Customer Reviews

Mental Floss Presents Condensed Knowledge: A Deliciously Irreverent Guide to Feeling Smart Again

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is such a fun read, even those who don't crave random trivia can enjoy it! It has so much information, and yet is so organized that you can actually find the information! While I don't subscribe to this magazine, reading this book will make anybody consider getting a subscription. All in all, there is really nothing but positive things I can say about this book.

Several reviewers have criticized some of the ways information is presented in this book for the sake of political correctness, as well as some of the opinions about works discussed. I think all the reviewers of this book make valid points. Everybody knows what AD and BC mean, there's really no reason at this point to reinvent the wheel.

The section on Art included a few prickly elements for me. I personally was annoyed by some of the superlatives used to describe many of the artists. The section on seeming like you know what you're talking about at an art exhibit is so funny, however, that it totally makes up for it. :) In all fairness, art is one of the hardest things to write about clearly since it's so personal for whoever is viewing it. Look up the artists listed so that you can see some of the pictures yourself and make up your own mind!

Those small picadillos aside, there's sooo much to enjoy here that the good far outweighs the bad. The sections are well organized, and the authors do a great job of bringing historical figures to life with great stories.

Many trivia books can be read for about an hour at a time. This is a trivia book that can be read for hours on end and still not make you feel overloaded. The bite-size bits of info are easy for anybody to swallow!

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this book. If it were possible to give it 6 stars I would! Buy it, Read it, ENJOY IT!

I subscribe to "Mental Floss" and have since the first issue. I love it and couldn't wait to buy this book. Largely, I was very pleased with the book. I particularly like the way the book is broken down into major subjects like "Condensed Art History" and "Condensed Physics". I especially enjoyed the science sections and the "Condensed Pop Culture" chapter. I was particularly impressed with the analysis of the confusing lyrics in Steve Miller's "The Joker" (yes the line actually IS "Some people call me Maurice, 'cuz I speak of the pompatus of love.") The solving of this mystery alone is worth the price of the book.

I really sat on the fence on whether to give the book four or five stars. I would give it 4 1/2 if that were an option, but there were a few little thing about the book that bugged me enough to prevent a five star review (although I do give the magazine five stars.) The first (minor) error I noticed is in the chapter "Condensed General Science" under "Sexy Animal Facts", where the author states that "A goldfish has a memory span of only three seconds". I hold a degree in Biology, and can categorically say that is untrue. This is an urban legend and supposition, which has been disproved in several studies in animal behavior in which goldfish were taught to swim in elaborate mazes over the span of several days. If they only had a three second memory, they would be unable to complete the maze correctly with ever improving times day after day (which shows that learning occurs.) The television show 'Mythbusters' did a primitive version of one of these studies on one show, by the way. This isn't a big point, but is worth noting.

I object to the politically correct use of the terms of 'BC' and 'BCE' instead of 'BC' and 'AD'. Although the calendars are identical there is no valid reason to dispense with the terminology in place since about 525 AD just to be politically correct. It is annoying, reduces the comprehensibility of the dates in the book and in no way improves the calendar.

I find it a bit ironic in the chapter "Condensed History" that sometimes journalism professor Peter Haugen has a section called "Rotten to the Corps: Tyrants with Horrific Rap Sheets" in which obvious winners such as Stalin and Hitler make the grade, but so do three 'Pasas' from nineteenth century Turkey, due to forced relocations of peasants during wartime. They may well have been bad guys, but even historians disagree whether or not this was an unfortunate byproduct of war or genocide of a minority group. My point is that there is a lot of ambiguity here, and elevating them to the same plane as Hitler while leaving every single corrupt Middle Eastern despot off the list entirely is patently ridiculous. Bottom line: this list lacks historical objectivity.

In "Condensed Literature" the allegation is made that Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" is still 'fresh and funny' after 600 years. Everybody can have their own opinion, but I have read "The Canterbury Tales", and can say from personal experience that absolutely nothing could make "The Canterbury Tales" in any way fresh or funny.

Finally, under "Condensed Religion" there appears a box titled "The Problem of Evil" which attempts to refute religion as a belief system. The logical assertions are not well constructed, and most any individual dedicated to any monotheistic religion (that I know of, anyway) will have no difficulty recognizing the fallacies in the rather disingenuous arguments presented.

Overall, this is a credible, interesting book, though I don't think it is quite up to the quality of "Mental Floss" magazine. I recommend the book, but, as always, read skeptically, and let the arguments make sense before you change long-held beliefs. Having said that, the book is fun and irreverent. Despite my critiques, I am glad I bought it.

I agree with all of the other reviewers that this book is fantastically entertaining. Just the title of the "4 Things Your Boss Has in Common With Slime Mold" section is worth the price of this book.

The big disappointment is that some of the "facts" are flat-out wrong. A section on antibiotics claims, "bacteria are at the root of diseases ranging from colds to tetanus," when colds are caused by rhinoviruses and do not respond to antibiotics. Another section claims, "A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds," an urban legend which has been disproved many times over. My personal impression of the book (others will probably disagree) is that it contains a bunch of facts that the authors rattled off the tops of their heads instead of researching to any degree.

So, read the book in good fun, and if you're going to use its contents to show off how smart you are, find another source to back you up first.

