Miss Manners on Painfully Proper Weddings


Judith Martin - 1995
    In her trademark bossy, witty, and authoritative way, Miss Manners gives advice that will make the big day more pleasant for one and all, including the bride. 15 line drawings.

The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language


Mark Forsyth - 2012
    Pretending to work? That’s fudgelling, which may lead to rizzling if you feel sleepy after lunch, though by dinner time you will have become a sparkling deipnosophist.From Mark Forsyth, author of the bestselling The Etymologicon, this is a book of weird words for familiar situations. From ante-jentacular to snudge by way of quafftide and wamblecropt, at last you can say, with utter accuracy, exactly what you mean.

Signs and Symbols


Miranda Bruce-Mitford - 1996
    A rich source of information for readers of all ages, this book is divided into two sections, first looking at major sources of symbols (basic shapes, colors and numbers, the natural world), then, placing symbols in context of mythologies and religions, the human life cycle, people and culture, and symbol systems. Clear cross-referencing illuminates connections between symbols, while beautiful artwork and photography make this a collector's edition to treasure.

What It's Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing—What Birds Are Doing, and Why


David Allen Sibley - 2020
    This special, large-format volume is geared as much to nonbirders as it is to the out-and-out obsessed, covering more than two hundred species and including more than 330 new illustrations by the author. While its focus is on familiar backyard birds--blue jays, nuthatches, chickadees--it also examines certain species that can be fairly easily observed, such as the seashore-dwelling Atlantic puffin. David Sibley's artwork and expertise bring observed behaviors vividly to life. (For most species, the primary illustration is reproduced life-sized.) And while the text is aimed at adults--including fascinating new scientific research on the myriad ways birds have adapted to environmental changes--it is nontechnical, making it the perfect occasion for parents and grandparents to share their love of birds with young children, who will delight in the big, full-color illustrations of birds in action.

How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Beer Right the First Time


John J. Palmer - 2006
    This book includes ingredients, methods, recipes and equipment information. It provides reference to intermediate techniques like all-grain brewing variations and recipe formulation.

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America


Matt Kracht - 2019
    Featuring 50 common North American birds, such as the White-Breasted Butt Nugget and the Goddamned Canada Goose (or White-Breasted Nuthatch and Canada Goose for the layperson), Matt Kracht identifies all the idiots in your backyard and details exactly why they suck with ink drawings. Each entry is accompanied by facts about a bird's (annoying) call, its (dumb) migratory pattern, its (downright tacky) markings, and more.The essential guide to all things wings with migratory maps, tips for birding, musings on the avian population, and the ethics of birdwatching.

Taskmaster: 220 Extraordinary Tasks for Ordinary People


Alex Horne - 2018
    Your time starts now …In the TV show and on my marriage certificate, my job description is ‘Taskmaster’s Assistant’. That’s what I do and it’s an honour. I like Taskmaster a lot. And, of course, I love The Taskmaster. He’s mountainous. If you feel in any way the same as me then you should enjoy this book.There are tasks for you, your friends and your family. There are secret things and sneaky tricks. And there is one swear word. So it’s almost exactly like being on the show.Good luck. Make good choices. Let’s do Him proud.Alex HorneTaskmaster’s Assistant

I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems By Cats


Francesco Marciuliano - 2012
    In this hilarious book of tongue-in-cheek poetry, the author of the internationally syndicated comic strip Sally Forth helps cats unlock their creative potential and explain their odd behaviour to ignorant humans. With titles like Who Is That on Your Lap?, This Is My Chair, Kneel Before Me, Nudge, and Some of My Best Friends Are Dogs, the poems collected in I Could Pee on This perfectly capture the inner workings of the cat psyche. With photos of the cat authors throughout, this whimsical volume reveals kitties at their wackiest, and most exasperating (but always lovable).

