Imponderables The Solution to the Mysteries of Everyday Life [Paperback]

David Feldman (Author), Kas Schwan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 1987

Imponderables
The Solution to the Mysteries
of Everyday Life

Did you ever wonder why you never see baby pigeons? Or why a thumbs-up gesture means "OK"? At last the solutions to some of life's most baffling questions are gathered here in one volume. Written in an informative and entertaining style and illustrated with drawings that are clearly to the point, Imponderables gets to the bottom of everyday life's mysteries, among them:

• Why is a mile 5,280 feet?
• Which fruits are in Juicy Fruit' gum?
• Why does an X stand for a kiss?
• Why don't cats like to swim?
• Why do other people hear our voices differently than we do?

Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and almanacs don't have the answers --Imponderables does! And in answering such questions, it touches on an astonishing variety of subjects, including sports, science, history, politics, television, radio, and much more. No trivial pursuit, Imponderables takes a surprising, illuminating, and humorous look at ourselves and the world around us.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Feldman, a media consultant and lover of the obscure, here addresses scores of questions that one may have contemplated, but to which no answers are readily forthcomingwhy certain traffic jams occur and clear up without apparent reason, why the word "Filipino" is spelled with an F and not a Ph, why unleaded gasoline costs more than leaded. In an engaging, sometimes jocular manner, Feldman communicates an impressive amount of information: a piece on popcorn develops into an examination of the economics of running a movie theater; the answer to a question on laundry bleach is worthy of an encyclopedia. Occasionally, Feldman offers such a fresh way of looking at a phenomenonas when he discusses why people cry at happy endingsthat he makes us see it as if for the first time. This is an entertaining collection of trivial and not so trivial information. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

David Feldman is the author of twelve books, including the Imponderables® series -- Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?, When Do Fish Sleep?, Do Penguins Have Knees?, and others -- as well as Who Put the Butter in Butterfly? and How to Win at Just About Everything. He has a master's degree in popular culture from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and consults and lectures on the media. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (September 24, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688059147
• ISBN-13: 978-0688059149
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Education & Reference > Fun Facts > Imponderables

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating facts, September 11, 2001

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Imponderables The Solution to the Mysteries of Everyday Life (Paperback)

This is the first of the Imponderables series of books. For people like me who love to accumulate useless but fascinating information it is a wonderful book. It asks the questions (Why do we itch, why are there holes in Swiss cheese, why does an X stand for a kiss, etc....) and then proceeds to answer them. If you ever wanted to be a know-it-all (or want your know-it-all to at least have the right answers) then read this book and become the authority on useless information with your family and friends. Much more fascinating than trivia books (after all you might want to know why cashews are not sold in their shells but who really cares who the runner up for the 1998 Ms America was?).
Each piece is a short question and answer so that you could pick it up and read one in a minute or two, but if you are like me then once you have read one you have to keep on reading the next and then the next until you have consumed an hour or more of fascinating reading.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is not "Imponderables Ten". It's book one under a new title., October 28, 2005

By 

David "Laymon Fan" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Don't Cats Like to Swim?: An Imponderables Book (Imponderables Books) (Paperback)

I knew that the tenth book in the IMPONDERABLES series would be published soon so I kept an eye out for it. I kept track of new books by anyone named David Feldman. I saw "Why Don't Cats Like to Swim?" and almost bought it. I'm glad I didn't because this is just the original book (originally published in 1986 under the simple title "Imponderables") repackaged under a new title.

The book I was actually waiting for turned out to be "Do Elephants Jump?"

You can get "Do Elephants Jump?" in either hardcover or softcover.

(I suggest you get that book and consult the index before submitting an Imponderable to the author to be answered in the eleventh book. The index covers all ten books so that people will not send in duplicate imponderables.)

Imponderables 1 (aka Why Don't Cat's Like to Swim) is a really entertaining and informative book. It's definitely worth reading. And it's probably worth buying (instead of borrowing) so that you can RE-read it any time you want....

Just be careful not to buy the same book twice.

I would have given this book 5 stars (I might do so for the *original* edition), but I took a star away because the publisher pulled an underhanded trick, knowing that people expecting a *new* Imponderables-series book might be fooled by a new title.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's not a new book, just a new title!, June 17, 2005

By 

Wulfstan "wulfstan" (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Why Don't Cats Like to Swim?: An Imponderables Book (Imponderables Books) (Paperback)

Ok, let me say this- the IMPONDERABLES series of books, by David Feldman, is a great series. They offer answers to many of Life's odd question, the one you ponder over, but can't just look up somewhere. Well, until now.

"Why Don't Cats Like to Swim?" is a fine book, but it really is "Imponderables", the first in the series, published in 1986.

However, in 2004 it was republished with the new "Why Don't Cats Like to Swim?' It's a fine book, but not one that most of us would want to buy twice!