Best non-fiction book I've seen in years. It's a $25 book for $15 (or $10 from Amazon), chock full of words and not silly black-and-white graphics. It covers almost EVERYTHING... art, music, science, literature, pop culture, philosophy, religion, economics, and more. No political junk, no cosmic overtones, just a bunch of fun, irreverent lists about things you should've learned at some point. I love reference books, and the only thing I love more than reference books are reference books that you can really pick up and READ as opposed to just skimming over. This is a perfect example of that.

I've subscribed to the magazine (mental_floss) for two years now, and it was a long wait for this book to come out. But it was well worth it. The book also offers a $5 discount on a subscription to the magazine (cheaper than the going rate) so it costs even less when you take that into consideration. While mental_floss is bimonthly, this'll help fill the time waiting for the next issue to come.

The last time I paid $15 for something as entertaining and educational as this was in Las Vegas in 1971. Shameful, I know.

mental_floss is one of those ideas we all wish we'd come up with. It just makes sense. We all want to learn a little of everything but are so darn busy and don't exactly have the time to read every textbook out there. Now, here's a way to learn a little biology, economics, philosophy, history, etc...and in a really witty format. The fact that you can learn science while reading something as fun as "4 Excuses to Get a Prescription for Chocolate" or "9 Laws of Physics that Don't Apply in Hollywood" is great! And I really wish my high school history class had been as fun as the history chapter in Condensed Knowledge. This book is hilarious, but really informative too.

As a loyal subscriber to mental_floss magazine, I was among the first in line to purchase Condensed Knowledge (published by the peeps at MF). As I began reading the book, it was evident that the scrumptious tidbits of useful information similar to those found in each issue of mental_floss flowed seamlessly into book form. Condensed Knowledge is the metaphorical mountain of interesting facts and trivia that you never learned in school (or you have forgotten since then). It covers all the bases -- geography, physics, music, pop culture, religion, etc. -- and does it with short, humorous reads that won't make you go cross-eyed. My friends and I all own the book and get together every Wednesday night for poker, drinks, and discussion of previously assigned chapters of the book -- sort of like a gambling book club. Next on the agenda: Six of the most incomprehensible pop music lyrics in history dissected and explained by our friends at Mental Floss. I recommend the book AND the magazine. They are both outstanding.

As a subscriber to Mental_Floss the magazine, I naturally rushed out and purchased Mental_Floss Condensed Knowledge edited by Will Pearson, Mangesh Hattikudur, and Elizabeth Hunt.

The irreverant, witty, and trivia filled style featured in the magazine translated well into a book format. The book is nicely divided into different areas of interest with amusing side bars that include Myths & Misconceptions, Timelines, Strange but True, Fake Your Way Through a Conversation, Alphabet Soup, and What's the Difference?

As a child of the '50's, I immediately turned to the Pop Culture section and was rewarded. I acquired the knowledge to have an intellegent conversation with a Trekkie. I can now explain the key differences between hip-hop and rap (something I've been wanting to do for some time). And, most notably, I now know what Steve Miller was singing, and no it isn't "prophetus of love," it's some other equally strange made up word.

Thanks to a sub-section called "Tricky Lyrics You'll Never Get Wrong Again," I got an old rock song out of my head and enjoyed the first full night's sleep I've had in a long time.

Thank you writers and editors of Mental_Floss for a truly entertaining collection that will provide interesting information for water cooler conversations for months to come.

I love this book. From Physics to Art History to Literature, what's most impressive about Condensed Knowledge is that it's actually fun to read. It's a great mix of introductory information about various topics and hilarious anecdotes about historical figures. Just the headlines are worth the price of admission: Countries That Made Atlas Shrug; Religious Mysteries Solved by Chemistry; etc.

As another reviewer said, this is the rare reference book that you can actually _read_ without your eyes glazing over. If, like me, you're never going to pull an A. J. Jacobs and read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, Condensed Knowledge is a fun way to feel (and get!) smarter.

Each chapter of this clever collection of fascinating facts from an impressive group of contributors is as interesting and as much fun as the one before. I'm ecstatic to finally have my faith in the value of chocolate documented! Now I also know how to sort out those pesky mosquitos that plague us every summer, how all those pricey beauty treatments work, where those 'alien invaders' like kudzu came from, and can hold my own with the best of them in a conversation about the biggest, smallest, fastest, slowest - even thickest - mammals. Add all that to the real scoop on renowned scientists like Darwin and Mendel. And this is all from just one Condensed Knowledge chapter! There are fourteen more equally as good. This is a keeper - a real treat.

My comments on this book are complimentary in total. Take it for what it is. It has a SOUP CAN on the cover for goodness sake! Reading the reviews for this book has been far LESS cerebral than this little book. Get a life and get over yourself to a great many of the reviewers. Apparently you already know it all so why did you bother to read it anyhow? By the way, as a side note, you never know everything. No matter who you are. As for the book: It is like taking the comedy version of defensive driving. Some things can't be side-splitting knee-slapping hilarious but can be made witty and entertaining while sneaking in a little education. Makes it ultimately an educating entertainment experience. That's it folks! This book really is a great read. No, it will not illuminate you with the answers that have illuded humankind since the dawn of time. No brilliantly mastered lifetime of work promising to create a new race of geniuses from inferior beings. I personally didn't feel as if the author was inferring any reader an idiot at the same time proclaiming himself the keeper of all knowledge. It would have said something to that effect on that Soup Can Label cover, right? I loved it and hope to read more like it. Being that I am out of college and have some time on my hands.