Qi: Advanced Banter [Hardcover]

Stephen Fry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2008

Have you ever wondered why most books of quotations are stuffed full of rather pedestrian quotes by people you've never heard of? It's a shame because a really good quotation book, one which gathered the truest and funniest insights of the best minds, and organised them into 250 subjects, from ambition to worry, (or from artichokes to woodpeckers), a book which offered you a useful take on almost every situation life throws at you (from the death of your child's hamster to the unified theory of everything), a sourcebook of wise one-loners, of knock-out jokes, of drole asides and heartfelt statements of truth and beauty, a practical handbook of interestingness , well, that would be worth having. And, guess what? Those thoughtful gentlemen at QI have come up with one. Five years of learning how to avoid the dull stuff have left the QI team in a uniquely good position to deliver this elusive holy grail: the big, useful, funny and really very good book of quotations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Upgrade your small talk instantly with this compendium of crisp one-liners collected by the creators of QI --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

John Lloyd has a broadcasting background. As a radio producer he devised The News Quiz and To the Manor Born before moving to television to start Not the Nine O'Clock News, Spitting Image, and Blackadder. If pressed, he'd concur with Heraclitus: 'abundance of knowledge does not teach men to be wise.' John Mitchinson is from the world of books. The original Marketing Director of Waterstone's, he became Managing Director of Cassell, where he published The Beatles, Michael Palin and Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. He's with Einstein: 'There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.'

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (October 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571233724
• ISBN-13: 978-0571233724
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #555,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I don't even know what street Canada is on." --Al Capone, December 13, 2008

By 

J. Guild (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Qi: Advanced Banter (Hardcover)

I must have a dozen or so books of quotations. It's hard to say which one is better than another;one can always find something in any one of them.As far as these compilations go;this one is pretty good and not as expensive as most.It is well constructed with a hard cover,has 448 pages of quotations arranged under 400 subjects.With several quotations under each subject,you should find just the right one to suit your purpose or just your enjoyment.I know I did and here are just a few that took my fancy;

Blondes
"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes,because I
know I'm not dumb and I'm also not blonde."--Dolly Parton

Books
"The reason why so few good books are written is that so few people
who can write know anything."--Mark Twain

Birds
"The mosquito is the State Bird of New Jersey." anomonous

Education
"My education was interrupted only by my schooling."--Winston
Churchill

Proverbs
"Almost every wise saying has an opposite one,no less wise,to balance
it."--George santayna

"I always love to quote Albert Einstein because nobody dares to
contradict him."--Studs Terkel

War
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country.He won it by
making some dumb bastard die for his."--Gen. George Patton

"I don't know what weapons WWIII will be fought with,but WWIV will
be fought with sticks and stones."--Albert Einstein

Stupidity
"We are all born ignorant,but one must work hard to remain stupid."
--Benjamin Franklin

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining quotes & Deep thoughts, September 6, 2010

By 

Robert D. Den Heyer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Qi: Advanced Banter (Hardcover)

A very nice book to read a page at a time. Or just all the entries in the top right hand corner of a number of pages.
Famous contributors, quotable quotes.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Quote Book that has Been Researched, January 6, 2011

By 

Paul Anderson "Hobbyist" (Sarnia, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: QI: Advanced Banter (Kindle Edition)

There are many sloppy books of quotations. This has put many misattributions into the public vernacular. This book appears to have actually been researched, with notations for dubious attributions. There are many wonderful quotes, and it has been curated by some very well read individuals. I consider it a worthy addition to any personal library.