Mental Floss: Genius Instruction Manual [Paperback]

Editors of Mental Floss (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mental Floss | Publication Date: October 31, 2006

Remember that time you bumped into Stephen Hawking at the clambake and his monologue on string theory went completely over your head? Man, was that awkward. Or remember the time you were at a party and someone asked, "Who knows how to perform open-heart surgery?" and you were the only one who didn't raise your hand?

Well, put all of that embarrassment behind you. Want to dazzle crowds with your wondrous knowledge of Shakespeare and surgeries? Want to learn to woo just like history's greatest minds? Well, start reading already! The Genius Instruction Manual is a foolproof finishing school for polishing your brain. All you've got to do is dive in.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Part scholarly journal, part Spy magazine protégé.” (Charlotte Observer )

“For the discerning intellect, mental_floss cleans out the cobwebs.” (Chicago Tribune )

“A lot like that professor of yours who peppered his tests with raunchy jokes: it makes learning fun.” (Newsweek )

“A delightfully eccentric and eclectic new magazine.” (Washington Post )

“The titans of trivia.” (Newsweek )

“An ideal reference to settle arguments or jog your memory.” (Calgary Herald )

About the Author

Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur met as first year students at Duke University. Ignoring the lures of law school and investment banking, the pair co-founded mental_floss and have been grinning ever since. Maggie Koerth-Baker is a freelance journalist and a former assistant editor at mental_floss magazine, where she consistently astounded Will and Mangesh with her amazingness.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060882530
• ISBN-13: 978-0060882532
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.6 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #504,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than an Encyclopedia., November 27, 2006

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mental Floss: Genius Instruction Manual (Paperback)

The GENIUS INSTRUCTION MANUAL is the latest book from those fun and crazy people at Mental Floss, the magazine and publishing organization that tries to make trivia and learning cool (well, they are as close to cool as a trivia organization can get). Following the pattern from other Mental Floss books, e.g. COCKTAIL PARTY CHEATS, GENIUS INSTRUCTION MANUAL is full of little informational tidbits to make you at least appear to be a genius after reading the book. The book starts off with some of the hobbies that famous geniuses of the past have had as well some pastimes that famous geniuses have had that led to their ultimate demise. There's a section about time travel, modernism vs. postmodernism, the basics of rocket science, famous artists, string theory, relativity, famous artists, and some great savants of history. There are also sections on how to dress like a right-brained genius and how to dress like a left-brained genius. About every twenty pages or so, there's a page that tells you how far you are to becoming a genius, e.g. "Congratulations! You are now 60% of the way toward full-fledged Genius." I found the GENIUS INSTRUCTION MANUAL to be a very educational, entertaining, and rewarding book. I learned some things I didn't know before. For instance, I never knew that Beethoven probably suffered from lead poisoning. A great gift for any person who likes learning and who has a sense of humor (smart people with no funny-bone wouldn't get this book), e.g. a gag gift for college students.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More like short quotes, September 10, 2008

By 

Elliot Berman (Plantation, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mental Floss: Genius Instruction Manual (Paperback)

I've read other books by the same author, and would honestly rate this much less interesting. It doesn't really go into anything or any subject, with any depth; so don't expect to become a genuis. It will tell you which people owned dogs, then jump to who played mucsical instrutments. I find it difficult to stay focused, and honestly just skip boring pages. However, perhaps that's why I was able to purchase it for only $3.00 dollars new.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Fun, December 20, 2006

By 

apoem "apoem" (Bosque Farms, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mental Floss: Genius Instruction Manual (Paperback)

This book is a quick read but lots of fun. It has interesting trivia, short overviews on a lot of topics. It continues to demonstrate why "Mental Floss" is such a fun magazine with off the wall, smart humor.