Brain Candy: Science, Paradoxes, Puzzles, Logic, and Illogic to Nourish Your Neurons


Garth Sundem - 2010
    Feed Your Brain   Tastier than a twizzler yet more protein-packed than a spinach smoothie, Brain Candy is guaranteed to entertain your brain—even as it reveals hundreds of secrets behind what’s driving that electric noodle inside your skull.    These delicious and nutritious pages are packed with bits of bite-sized goodness swiped from the bleeding edge of brain science (including the reason why reading these words is changing your hippocampus at this very moment!) Shelved alongside these succulent neurological nuggets are challenging puzzles and paradoxes, eye-opening perception tests and hacks, fiendish personality quizzes and genius testers, and a grab bag of recurring treats including Eye Hacks, Algebraic Eight Ball, iDread, Wild Kingdom, and Logic of Illogic.     Should you look between these covers and inhale the deliciously cherry-flavored scents of knowledge within, you will grow your grey matter while discovering:  • Why you should be writing bad poetry• The simple keys to brain training• What trust smells like  • The origins of human morality• Why expensive wine always tastes better• The truth about brain sweat • How your diet might be making you dumb• The secrets of game theory• Why economists hate psychology • The mental benefits of coffee and cigarettes • How to really spot a liar• Why you can’t make me eat pie• The benefits of daydreaming • Four simple secrets to persuasion• Why your barin’s fzzuy ligoc alowls you to raed this• How to brainwash friends and family• The science of body language• What pigeons know about art   …And much, much more.

The New Book of Lists: The Original Compendium of Curious Information


David Wallechinsky - 2005
    For nearly three decades David Wallechinsky and Amy Wallace have been researching curious facts and unusual statistics and the incredible stories behind them. Now the most entertaining and informative of these have been brought together in a long-awaited, thoroughly up-to-date, and Americanized new edition, including brand-new lists and list makers. Contributors include: Oliver Stone; Jane Fonda; Sean Connery; Robert Duvall; Pedro Almodovar; Stephen King; John Waters; Wynton Marsalis; Quincy Jones; Arnold Palmer; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; Isaac Stern; Ian Rankin; Alan Dershowitz; Margaret Atwood; Dave Eggers; Brian Eno; and Elmore Leonard.

The Mental Floss History of the United States: The (Almost) Complete and (Entirely) Entertaining Story of America


Erik Sass - 2008
    From the editors of MentalFloss.com and mental_floss magazine—with its tagline: “Feel smart again”—comes an American History text packed with hilarious (but true!) trivia written in the smart-aleck tradition of The Mental Floss History of the World, Mental Floss Presents In the Beginning, and the first mental_floss book, Condensed Knowledge. Perfect for trivia buffs, history lovers, college students, and anyone who likes to laugh and learn. United States history has never been so fun.

Darkside Zodiac


Stella Hyde - 2004
    Darkside Zodiac covers personalities, rising sign, ruling planet, Moon, qualities, and elements. It also details lifestyle choices (jobs, vacations, fashion, interior design, partners) all from a gripping, yet rarely discussed perspective.

Life on Earth


David Attenborough - 1979
    Told through an examination of animal and plant life today - with occasional juxtapositions of extinct fossil forms to reveal the origin of living creatures - "Life on Earth" is an astonishing pageant of life, with a cast of characters drawn from the whole range of living animals the world over. Attenborough's perceptive, dynamic approach to the evolution of some four million species of living organisms that populate the planet is to trace the most significant thread in the history of each major group. He then proceeds to explain from the evidence of living representatives and fossil remains why certain animals adapted and survived, evolved to more complex and "higher" forms of life, while others, by some inherent limitation imposed by their physiology or structure, failed and became extinct. "Life on Earth" is a book of wonders. A model of clarity and ease as a guide, Attenborough takes the reader around the world with him into jungles where orchids have petals that "impersonate" wasps to attract pollinating insects; to Australia, where honeypot ants force feed nectar to workers of a special caste, then hang them up by their forelegs like living storage jars; to remote mountains in Japan where little monkeys called macaques have learned to combat the winter snows by bathing in hot volcanic springs.

Non Campus Mentis: World History According to College Students


Anders Henriksson - 2001
    Mangled Moments of Western Civilization from Term Papers & Blue Book Exams Did You Know:Cesar was assassinated on the Yikes of March when he is reported to have said, "Me too, Brutus!"Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Truman were known as the "Big Three"Rasputin was a pheasant by birthJudyism had one big God named YahooWestward expansion ended at Custard's Last StandMarie Curie won the Noel Prize for inventing the radiatorThe Civil Rights movement turned the corner with Martin Luther Junior's famous "If I Had a Hammer" speech

Ken's Guide to the Bible


Ken Smith - 1995
    An insider's guide to the Bible with a focus on sex, gore and lunacy.