Card Magic. Tourist O.C.C. and related powers. Magic items and uncommonly silly spells. Wacky Superheroes, villains, and powers. Where's Wayne -- HU2 adventure. Question and answers (whether you want 'em or not). Wild ideas and fun galore.

    Each of 50 chronologically arranged topical chapters contain 500-1,000 words of general commentary followed by descriptions and clear, step-by-step instructions for 3-4 recipes. The recipes are drawn from a wide variety of historical cookbooks and other historical sources.The topics cover broad periods (e.g., Settlers and Indians, Early American Spring Meals, Health Food in Victorian America); particular events (e.g., Civil War South, The Great Depression); and particular trends or movements (e.g., Railroad Food, School Lunch, The Labor Movement). Also presented are engaging special topics such as Patriotic Cakes, Abolitionist Recipes, Communal Experiments, and Modern Health Food. The book is indexed by year of publication of recipes, states, and broad subjects.

    What began as an interesting Web site for students at Chatham High School soon became an internationally recognized page that garnered numerous awards, including Yahoo's Site of the Week. In 2001, some of the stories were assembled into Einstein's Refrigerator, which has been translated into Korean and Chinese.Now comes silliness squared with Lindbergh's Artificial Heart, author Steve Silverman's second collection of offbeat and often hilarious stories that offer a fascinating side of history that's not usually taught in school. o Lindbergh's artificial heart: Few people know it, but the famous aviator spent considerable time working on an artificial heart.o Exploding whale: What did the Oregon Department of Transportation do with a dead whale that washed up on one of its beaches' Suffice it to say their decision to blow it up was quite the blubber blunder.o Nose picking: Delve into the humorous findings of a study of this bad habit conducted by one of our institutions of higher learning.o The fastest charcoal lighter ever: Using liquid oxygen at your family barbecue may speed up the cooking, but it does have it's drawbacks . . . such as the fact that it vaporizes your grill. Carefully researched and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, the entertaining and educational stories within this book's 192 pages-many never before shared on-line or otherwise-will delight students and teachers alike.

    

    Sporting a front cover that shows Chopper giving Judge Dredd himself the run-around, it puts you right into the spirit for which this supplement is intended! The first chapter covers that most glamorous of crazes, Skysurfing. Here you will find a complete history of the sport, along with full details of each of the world, along with the rules for running your very own race as part of a scenario. The chapter winds up with the Brit-Cit craze of Zipp Boarding, about to become very popular in Mega-City One. Next up is the Pro-Eating chapter. Full rules are given for surgical procedures (detachable jaws and the like) and appetite enhancers/inducers to allow citizens to 'pork up'. Full rules for the game Shuggy are provided, both for 'real life' and the RPG, and citizens will find the Shuggy Hall Owner prestige class will fit in very well with the Rookie's Guide to Criminal Organisations. . .The Rookie's Guide to Crazes winds up with Getting Ugly, every citizen's guide to setting themselves apart from their neighbours. A full range of creams, perfumes and other products are all fully detailed, ready for players to get 'uglied-up.'

    

    Enjoy baking traditional and contemporary Presidential Cookies recipes, learning fun tidbits about American history and traditions, and tasting unusual and unusually delicious White House cookies. Recipes include: George and Martha Washington's Jumbals, Abraham and Mary Lincoln's Gingerbread Men Cookies, Ronald and Nancy Reagan's Vienna Chocolate Bars, and George W. and Laura Bush's Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies! This edition has a great plastic comb binding for easy use in the kitchen.

    Describes life in colonial times and includes instructions for making related projects such as candles, model windmills, writing with a quill pen, and baking cookies called Shrewsbury cakes.

    The book is richly detailed, fully documented, inclusive in coverage, and delightfully readable. More than 300 illustrations provide a vivid feeling for what life was like in Madison during the formative years. David Mollenhoff's unique interpretive framework emphasizing public policies and community values, gives the book a consistent interpretive quality and reveals major themes that flow through time. This combination will allow you to see the city's growth and development with unusual clarity and coherence—almost as if you were watching time-lapse photography.    When Mollenhoff began to study Madison’s history, he was delighted by his early discoveries but frustrated because no one had written a book-length history of Madison since 1876. Finally, in 1972 he decided to write that book. His research required him to read five miles of microfilm, piles of theses and dissertations, shelves of reports, boxes of manuscripts and letters, and to study thousands of photographs. Soon after the first edition was published in 1982, readers declared it to be a classic. For this second edition Madison has been extensively revised and updated with new maps and photos.    If you want to know the fascinating story of how Madison got to be the way it is, this book belongs on your bookshelf. It will change the way you see the city and your role in it.

    With an introduction by The Times editor Robert Thomson, and illustrated with cartoons by Neil Bennett. "Sir, Your report today on the Royal Opera House's leading lady whose dress was set on fire by an on-stage candle is a classic case of 'it ain't over till the fat lady singes'". "Sir Pork Chop, an 18lb Vietnamese pot-bellied pig (report, June 28) 'becomes nervous and irritable after about five hours in the car'. Almost human". "Sir, I see from your obituary of the wonderful Barbara Goalen that she 'produced two children in succession'. Is there some other way?" "Sir, My secateurs, made in China, carry the instruction 'ideal for use on shrubs in public parks'. I haven't tested them in situ yet". "Sir, the captain of HMS Nottingham should be treated leniently. On BBC News, on teletext and in your paper today, Wolf Rock at Lord Howe Island has been variously described as being 200, 300, 400 and 500 miles from Sydney. Clearly the wretched thing is mobile and its position unpredictable". "Sir, I once had a bottle of embrocation from China (letters, July 3 and 8) bearing the warning 'Do not take inside'. We kept it in the garage". "Sir, in view of recent financial excesses, are these the Naughty Noughties?".